Survivor: 16th Century Feminist Style

A feral kind of freedom in Isola

This damn plague lingered all last week and I am tired of it raining on my parade! I’m ready to feel alert and energized and normal again. It’s been a forced pause across my life and, though probably necessary, I now feel so behind. I didn’t write a single word. I didn’t make any plans or call anyone back. Nothing moved forward.

And then there are the strange growing pains of finding my rhythm again. Once I get out of the flow it’s so hard to find my way back in. And I was really on a roll!

But yesterday was Faye’s 8th birthday and it felt like a pretty great reset. For breakfast there was a donut tower and a gooey round of Epoisses that she managed to make an impressive dent in. Her heart’s desire was a pair of rollerblades, so I scoured the internet and found a completely hideous black and gold pair that she absolutely loves.

Post-donut tower. Birthday breakfast Round 2.

We had tomato soup and grilled cheese at Charlie’s, one of our favorite restaurants. An incredible member of the bookstore team also happens to be a baker and she whipped up an enormous Oreo cake that must weigh 30 pounds. Delicious and, also, we’ll be eating it for the next month. If anyone local needs a slice of cake, just holler.

So, here’s hoping that things officially started turning around on her big day. My baby!!

Random things:

• I’ve had this adorable rain jacket for years and every single time I wear it people stop to ask where it’s from. Loeffler Randall just rereleased it and now everyone can spread a little joy on a rainy day.

• Starting a small business last year meant I was under some stress!! And my body hates being stressed out. My hair started falling out in alarming amounts and, as someone who has always had a LOT of hair, it was stressing me out even more. My hairdresser suggested I try the Davines Energizing Shampoo (I leave it on my scalp for 3ish minutes) and it has made such a difference. No more clumps of hair papering the shower walls. Glorious.

• Spring is coming which means it’s time to upgrade the kids' Crocs for the year. I love this cherry red pair with the floral cutouts. Cute!

• The White Lotus Season 3!! Belinda is back. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son behaving badly. The woman with the fabulous teeth from Sex Education. Thailand. Sunday nights can’t come fast enough.

Isola by Allegra Goodman

If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know I’m a sucker for good historical fiction. I always thought I hated history, but it turns out I just need it handed to me in a delicious, satisfying little package with great characters and an excellent storyline.

I have also talked about my love for Allegra Goodman, particularly her 2010 novel The Cookbook Collector which makes me feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about. Last year I read SAM which got a ton of buzz — and, honestly, it was fine. Wonderful writing, I learned a lot about rock climbing (!), was invested in the character, but it didn’t stay with me the same way that The Cookbook Collector did.

It is deeply interesting to me when an author takes such big swings with their subject matter. If her name wasn’t printed on the cover, I wouldn’t know that the same person wrote those three novels. Unlike Elizabeth Strout (as an example) whose writing I can recognize in an instant, Allegra Goodman really explores the far reaches of her interests to create an original voice. Each new novel is a reintroduction to Goodman as a writer. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s certainly interesting. The thrill of the unknown!

Yes, I took a screenshot of Reese’s repost and will save it forever and ever.

Based on Marguerite, the real-life 16th century French noblewoman whose parents die in infancy, condemning her to an uncertain fate in the hands of a male guardian. Roberval, the guardian, has promised to manage her dowry and secure her a marriage when she comes of age. But it turns out he is a cruel villain intent on using Marguerite’s wealth to fund his voyaging.

Arranging an advantageous marriage was never part of Roberval’s plans, instead he forces Marguerite and her longtime nurse to join him on a trans-Atlantic seafaring voyage to New France. On board Marguerite falls for Roberval’s secretary, a tender, handsome man. But their love is discovered and, as punishment, they are stranded on a rocky island at the end of the world.

It is a story of survival and of grief. Faith. It is also the story of freedom and what it means to live unencumbered by gender or circumstance.

1. To stay warm in her cave, Marguerite kills and skins a bear. We also keep a sheepskin draped across the back of our couch for maximum coziness.

2. So random, but we’ve been making the white fish with beans and tomatoes from this Jenni Kayne menu for years and it has never let us down!! I would make it with cod in honor of the fish that surround the island.

3. She is a woman of a certain class so, naturally, embroidery is a skill to hone. This sweet strawberry kit would be a perfect way to start.

4. This vintage coastal oil painting really captures the mood of the novel.

5. Suede moccasins, like something she’d fashion from a slain deer if she could.

6. Let’s give her a modern pair of trouser jeans.

7. Stranded on an isle in the harsh Northern winters, this dreamy hand cream would be a real step up from rubbing bear fat into their hands. My mom gifted it to me for Christmas and I cannot get enough.

8. Not gold or vintage, but there’s something about the chunky tortoiseshell that feels like something Marguerite would wear today.

9. Marguerite is gifted a gold ring (originally a gift from the Queen) that becomes a symbol of resilience and beauty. This Daphine ring is not an heirloom, but boy does it look like one. And it’s under $100!

10. Isola by Allegra Goodman

11. Imagine how cumbersome those dresses would have been, trying to scramble over rocks and wade out to fish! At some point she dones her husband’s coat and this masculine suede jacket would be my ideal modern take on it.

Here’s to a new, healthy (short!) week.