The Seamstress of Acadie

An enterprising seamstress forges a new life after her world is upended by the French and Indian War in this textured historical romance from Frantz (The Rose and the Thistle). It’s 1754 and Sylvie Galant lives with her family in Acadie (modern-day Nova Scotia), a region fiercely contested by the English and French. As rumors of British military machinations circulate, Sylvie’s brother tells the family about William Blackburn, an English commander whose daring exploits are “the stuff of legends” and whose capture commands “the highest ever” bounty set by French officials. When William comes to the family farm seeking Sylie’s brother, a rumored leader in the French Resistance, she’s drawn to the charming stranger who calls himself “Le Loup” (the wolf). Before they can meet again, however, English soldiers round up the Acadians and force them onto ships heading to British colonies to the south. William resigns his commission in protest, as he never wanted the neutral Acadian people harmed. Sylvie suffers through the arduous journey and a shipwreck before ending up in Virginia, where she works to build a new life—unaware that William has also landed nearby and that God may have plans for their future together. Frantz’s atmospheric writing is easy to sink into, from the grimness of the disease-riddled voyage to the ethereal Acadian landscape. While William and Sylvie’s romance is a slow burn, there’s a rewarding payoff to this tale of second chances born from tragedy. Frantz’s fans won’t be disappointed. (Jan.)