The King's Daughter [Hardcover]

Suzanne Martel (Author)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books; Revised edition (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888993234
• ISBN-13: 978-0888993236
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,232,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved It!!!!!, July 24, 2003

By 

Katie (Annapolis, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Daughter (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite books. I was completely obsessed with it for about a month, which is a record for me. It's terrific.

Best for young adults ages 12-16, The King's Daughter by Suzanne Martel tells the story of Jeanne, an eighteen-year-old French orphan. She travels to Canada as a King's Daughter, passage paid by the king so that she might marry one of the settlers. By chance she is married to Simon, a young man with two children. His previous wife Aimee was killed by the Iroquios and he needed someone to look after his son and daughter.

It takes time and patience, but Jeanne comes to love Simon and Simon comes to love Jeanne. They both struggle with doubts about each other throughout the book until everything is resolved at the end. There are plenty of various adventures (Jeanne travelling to the nearest settlement as a man, for example, or the risk of Iroquois attacks) which make the book very exciting. The story is touching and fun, and historical fiction buffs will love it, as will anyone.

The King's Daughter was translated from French to English, I believe. Since I cannot speak or read French, I was delighted to find an English version at my bookstore. I liked this book very, VERY MUCH and I would encourage ANYONE to buy it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excelent story., August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The King's Daughter (Paperback)

This well written book is a story about Jeanne Chatel who is orphaned at 10 and is taken into a convent, as was the custom in the late 1660's and early 70's. But a convent is no place for the boundless energy that Jeanne has. So when she is invited to go to New France (Qubec) to be a wife to a man there, she hastly agrees, her sense of adventure rousing inside of her, and after 8 years living in a dull convent she was ready for some excitment. So she leaves France. When she arrives she expects to find a gallant military man but instead a hunter/architect comes to pick her up. The story of Jeanne's courage and bravery in New France and with the new family she comes to love and care for is truely worth reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historical yet lacking other things, May 18, 2001

By 

Athena (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Daughter (Paperback)

This was a good book. I have read it in both french and english and have had many english/french class discussions on it.

Summary: Jeanne, orphan girl of france. She is chosen like many girls to go to New France to help populate it. These chosen girls are on a mission for france, they are suitably named "The Kings' Daughters". Jeanne marries an intense man and becomes an instant 19-year old mother taking care of her new hubby's children who she adores. Jeanne has her encounters and adventures.

I found the book cliched. Jeanne is so overly cliched and her romance is a bit too. Their was little character developpment. It is obvious Martel is bias between the relations of the French and the Iroquis but she exaggerates their anger and fury a bit too much. The language is simple due to translation but if you do read the french version, the vocabulary is better.

The one true thing I like about the book is that, it's interesting. The plot is just her and her adventures. She has many adventures which keeps you reading. It's modestly historically accurate. I still recommend it if you wish to be interested but it would be better for the preteens.