The Lost Lady of the Amazon: The Story of Isabela Godin and Her Epic Journey

by Anthony Smith

Isabela Godin des Odonais arrived in France from Guiana in 1773, and for months her tale of wifely devotion was the talk of every salon in Paris. For good reason, as the vivid retelling of this sensational tale in Anthony Smith’s chronicle of an amazing Amazonian odyssey shows. A remarkable story, it takes Jean Godin on a French scientific expedition to Peru in 1735 and six years later marries him to the thirteen-year-old daughter of the Spanish governor. Godin’s plan to take his wife, Isabela, and their young family to France originates in nostalgia, but his sense of responsibility as well as adventure prompts him to first test the possibility of crossing the Andes, traveling the length of the Amazon, and sailing to French Guiana. He succeeds, but only after 20 years of petitions to the Portuguese government for passage will Godin’s wife undertake the same 3,000-mile journey—and encounter a series of jungle horrors and river tragedies that will reduce her party of 42 to her half-mad self, starving and alone. Photographs and a map add to this incredible true story of Isabela's journey down the mighty Amazon—exploring her courage, her survival, and her undying love.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 22, 2003

Reviews

[Nostalgia Reader]

2.5 stars.

A quick read, but one that really was very limited in information about Isabela Godin herself. Only a few of the 12 chapters actually focus on her journey down the Amazon. While I'm sure the material about her journey was relatively scarce (it seemed like most of the info for this time was taken from letters her husband wrote about things she'd told him; but we don't know, as there is no reference or notes section, an automatic 1-star off), the supplementary historical material could have been interwoven into her narrative better. Fortunately, I'm fascinated about any Amazon history, so I wasn't bored, and the story was very quick and engaging, but the style was just not the greatest.

[Andrew]

Another of my charity-shop rescues...and this amazing saga tells the story of a lost Latin American lady, Isabela: she had become separated by 18th century circumstances from her French husband...and there begins the tale...a very colourful but painful story of a woman's courage and endurance when making a journey down the Amazon to re-unite with her husband...but she arrives there in the delta...with little but her soul...having lost nearly everything else in the ravages inflicted by time, place & the ferocious nature of South American mountains, rivers & rain-forests & their dangers to any living being, human, insect or animal!
Anthony Smith does his best to sort out the details & it was a very entertaining & informative read...& well-worth the 2 pounds I paid to help the British Heart Foundation. Isabela Godin, the heroine, had plenty of heart.

[Daniela Rosero-López]

An amazing story of the difficulty of travels during the exploration period.

[Carole]

This was a PBS recommendation for summer reading. I was attracted to it because we had just read about Theodore Roosevelt in the Amazon for book club. However, there is not too much of the river in the book, rather a very annoying, long drawn out marital separation with husband & wife on opposite sides of South American for 30 years due to geopolitics. A historical nove, based on fact, with the heroine's survival alone, starving, for several days in the jungle as it's central drama. Summer reading indeed!

[Sue]

I was disappointed with this book. The author could have used the facts he had researched and made the book really exciting. Instead, the first 2/3's of it was just fairly dry information. I recently finished reading a novel, State of Wonder, about the Amazon and it was so exciting. I think a nonfiction book could be also. The title character, Isabela, only appears the last 1/3 of the book. So much more attention should have been made to her awful journey So, it was just an ok read.

[Dena Bass]

Honestly, I couldn't figure out why Isabela was so determined to reunite with her husband as he came across as a sniveling, freeloading coward in this story. The author did not personalize the relationship between Isabela and her husband and therefore I just couldn't dredge up any caring about either of them.

[Marcia Miller]

Little-known true story of survival, faith, and nearly unbelievable providence in the rugged Amazon basin in the mid-eighteenth century. The writing is inelegant, and the first half of the book is slow. Still, this "stranger than fiction" tale is worth a few hours.

[Bonnie]

Interesting story, but not gripping.

[Kay]

This true story is interesting, but the book itself is dry and overly simplistic.

[Kaz Gaisford]

An incredible story, several decades in the making. Well worth the read as it is one of those stories from history that you don't hear about.