The title of the book is somewhat misleading. While it seems to imply a series of snapshots of Acadian life, it actually
introduces a
historical overview and cultural analysis of the Acadians in the Maritime Provinces. The focal point of the book is the settlement at Grand Pre, first as a historical place, next as a tourist draw, and finally as a symbol of the Acadian fight for empowerment. Having grown up in Nova Scotia along the Evangeline Trail, I found myself familiar with a lot of the early history presented in the first two chapters. The later history, which explores the importance of the Acadian story, especially of Grand Pré, as a tourist attraction, covered new ground for me. The latter part of the book will be of significant interest to New Brunswick Acadians, because the leaders in the struggle for empowerment were largely from this province.
The catastrophic upheaval caused by the Deportation occupies the entire third chapter of the book, and I found it to be the most interesting segment. Ms. Leblanc gives an almost day-by-day record of events, from the reading of the first proclamation to the final sailing of the ships. Interestingly, all this is seen through the eyes of an English soldier, Lieutenant Colonel John Winslow, whose journal entries are the only first-hand accounts known to exist. Winslow comes across as surprisingly sympathetic to the difficulties faced by the Acadians, and the use of his English perspective gives a sense of balance to a story which is usually told from only one vantage point—either that of the English soldiers and officials who carried out the Deportation, of the Acadians themselves, of or of the English Planters who succeeded them.
A glance through the eight page bibliography at the end of the book will show the impressive amount of research that went into the writing. Ms. Leblanc can speak with authority on this
subject, as she is a former director of the Grand Pré National Historic site, former president of the Société Promotion Grand Pré, and a current professor at Université Sainte-Anne. She quotes from numerous contemporary sources, particularly journals and newspapers of the day, which ground her statements in the historical period. The sidebars of many pages are thick with footnotes identifying these sources. These would be quite valuable to anyone interested in further exploration of the subject at hand. However, I found that constantly referring to the footnotes interrupted the flow of the text, and not much would be missed in simply glossing over them.
Ms. LeBlanc’s book is a fine example of solid research and thoughtful observations on a very relevant topic. Despite these recommendations, however, it may not appeal to the general reading public. I found that it read too much like a textbook and depended on an already existing curiosity in the subject to hold the reader’s attention. There is little that would draw in a casual or disinterested reader. In my case, I found the last part of the book too densely packed with facts and names. The information overload was often overwhelming, making it difficult for me to follow the author’s train of thought and requiring a lot of effort to read the book the end.