The King's Daughter

"The King's Daughter" ( _fr. Jeanne, fille du Roy, 1964) is a historical novel for juvenile readers by Suzanne Martel that examines the life of Jeanne Chatel.

ummary

Raised by a grandfather poacher, then by nuns, Jeanne Chatel leaves France to belong to the first quota of young girls to be married who make the crossing towards the New World. In exchange of a right-of-way and a dowry, " King's Daughters " have only one mission: to populate New France. In City-Marie, Jeanne marries, without same to have noticed the color of her eyes, the lord Simon de Rouville. It is in a hut out of roundwood, full forest, that Jeanne discovers, at the same time as the love, the rigors of the winter and the challenges of Canadian big spaces. Jeanne, an adventurous young girl who is not able to hold in place, becomes orphan following the death of her grandfather. She enters a convent, but it is not its place: it is too much turbulent. At the 18 years age, she leaves for new France. She marries a widower named Simon de Rouville who hunts for his family and builds for his king. Her new life is filled with extraordinary adventures while she gets to know her new husband and children.

Plot

Jeanne is an 18 year old orphan who lives in a convent. She is wild, and very unlady-like. When the offer comes to be a King's Daughter and go to New France, Jeanne immediately agrees to this along with her friend Marie. Together they embark on the trip across the ocean. Along the way, Marie falls in love with a sailor named Jean. This is a problem because she is supposed to marry a distant cousin. Jeanne realizes that in order for Marie to be happy, someone else must marry her cousin, so Jeanne goes in Marie's place.When Jeanne meets her new husband she is sorely disappointed. He is rude, blunt, and unfriendly. But, as she had decided, she went along with the marriage that day. As Jeanne gets to know her new husband (Simon) and meets her new kids, Nicolas and Isabelle, Jeanne grows happier and happier with her new life. She learns to become a healer, and becomes well-known around the land. In New France, the life was at the mercy of the aboriginals. The Iroquoians did not like the French settlers so attacked them on a frequent basis. The climax of this book happens as Jeanne and her family are attacked bby the Iroquois. They manage to hide in a cellar until the Iroquois are gone. When they finally emerge, it has been days and they are all sleepy, but they are alive. They then build themself a new home and enjoy life in New France.