Inspired by the real life of a 16-century heroine, Isola, by Allegra Goodman, is a gripping saga of survival and faith, named one of Time’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025.

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian — a cruel and volatile man — spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France.

Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.