Explores the lives of survivors who were shipwrecked, banished, or abandoned during the past several centuries.

Marguerite; or the isle of Demons is a legend which is now an indisputable part of the early history of Canada. Marguerite is the story of a young woman of noble birth who was one of the colonists that Roberval, Viceroy of Canada and Newfoundland, brought out from France in 1542 to establish a colony on the St. Lawrence River. Another one of the colonists was a young soldier who was in love with Marguerite. Their love-making during the voyage irritated Roberval so much that he decided to get rid of Marguerite by marooning her and the old nurse that accompanied her on one of the Harrington Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The island was the Isle of Demons, inhabited by dreaded and fearful creatures. The legend, told in verse by George Martin, a forgotten Canadian poet of nearly a century ago, is a stirring tale of a woman's fortitude and her indomitable struggle for survival.

Feminist autofiction from one of Sweden’s blazing talents. “Ramqvist is a serious contender for the Swedish literary limelight.” —Shelf Awareness Blending autofiction and essay, The Bear Woman is a journey of feminism and literary detective work spanning centuries and continents. In the 1540s, a young French noblewoman, Marguerite de la Rocque, was abandoned on an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with her maidservant and her lover. In present-day Stockholm, an author and mother becomes captivated by the image of Marguerite sheltered in a dark cave after her companions have died. This image soon becomes an obsession. She must find out the real story of the woman she calls the Bear Woman. But so much in this history is written so as to gloss over male violence. And the maps and other sources she consults are at times undecipherable. Karolina Ramqvist explores what it means to write history—and to live it. “Karolina Ramqvist writes with frosty precision the kind of literature that is unforgettable. Her portraits of women hit deep into bone and marrow.” – Dorthe Nors, author of A Line in the World “Ramqvist’s acute rendering of embodied sensual experience combined with her evocation of her double character’s increasingly desperate circumstances create a story of high tension, startling insights, and lasting resonance.” – Siri Hustvedt, author of Mothers, Fathers and Others “One of my favorite discoveries from this year.” – Samanta Schweblin, author of Little Eyes “Ramqvist is a serious contender for the Swedish literary limelight.” – Shelf Awareness

Winner, Governor General's Award for Fiction Shortlisted, IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and Commonwealth Writers' Prize A 16th-century belle turned Robinson Crusoe, a female Don Quixote with an Inuit Sancho Panza -- this is the heroine of the novel that won the 2003 Governor General's Award. Elle is a lusty, subversive riff on the discovery of the New World, the moment of first contact. Based on what might be a true story, the novel chronicles the ordeals and adventures of a young French woman marooned on the desolate Isle of Demons during Jacques Cartier's ill-fated third and last attempt to colonize Canada. In this new readers' guide edition, Douglas Glover's carnal whirlwind of myth and story, of beauty and hilarity brings the past violently and unexpectedly into the present. His well-known scatological realism, exuberant violence, and dark, unsettling humour give his unique version of history a thoroughly modern chill.

Discover the untold stories of the fierce women who shaped Canada's legacy! Celebrate the accomplishments and heroics of the overlooked heroes of Canadian history, with inspiring tales of tenwomen who were integral to our national legacy, and whose stories have not been told . . . until now! Often relegated to the sidelines of history, the women highlighted in this book were performed feats that most people would never even dream of. You may not know their names now, but after reading their stories, you won't soon forget them. It's time to hear the stories of Marguerite de la Roque, Ttha'naltther, Catherine Schubert, Charlotte Small, Alice Freeman (AKA Faith Fenton), Lucile Hunter, Ada Annie Jordan (AKA Cougar Annie), Victoria Cheung, Mona Parsons, and Joan Bamford Fletcher! Author Lisa Dalrymple's riveting writing, combined with rigorous research, makes Fierce: Women Who Shaped Canada as eye-opening as it is thrilling to read!