Book of the Month June 2025
Quizlit’s Book of the Month June 2025 is the wonderful Isola by Allegra Goodman. A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this historical epic of love, faith, and defiance.
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Book of the Month June 2025
Isola by Allegra Goodman
In sixteenth-century France, as the heiress to an aristocratic fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of privilege. Then she is orphaned, and her enigmatic and volatile guardian squanders her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to the new French colonies of North America. 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, abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.
From a childhood 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 had never before needed…
Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola tells the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.
“Allegra Goodman’s latest novel is a feminist castaway tale about love, faith, and self-actualization.”—Time, “Most Anticipated Books of 2025”
“Blazing action on each page—Marguerite’s shrewd deploying of tactics for her own salvation—reminds readers to place our money on the power of human female ingenuity.”—The Washington Post
“A work of tremendous imagination that draws on harrowing historical records to spin a story of self-determination, courage and faith.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Isola is a tale of struggle, strength, and survival that’s both timely and timeless.”—Paste
“An exciting, imagined narrative . . . As a novel of adventure and redemption and as a story of a woman coming into her own, [Isola] is a rewarding read.”—Bookpage
Also by Allegra Goodman
Sam is seven years old and living in Beverly, Massachusetts. She adores her father, though he isn’t around much. Her mother struggles to make ends meet, and never fails to remind Sam that if she studies hard and acts responsibly, adulthood will be easier—more secure and comfortable. But comfort and security are of little interest to Sam. She doesn’t fit in at school, where the other girls have the right shade of blue jeans and don’t question the rules. She doesn’t care about jeans or rules. All she wants to climb. Hanging from the highest limbs of the tallest trees, scaling the side of a building, Sam feels free.
As a teenager, Sam begins to doubt herself. She yearns to be noticed, even as she wants to disappear. When her climbing coach takes an interest in her, his attention is more complicated than she anticipated. She resents her father’s erratic behavior, but she grieves after he’s gone. And she resists her mother’s attempts to plan for her future, even as that future draws closer.
The simplicity of this tender, emotionally honest novel is what makes it so powerful. Sam by Allegra Goodman will break your heart, but will also leave you full of hope.
If you enjoyed Book of the Month June 2025, check out our Book of the Month May 2025 – Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
