The Seamstress of Acadie

November 6, 2023
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.

November 1, 2023
In 1754, seamstress Sylvie Galant's world is ripped apart as British and French forces battle for the peaceful French-speaking Canadian colony of Acadie. Exiled to the American colonies with a handful of survivors, Sylvie struggles to make a new life. Her frequent run-ins with William Blackburn only bring painful reminders of their chance encounter in Acadie and his role in the destruction of her homeland. William knows his military resignation did not come soon enough to save Sylvie, and when anti-refugee sentiments threaten her safety once more, the pair must face their complicated past for a chance at mending their future together. This novel, loosely linked to A Heart Adrift (2022), follows Sylvie's journey through the agony of exile to the beauty of new beginnings with one of Frantz's signature, handsome, brooding heroes. Centered in Acadie, which is present-day Nova Scotia, it features influences of French, Scottish, and Native American cultures and languages. Frantz meticulously captures the violation of being forced from one's homeland in heartbreaking historical detail and crafts remarkable characters who are refined by trials and redeemed by choices.

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January 1, 2024

Sylvie Galant loves her simple farming life in Acadie (present-day Nova Scotia) and has no aspirations to ever leave her beloved apple orchard. She sews garments both practical and beautiful for all her neighbors and enjoys teasing her siblings. Tensions between the French and British reach a fever pitch, however, in the mid-18th century. To spite the French, the British take the Acadian lands, load even old people onto crowded ships, and resettle them in the American Colonies. In a foreshadowing of what will happen to her Mi'kmaq former neighbors and other Indigenous peoples, Sylvie and the other Acadians are separated from loved ones and forced to forsake their language, religion, and customs. When Sylvie meets British ranger Will Blackburn, there is an immediate spark, but he has recently published a popular book about his exploits against the French. As he woos Sylvie, Will must reconcile the treatment of the Acadians with his own role. VERDICT Frantz (The Rose and the Thistle) is a wordsmith extraordinaire who makes readers care about little-known episodes of history through her characters. This is one of her best novels yet.

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