Belle Canadienne

Before the filles du roi…Desperate to escape her past, Jeanne, a poor widow, accompanies a richer woman to Quebec. The sea voyage is long, one of privation and danger. In 1640, the decision to emigrate takes raw courage, but the struggling colony of Quebec, so far a collection of rough soldiers and fur traders, needs French women if it is ever to take firm root in the wilderness. In celebration of Canada's 150th Birthday, Books We Love, with the support of the Government of Canada, is publishing a series of novels set in each of the Canadian Provinces and Territories. Each book features a historical event or location as well as the story of a bride and groom, representative of the men and women who came to Canada in search of a new life and new freedoms. These books combine fact and fiction to show how these brides and grooms, all from diverse backgrounds, joined in marriage to create new lives and build a great country. Belle Canadienne takes us back in time and place to the wilds of New France where Jeanne Dube is learning to live – and love – again. The young woman's life in France has been physically and emotionally draining. This will not change, she knows, as long as she remains in France. When offered the opportunity to start over in a new world, Jeanne sets sail and sets out to reclaim her life. Before the filles du roi…Desperate to escape her past, Jeanne, a poor widow, accompanies a richer woman to Quebec. The sea voyage is long, one of privation and danger. In 1640, the decision to emigrate takes raw courage, but the struggling colony of Quebec, so far a collection of rough soldiers and fur traders, needs French women if it is ever to take firm root in the wilderness.