Danielle Michele Fleming, 10 year old daughter of a French aristocratic mother, and the second son of English gentry, finds herself caught in the economic ruin that surrounds the failure of the Bourbon Monarchy. Without the surety of her mother's lands in France, Danielle's uncle forecloses on loans he holds for his brother. Her privileged life erodes into abject poverty and orphan. She finds herself aboard ship, destined for the Queen's Bush of Upper Canada and a life with the catalyst of her doom, her uncle, Edgar Fleming.
Overall, this is a beautifully written novel. I feel that Stephens captured the culture of the Native Americans in the mid to late 1800s. With little knowledge of the political struggles between England and France that caused Danielle's family to become destitute, Canadian history and Native American history, I felt like an observer through the entire novel--just barely understanding the magnitude of Danielle and Shadow Song's struggles. As a result, it was hard to connect and feel a part of the story.
In the end, during the afterward, it was disappointing that the real historical event of this novel plays such a minor part in the story.
I received a copy of this book via the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing.com.
Reading updates
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14 August, 2012:
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14 August, 2012:
Reviewed