“An engaging, engrossing debut.”—Greer Macallister, USA Today bestselling author of The Magician’s LieBound for a new continent, and a new beginning.In her illuminating debut novel, Aimie K. Runyan masterfully blends fact and fiction to explore the founding of New France through the experiences of three young women who, in 1667, answer Louis XIV’s call and journey to the Canadian colony.They … women who, in 1667, answer Louis XIV’s call and journey to the Canadian colony.
They are known as the filles du roi, or “King’s Daughters”—young women who leave prosperous France for an uncertain future across the Atlantic. Their duty is to marry and bring forth a new generation of loyal citizens. Each prospective bride has her reason for leaving—poverty, family rejection, a broken engagement. Despite their different backgrounds, Rose, Nicole, and Elisabeth all believe that marriage to a stranger is their best, perhaps only, chance of happiness.
Once in Quebec, Elisabeth quickly accepts baker Gilbert Beaumont, who wants a business partner as well as a wife. Nicole, a farmer’s daughter from Rouen, marries a charming officer who promises comfort and security. Scarred by her traumatic past, Rose decides to take holy vows rather than marry. Yet no matter how carefully she chooses, each will be tested by hardship and heartbreaking loss—and sustained by the strength found in their uncommon friendship, and the precarious freedom offered by their new home.
“An absorbing adventure with heart.”—Jennifer Laam, author of The Secret Daughter of the Tsar
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Very interesting period in Canadian history. Good characters with engrossing back stories.
I love history and genealogy, so this book appealed to me immediately. I felt like I would have had feelings similar to the female characters in this book. To leave behind all you have ever known, family included, knowing that you would be marrying someone with only a few weeks to become acquainted had to be so difficult. These women really did not know exactly what to expect. They might end up in a good home and not be expected to labor like a man, or they might have to struggle in a shack in the frigid wilderness of Canada. Aimie Runyan did a very good job of depicting the long journey on the ship. She heightened my awareness of the hardships they faced and endured as they married and the risks involved with childbirth with little medical care available. Not only did Ms. Runyan engross me in her story, she educated me on a bit of history I had never really researched. I loved this book.
This story begins in 1667 and deals with the King of France’s, King Louis XIV, desire to solidify and expand his Canadian colony. His plan is to send women of good moral standing and marriageable age to the colony under the pledge that they will marry, have children and thus contribute to his growing colony in the New World. The story follows the trials and tribulations of three such women and how their lives evolve over a period of several years in their quest to find happiness and contentment in the new world. This was a pleasant story, but bland. The characters were stereotypes of either good or evil with a heavy dose of Christian morality thrown in. At the end the author seemed to stretch things to bring about a happy ending for all three female main characters. It was a nice story, but if you are looking for a lot of historical detail this book is not for you.
Trigger Warning
There is a scene in the beginning when the young teen girl is repeatedly raped by her uncle. It’s not described in great detail, but it greatly affected me and I almost stopped listening to this audiobook.
But, thankfully, I was able to get past this scene, although it is referred to throughout the book!
Besides this assault, the book is an incredible tale of several young women who come from various walks of life in France. Their friendship ties them together as they serve the King of France by becoming wives for the settlers of Canada’s New France. The stories are filled with hardships and struggles, joys and hope! The author weaves these amazing tales together so flawlessly that it’s like reading their diaries!
The narrator was perfect! Getting the emotions of the various characters as they suffer and rejoice, fight, and heal!
There is romance, but I believe the women’s strength and fortitude is the main focus of this story! Their friendships and their marriages are the backbone of their success in this colonial life!
I loved it!
King Louis needed ladies for his colony, so he shipped off as many volunteers as he could – les filles du roi, as it were. On this single historical fact rests the entire premise of Aimie Runyan’s Promised to the Crown. I don’t mean to sound snarky – this is a great read and the three main characters – Rose, Elisabeth, and Nicole – are, for lack of a better term, lovely. Runyan has given each of them an interesting backstory in France – there’s the beloved farmer’s daughter who has left reluctantly so to spare her parents a mouth to feed and a dowry to meet, the abused former aristocrat whose past has scarred her into taking the vows of a nun, and the daughter of a Parisian boulangère who dreamed of inheriting the family business. Once in Quebec, Runyan endows each with a similarly varied and intriguing life.
Though it could easily be classed as a tale of hardship on the frontier, Promised to the Crown is more the story of the bonds of friendship. (In that way, it reminded me regularly of One Thousand White Women, though I much preferred Promised to the Crown.) All three of the protagonists are genuinely likeable; if I were to quibble over anything in Runyan’s work, it is the fact that despite the hardships that are introduced, the story does seem a teensy bit too happy-happy and I had a hard time believing their lives really could have turned out just so. Although of a different time and place, the lives in Gentle Tamers and Plantation Mistress seemed far more realistic than those that Runyan’s ladies lead. For that reason, I lean more toward three-and-a-half stars than four, but in the scheme of things, this isn’t a major complaint.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2018/04/promised-to-crown-daughters-of-new.html)
4.5 Stars. A historical novel that made me want to learn more. One of my favorite things! I really found myself wanting to keep coming back to this book as I did other things. It kept me very interested and made me become invested in the characters.
Based on true events. Great story.
Cliche but entertaining
was ok. I felt it would be interesting for young adults
A sweet story about a little known part of Canadian history. Would appeal to an older audience or a young teen audience.
Well written book built around history few of us ever heard. Fascinating
historical and informative
I was excited to find that someone had written a novel about “The Daughters of the King” as I’d been researching these women for some time. Having six or seven of these brave young women in my family tree made me curious about their lives. And although this is a fictionalized version of the lives of several women, I found it intriguing to read.
This book is excellent. There are multiple main characters and each chapter varies which one is telling their intertwined stories.
BEING OF FRANCO-CANADIAN HERITAGE I REALLY ENJOYED THE TWO NOVELS
Loved this book and it’s 3 main characters. Learned some Canadian history while enjoying the story.
A wonderful look into history and enjoying and good story as well. Loved the characters.
Interesting topic. I always wonder how two people can marry and go directly to day to day living together day and night without having met before the wedding. I suppose it could just be the acceptance of the times in which they lived. In these cases, at least, they were given time to choose but not much.
Greatly enjoyed this book – not many realistic stories about New France and this time period. All of the characters were well developed and easily brought into the story. I would like to ready more of this time period and the development of Canada.
If you are of French-Canadian descent, this will be a really interesting read.