Glover, Douglas. Elle: A Novel. Goose Lane Editions. (2003)
Imagine a 16th-century society belle turned Robinson Crusoe, a female Don Quixote with an Inuit Sancho Panza, and you’ll have an inkling of what’s in store in Douglas Glover’s outrageously modern historical novel.
Mysterious, mystical, and thoroughly original, Elle is a lusty, subversive riff on the discovery of the New World at the moment of first contact. Based on a true story, Elle chronicles the ordeals of a young Frenchwoman marooned on the desolate Isle of Demons during Jacques Cartier’s last, ill-fated attempt to colonize North America. In a carnal whirlwind of myth and story, of death, lust and love, of beauty and hilarity, Glover brings the past violently, and unexpectedly into the present.
From the Back Cover
I was fully prepared to like this novel despite it’s raunchiness until I read the back cover. I usually try to stay away from reading any description of the book because I like to be surprised (and sometimes there are spoilers). After having read the book and the description, I feel as though the publisher had a standard excerpt for these types of books and plunked in the author and the title. Elle is definitely carnal, but I don’t think I agree with the desriptors “beauty and hilarity”. Excuse me a sec whilst I confer with www.dictionary.com.
Um, no. I would definitely not call this book cheerful or merry. It was about a young woman being abandoned on a deserted island with her nanny and her lover in the hopes that she’ll die. (Perhaps I just have a different sense of humour?) Furthermore, the Isle of Demons is aptly named as this barren, goose-poop covered island is the burial ground for both her lover, nanny, deformed baby and her “soul”. Not really beautiful, although the main character is supposedly very beautiful until she gets stranded on the deserted island.
Another point is that Jacques Cartier (the Christopher Columbus of Canada) is not a part of the story, other than he had already been to Canada and exists as a minor character in the end. The girl’s uncle is the one who is Captain on the ship, and the one who decides to give her her own village abandon her after catching her in lusty acts with her tennis-player lover (which is graphically detailed in the beginning pages of the book).
As I continued reading, I started having a difficult time keeping track of what was myth and what was fact. A device I am sure Glover used intentionally. The true story itself is very blurry and if I was losing my mind, I could have trouble keeping track of it myself. However, as an innocent bystander to this story, I was confused. The main character suffers through a crisis of faith and felt that her prior life (so steeped in religion) now had no place in her head or heart, but the mythology of the Natives also seemed false. It is a struggle she lives with before, during and after her trials.
All told, this was a book that bell-curved for me. Started off poorly, got better, then ultimately disappointed. Themes are self-awareness, culture, early settlement and religion.
I was going to give this book a 3.5 but have now settled for…
…because of false advertising.
I read this book as part of my GG Literary Award Challenge.
wow this book cover reminds me of the kushiels dart series .. the main character is also a lusty independant female who needs to make her own way in the world… of course it is a fantasy novel about a submissive… but the charcters are well developed (pun intended)
January 8th, 2010 at 11:05 am
LOL I like your rating system
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Jenn Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Thanks! I love CanLit!
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January 8th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
wow this book cover reminds me of the kushiels dart series .. the main character is also a lusty independant female who needs to make her own way in the world… of course it is a fantasy novel about a submissive… but the charcters are well developed (pun intended)
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January 8th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Your rating system is fantastic.
Note to self: don’t bother reading this book.
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January 8th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Lol, I LOVE the book review. I like odd books that you have to read again to halfway understand so I oddly may like this book. However…
THAT IS THE CRAZIEST BOOK COVER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.
Wow, its super creepy.
And your rating system is awesome ^_^ Btw, I seen your comment over mines in the We Love Comments 20sb group
Ebony★
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Jenn Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Thanks for stopping by and I am glad you like my rating system!
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January 8th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Hi! Found you through the 20sb “We love comments” site.
The fact that you get “pee-your-pants” excited about a new follower is exactly why I am going to follow you
Amazing.
Enjoy the blog and look forward to reading more!
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Jenn Reply:
January 8th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Thanks for becoming a follower! (That always sounds to weird.) I must admit I almost piddled a bit. Almost.
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April 2nd, 2010 at 1:16 pm
JC was the captain of the ship in this story her uncle was the one who sent her on the voyage..
It is a really good book.
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