Rose alone - by Sheila Flynn Decosse (Paperback)

About the Book

Read Rose Alone to follow Rose's journey as she struggles to find her place and family in the new world of battling French and English Empires in America

Book Synopsis

After the Great Exile of her entire Acadian community from Canada in 1755, half of Rose's family and her boyfriend disappear. As part of their forced resettlement in colonial East Hampton, New York, the English government begins it's work to turn Rose and her Acadian family into "proper English citizens". Lonely and unable to speak her native French, Rose's situation is made worse by a vindictive Master who blames her as a French speaker for the capture and perhaps death of his son by French military forces in upstate New York. Read Rose Alone to follow Rose's journey as she struggles to find her place and family in the new world of battling French and English Empires in America.

Review Quotes

ROSE ALONE is a compelling story of Acadian settlers in North America caught between three cultures-French, English and Mi'kmaq- as they struggle to keep their own independence during the French and Indian War. Sheila Flynn DeCosse makes history come alive for young readers.

-David Kuchta, Ph.D., independent historian

ROSE ALONE is a rich and engrossing novel that illuminates an overlooked but worthy pocket of history. With an eye for vivid detail and a deft feel for the story's unique setting, author, Sheila DeCosse draws readers into a captivating story that resonates long after the final page has been read.

-Elizabeth Doyle Carey, author

After a violent deportation, fourteen-year-old Rose along with thousands of other Acadians. only know that they have lost everything and are under the control of the enemy, the feared and hated English. As the story progresses, neither side trusts the other, often because they don't understand each other, nor speak the other's language. Rose struggles with many problems but in time, she works hard to learn to speak English and finally finds a path forward. It's fine for a reader to learn the facts but all alone, that can be boring to some. Sheila DeCosse found the heart, the passion, the feelings of this story. That's what draws people in.

-Jean Doris LeBlanc, Acadian historian-genealogist, retired teacher

Sheila Flynn DeCosse captures the mood of the era of the French and Indian War through the eyes and ears of young Rose, one of over 6000 Acadians who were forced to leave their homes and farms in Nova Scotia, by the English in 1755. By carefully reconstructing the sights and sounds of an environment over 250 years ago, the author becomes Rose, a displaced Acadian child, separated from her family and often viewed as the enemy amongst many of the American colonists she has been forced to shelter with. This is a very touching tale that seems so appropriate for the present time. With ethnicity and immigration problems in the forefront of world news, this story of the plight of the Acadians, seen through Rose, reminds every teenage reader, that with the right attitude, there can be a happy ending.

-Richard I Barons, Chief Curator, East Hampton Historical Society