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Severine
is a historical novel set in Acadia that explores the lives of several
generations of the women of Acadia and the life of a modern Acadian
woman who questions her roots and her identity.
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It was the women of Acadia, they say, who kept the dream of their homeland alive and preserved its culture.
The Acadians are descendants of the French settlers who established the
first permanent white settlement in North America on Ile Ste. Croix, in
the Bay of Fundy, in 1604. During the following century and a half,
while their mother country France waged war with England, and the new
land of Acadia changed hands between them ten times, the Acadians
continued to clear the forests and reclaim fertile land from the sea. |
In 1755, under British rule, they were brutally removed from their rich
farmlands and scattered to various parts of the world. After the end of
the Seven Years War in 1763, some Acadians returned to live under
British rule and some remained in other lands. Their descendants,
whether they live on the land that was once Acadia or in exile, still
consider themselves Acadian because their mothers and grandmothers kept
the dream alive.
But who were these women of Acadia? The author explores their lives,
through several generations of ordinary women whose stories do not
appear in the history of the battles, the negotiations, and the
treaties that took place between the French and the British. And she
explores what being ‘Acadian’ means for a modern woman who
feels alienated from her Acadian roots and questions her identity.
Severine by Cassie Deveaux Cohoon
Publisher: Shoreline Press
ISBN 978-1-896754-57-4 $21.95
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| Cassie Deveaux Cohoon was born
in the Acadian village of Chéticamp on the northern side of Cape Breton
Island, in Nova Scotia. Her Acadian heritage goes back to the early
days of Grand Pré on her fathers
side and Beaubassin (now Amherst), on her mother's. As many of her
generation, she grew up with the idea that she would be "leaving home"
to make her life elsewhere. She has lived in New York and Paris, France
and now makes her home in Montréal. She has worked as a freelance
journalist and has written family histories. This book is her first
work of fiction. |
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The historical novel Severine
is a magnificent story. I felt as though I was part of that exiled
group who suffered so much but still managed to get back to their
country, if not to their old homesteads. The author very neatly
pinpoints the attitudes of the Church. Anyone who grew up in a
Catholic community knows what it was like, and in the early days it was
no picnic! Congratulations to the author for telling it like it
was and sometimes still is.
J.D.L, Cape Breton, N.S.
I was able to connect mentally and emotionally with each character, whether it was Severine
or old Martin. Gender seemed to play no role, even though the
lives of the Acadians certainly dictated a woman’s place.
How clever of the author. . . The conversations were quite
refreshing, no inane words or cramped series of thoughts, she cut right
to the chase. . .
E.W., Maine, U.S.A.
Although I am from another generation, I could relate to several references in Severine
that touched on aspects of my own identity, such as Sevvie’s
stone spine, her reaction when crossing the Canso Strait, her feeling
different from the Acadians ‘down home’ but still wanting
to think of herself as Acadian. Also, the strength of the Acadian
women that the author portrays reminds me of all the strong women in my
own Acadian family. . .
C. D., Montreal, QC
I enjoyed the novel Severine
very much. The author gives a good portrayal of the struggle of
the Acadians, and she ties in very well the modern day part with that
of the past. . .
D.P., London, Ont.
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