A glimpse into the life of Acadian folk hero Pierre Belliveau, known as Piau, who led his people into exile during the 1755 expulsion of the Acadians.
Acadian leader Pierre Belliveau, known as Piau, led hundreds of Acadians into the wilderness to escape the Acadian Expulsion. He vowed to lead them to the Promised Land, where they could live without fear of deportation. Over the years he became a prisoner of war, was deported to Boston, and built a castle before finally leading his people to Memramcook, New Brunswick, the Promised Land.
This historical novel, based on a true story, explores the armed and quiet resistance of the Acadian people and the Acadian figure who dedicated his life to securing the safety and well-being of his people. Told by a direct descendant of Pierre Belliveau, Bruce Murray, it is a story of suffering, courage, and hope.
Narrative history is tricky. There's always a danger that the history audience will find the book lacking academic rigidity and the fiction crowd will find it too dry. Happily, this book manages to find the delicate balance between meticulous research and detail on the one hand and a well written narrative story on the other.
Despite (or possibly because of) growing up in America, I was not terribly familiar with Acadian history. Pierre Belliveau was a folk hero from the mid 18th century who led a group of persecuted francophone Acadians into exile in the Canadian wilderness in search of a better life rather than suffer under English rule.
At roughly 300 pages, the story develops steadily and evenly. I personally had some trouble keeping the characters distinct in my mind - parents, mothers and daughters & fathers and sons often shared names, which made it challenging to keep them straight sometimes.
Beautifully crafted and entertaining, I really liked this book a lot.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher
