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Daughters of the Deer
In this haunting, groundbreaking, historical novel, Danielle Daniel imagines the lives of her ancestors in the Algonquin territories of the 1600s, a story inspired by her family link to a girl murdered near Trois-Rivières in the early days of French settlement.
Marie, an Algonquin woman of the Weskarini Deer Clan, lost her first husband and her children to an Iroquois raid. In the aftermath of another lethal attack, her chief begs her to remarry for the sake of the clan. Marie is a healer who honours the ways of her people, and Pierre, the green-eyed ex-soldier from France who wants her for his bride, is not the man she would choose. But her people are dwindling, wracked by white men's diseases and nearly starving every winter as the game retreats away from the white settlements. If her chief believes such a marriage will cement their alliance with the French against the Iroquois and the British, she feels she has no choice. Though she does it reluctantly, and with some fear--Marie is trading the memory of the man she loved for a man she doesn't understand at all, and whose devout Catholicism blinds him to the ways of her people.
This beautiful, powerful novel brings to life women who have literally fallen through the cracks of settler histories. Especially Jeanne, the first child born of the new marriage, neither white nor Weskarini, but caught between worlds. As she reaches adolescence, it becomes clear she is two-spirited. In her mother's culture, she would have been considered blessed, her nature a sign of special wisdom. But to the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful--a woman to be shunned, and worse.
And so, with the poignant story of Jeanne, Danielle Daniel imagines her way into the heart and mind of a woman at the origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent, disruption of First Nations culture--opening a door long jammed shut, so all of us can enter.
Marie, an Algonquin woman of the Weskarini Deer Clan, lost her first husband and her children to an Iroquois raid. In the aftermath of another lethal attack, her chief begs her to remarry for the sake of the clan. Marie is a healer who honours the ways of her people, and Pierre, the green-eyed ex-soldier from France who wants her for his bride, is not the man she would choose. But her people are dwindling, wracked by white men's diseases and nearly starving every winter as the game retreats away from the white settlements. If her chief believes such a marriage will cement their alliance with the French against the Iroquois and the British, she feels she has no choice. Though she does it reluctantly, and with some fear--Marie is trading the memory of the man she loved for a man she doesn't understand at all, and whose devout Catholicism blinds him to the ways of her people.
This beautiful, powerful novel brings to life women who have literally fallen through the cracks of settler histories. Especially Jeanne, the first child born of the new marriage, neither white nor Weskarini, but caught between worlds. As she reaches adolescence, it becomes clear she is two-spirited. In her mother's culture, she would have been considered blessed, her nature a sign of special wisdom. But to the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful--a woman to be shunned, and worse.
And so, with the poignant story of Jeanne, Danielle Daniel imagines her way into the heart and mind of a woman at the origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent, disruption of First Nations culture--opening a door long jammed shut, so all of us can enter.
327 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2022
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August 22, 2025
Another shocking page from the Roman Catholic Church’s history of genocide!
One could argue that 17th century European colonialism and expansionism was also to blame for conduct of the fur traders, the French military, and the settlers towards the aboriginal people in the territory along the St Lawrence River (and it certainly was). But make no mistake. When it came to homophobia, misogyny, sexual assault, rape, pedophilia and cultural, linguistic and actual physical genocide, it was the Church that held the whipping hand of authority and dictated the behaviour of the settlers towards the aboriginal people. It is an open question as to whether the French government and its people would have formulated such disturbing policies in the New World if the Roman Catholic Church had not demanded them. The Roman Catholic Church has a great deal to answer for!
DAUGHTERS OF THE DEER is the story of Marie Miteouamegoukoue, a young aboriginal woman, widowed as a result of the Algonquin’s perennial internecine war with the Iroquois, her subsequent forced marriage to a prosperous French farmer and landowner on a seigneury close to Trois Rivières, and the life of their mixed race “two spirit” lesbian daughter in the face of the community’s entrenched homophobia.
DAUGHTERS OF THE DEER is a touching, evocative story that is at once heartwarming and heartrending. It is a compelling story of heroism, bravery, and personal growth and a sad reminder that, notwithstanding what should have been 300 years of cultural growth for Canada and her people, one can still point to instances of this kind of hatred today. Joanna Goodman’s A HOME FOR UNWANTED CHILDREN comes quickly to mind. And any informed North American reader will be all too familiar with the deeply disturbing story of aboriginal residential schools.
Definitely recommended as a story that will move you to tears, that will hold your interest from first page to last, and that will leave you with a painful lump in your throat for quite some time after you turn that last page. DAUGHTERS OF THE DEER has a lock on ending up on my list of Top Ten Reads for 2022. And, a bonus for this reader, Danielle Daniel is an aboriginal Canadian author. Two thumbs up and an assurance that I'm looking for more of your work, Ms Daniel!
Paul Weiss
One could argue that 17th century European colonialism and expansionism was also to blame for conduct of the fur traders, the French military, and the settlers towards the aboriginal people in the territory along the St Lawrence River (and it certainly was). But make no mistake. When it came to homophobia, misogyny, sexual assault, rape, pedophilia and cultural, linguistic and actual physical genocide, it was the Church that held the whipping hand of authority and dictated the behaviour of the settlers towards the aboriginal people. It is an open question as to whether the French government and its people would have formulated such disturbing policies in the New World if the Roman Catholic Church had not demanded them. The Roman Catholic Church has a great deal to answer for!
DAUGHTERS OF THE DEER is the story of Marie Miteouamegoukoue, a young aboriginal woman, widowed as a result of the Algonquin’s perennial internecine war with the Iroquois, her subsequent forced marriage to a prosperous French farmer and landowner on a seigneury close to Trois Rivières, and the life of their mixed race “two spirit” lesbian daughter in the face of the community’s entrenched homophobia.
DAUGHTERS OF THE DEER is a touching, evocative story that is at once heartwarming and heartrending. It is a compelling story of heroism, bravery, and personal growth and a sad reminder that, notwithstanding what should have been 300 years of cultural growth for Canada and her people, one can still point to instances of this kind of hatred today. Joanna Goodman’s A HOME FOR UNWANTED CHILDREN comes quickly to mind. And any informed North American reader will be all too familiar with the deeply disturbing story of aboriginal residential schools.
Definitely recommended as a story that will move you to tears, that will hold your interest from first page to last, and that will leave you with a painful lump in your throat for quite some time after you turn that last page. DAUGHTERS OF THE DEER has a lock on ending up on my list of Top Ten Reads for 2022. And, a bonus for this reader, Danielle Daniel is an aboriginal Canadian author. Two thumbs up and an assurance that I'm looking for more of your work, Ms Daniel!
Paul Weiss
August 30, 2022
This is the author’s debut novel.
It is a remarkable story about colonization and family bonds (especially the mother-daughter relationship) that touches topics such as violence against Indigenous women, religion, Two-Spirited individuals and colonization.
It’s a work of fiction inspired by the author’s familial link to a young girl murdered by French settlers, in the 1600’s.
There is so much love and so much grief compacted in this small book.
The writing has a delicious flow that totally enthralled me and I couldn’t have enough.
I wished that this book was longer. I needed more, a lot more.
There are 3 main characters: Marie, Pierre and Jeanne. Marie’s POV is written is first person, but the other two are written in third person. I found this structure very interesting.
The only negative thing that I could point is that I did not feel transported to that era. It felt too modern. I wished that we were presented with indigenous languages and symbols.
Regardless, I enjoyed this work immensely. Never mind shattering my soul.
It is a remarkable story about colonization and family bonds (especially the mother-daughter relationship) that touches topics such as violence against Indigenous women, religion, Two-Spirited individuals and colonization.
It’s a work of fiction inspired by the author’s familial link to a young girl murdered by French settlers, in the 1600’s.
There is so much love and so much grief compacted in this small book.
The writing has a delicious flow that totally enthralled me and I couldn’t have enough.
I wished that this book was longer. I needed more, a lot more.
There are 3 main characters: Marie, Pierre and Jeanne. Marie’s POV is written is first person, but the other two are written in third person. I found this structure very interesting.
The only negative thing that I could point is that I did not feel transported to that era. It felt too modern. I wished that we were presented with indigenous languages and symbols.
Regardless, I enjoyed this work immensely. Never mind shattering my soul.
September 25, 2022
Sadly, this is another tale of how the church further exploited the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. The book takes place roughly between 1650 and 1700. As it begins, we meet a group of Algonquin People following a murderous raid by their only enemy, the Iroquois. Their raids have claimed most of the men and dwindled the population to merely a hundred or so. The Algonquins feel they have no choice but to leave their ancestral territory, north of the Ottawa River, to seek safety near the white settlement of Trois-Rivières. Their spiritual leader, the “Sachem’, is concerned about the future survival of his people. He calls the women to his wigwam—the Daughters of the Deer—imploring them to help strengthen the alliance between the Algonquin People and the French Settlers by marrying white men. The church is eager to convert the “savages” (as they call them) to Christianity, and so the marriages begin. Our main protagonist—now christened 'Marie' by the church—is a widow whose beloved husband was killed and her two young children taken in the recent Iroquois raids. Despite her fresh heartache, the Sachem urges Marie to marry Pierre, the most devout of the white men in Trois-Rivières. He speaks Algonquin and often acts as translator for dealings between the courts, the church and the Algonquin People. He’s a kind man and, because she's so devoted to her people, she reluctantly agrees to the union.
An incredible, absolutely riveting story emerges from here. I will only state with a great deal of sadness that, in her naïveté, Marie believed she was entering this union as Pierre’s partner but, after many years have passed, she comes to understand that she has given up everything. She lost her People, her name, her culture, and her whole way of life, but she now sees things clearly:
I’ll miss the characters in this book—those I’d really come to know—most especially Marie and her beautiful, two-spirited daughter, Jeanne. This book will touch and break the hearts of even the most hard-hearted readers. Daughters of the Deer is a very special book. The author includes some very interesting information, following the Epilogue.
5 beautiful but heartbreaking💔 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
An incredible, absolutely riveting story emerges from here. I will only state with a great deal of sadness that, in her naïveté, Marie believed she was entering this union as Pierre’s partner but, after many years have passed, she comes to understand that she has given up everything. She lost her People, her name, her culture, and her whole way of life, but she now sees things clearly:
“I pace back and forth. What a fool I’ve been. This world has never recognized my strengths and my skills as an Algonkin woman. As a Weskarini. After all I’ve sacrificed, my security and my children’s security completely depend on Pierre.”And then the heartache—the real devastation—begins. And despite all Marie had done for her community, Yes, it was centuries ago, but I still cannot help feeling ashamed of the treatment these Indigenous Peoples suffered by the “God-fearing” white men and women of the territory by then known as New France—ironically, in Marie’s estimation: “New France, they call it, as if nothing was here before them.”
I’ll miss the characters in this book—those I’d really come to know—most especially Marie and her beautiful, two-spirited daughter, Jeanne. This book will touch and break the hearts of even the most hard-hearted readers. Daughters of the Deer is a very special book. The author includes some very interesting information, following the Epilogue.
5 beautiful but heartbreaking💔 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
August 2, 2022
Nearly unflinchingly tragic, but so delicately told. This leaves me with an aching heart.
There were uplifting moments occasionally, sprinkled throughout the novel to keep it from being overwhelming. Two women whose chances at happiness are destroyed by Catholic colonizers. And not just these women, but so many Indigenous women who have faced physical and sexual violence since colonization began.
I really appreciated the novel on its own, but it felt even more powerful knowing it retells the lives of the author's direct ancestors. This is a beautiful tribute to Marie and Jeanne.
Love the cover design. Its soft and minimal art is still eye-catching but in a gentler way. Manages to feel modern yet represent the time period of the novel (seventeenth-century).
content warnings: cis-hetero normativity/prejudice directed at Two-Spirit people, scenes surrounding pregnancy/childbirth, child loss, Christian indoctrination, murder, rape, grief, prejudice against Indigenous medicines/spirituality.
There were uplifting moments occasionally, sprinkled throughout the novel to keep it from being overwhelming. Two women whose chances at happiness are destroyed by Catholic colonizers. And not just these women, but so many Indigenous women who have faced physical and sexual violence since colonization began.
I really appreciated the novel on its own, but it felt even more powerful knowing it retells the lives of the author's direct ancestors. This is a beautiful tribute to Marie and Jeanne.
Love the cover design. Its soft and minimal art is still eye-catching but in a gentler way. Manages to feel modern yet represent the time period of the novel (seventeenth-century).
content warnings: cis-hetero normativity/prejudice directed at Two-Spirit people, scenes surrounding pregnancy/childbirth, child loss, Christian indoctrination, murder, rape, grief, prejudice against Indigenous medicines/spirituality.
June 21, 2023
Wow, what did I just read?
I picked this book up six times in less that 72 hours, as the story captivated me and I had to know how Jeanne's life would play out.
The author's writing is simple yet SO incredibly profound. I was really moved by this book, the characters, and the story. Daughters of the Deer is a work of historical and fiction and LGBT literature.
I feel that it is very fitting that I finished this book on National Indigenous Peoples Day (here in Canada), as this book pays respect to the history of the Algonquin people.
I look forward to discussing this book with my fellow readers.
I picked this book up six times in less that 72 hours, as the story captivated me and I had to know how Jeanne's life would play out.
The author's writing is simple yet SO incredibly profound. I was really moved by this book, the characters, and the story. Daughters of the Deer is a work of historical and fiction and LGBT literature.
I feel that it is very fitting that I finished this book on National Indigenous Peoples Day (here in Canada), as this book pays respect to the history of the Algonquin people.
I look forward to discussing this book with my fellow readers.
February 2, 2022
I can already say without a doubt that this will be one of my top books of 2022! Raw and powerful, this book took me on an emotional journey and left me with an overwhelming sense of compassion and empathy for indigenous peoples who faced the atrocities of colonization. Danielle Daniel paints a vivid picture of the French colonization of Canada’s first peoples in the Trois-Rivières region of Quebec during the 1600’s. For fans of The Last of the Mohicans, read this book!
The story follows Marie, an indigenous healer living in a shared settlement with the French. Marie and her people have already lost so much. She was widowed when her husband was killed in an Iroquois raid. Her two children were kidnapped and never seen again. She has been stripped of her indigenous name and many of the traditions her people have followed for centuries. The chief wants her to marry a French man to help strengthen their alliance with the French so they will send more soldiers to protect their settlement from the Iroquois. She reluctantly agrees to marry Pierre for the security of her people.
Pierre is a devout Catholic and Marie is still trying to hold on to her traditions. When their daughter Jeanne comes along, their relationship is strained as they both gravitate to their own belief system for raising their children. Jeanne is caught between two worlds Algonquian and French. Add to this the fact that Jeanne is two spirit which is strictly forbidden in her father’s religious community. Pierre has arranged a marriage for Jeanne. Jeanne knows she will never be happy in an arranged marriage but what can she do?
Danielle Daniel, what a phenomenal debut! 👏🏻 Your novel has left me speechless and in awe of your talent. ❤️Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Marie, an indigenous healer living in a shared settlement with the French. Marie and her people have already lost so much. She was widowed when her husband was killed in an Iroquois raid. Her two children were kidnapped and never seen again. She has been stripped of her indigenous name and many of the traditions her people have followed for centuries. The chief wants her to marry a French man to help strengthen their alliance with the French so they will send more soldiers to protect their settlement from the Iroquois. She reluctantly agrees to marry Pierre for the security of her people.
Pierre is a devout Catholic and Marie is still trying to hold on to her traditions. When their daughter Jeanne comes along, their relationship is strained as they both gravitate to their own belief system for raising their children. Jeanne is caught between two worlds Algonquian and French. Add to this the fact that Jeanne is two spirit which is strictly forbidden in her father’s religious community. Pierre has arranged a marriage for Jeanne. Jeanne knows she will never be happy in an arranged marriage but what can she do?
Danielle Daniel, what a phenomenal debut! 👏🏻 Your novel has left me speechless and in awe of your talent. ❤️Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2023
Heartbreaking story of loss in its multiple forms. This is the kind of book that I would add to high school reading lists because it does a fantastic job of painting a nuanced and human portrait of early colonization of what was then called New France was like from an individual and cultural perspective.
March 12, 2023
To było bardzo satysfakcjonujące, smutne i angażujące spotkanie.
Człowiek to okrutna istota, w większości przypadków...
Człowiek to okrutna istota, w większości przypadków...
March 27, 2022
This was such a beautiful, haunting and deeply personal debut that reimagined what life was like in 17th century New France from the perspective of the Indigenous women who were encouraged (and sometimes forced) to marry white settlers and their resulting offspring.
Very few historical fiction books have been written about this time period, a notable exception being Suzanne Desrochers's Bride of New France. But whereas that book featured the white women sent from France as 'filles du roi', this story focuses on the even more marginalized women who were often abused and in this case even murdered.
I especially loved how this story focused on the love of a mother and her daughter and the struggles with acceptance Jeanne had as a 'mixed' race woman, neither fully Algonquin, nor fully accepted by her white father's people. To add to this she is two spirited, something that her mother's culture celebrated but Western society, including her father, found shameful and abnormal.
This book was wonderful on audio narrated by Jani Lauzon with a moving author's note included at the end. Highly, highly recommended, especially if you want to learn more about this important part of Canadian history! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.
⚠️CW: Read with care, this book deals with violence against Indigenous women, homophobia and cultural genocide with the early origins of the Jesuits
Very few historical fiction books have been written about this time period, a notable exception being Suzanne Desrochers's Bride of New France. But whereas that book featured the white women sent from France as 'filles du roi', this story focuses on the even more marginalized women who were often abused and in this case even murdered.
I especially loved how this story focused on the love of a mother and her daughter and the struggles with acceptance Jeanne had as a 'mixed' race woman, neither fully Algonquin, nor fully accepted by her white father's people. To add to this she is two spirited, something that her mother's culture celebrated but Western society, including her father, found shameful and abnormal.
This book was wonderful on audio narrated by Jani Lauzon with a moving author's note included at the end. Highly, highly recommended, especially if you want to learn more about this important part of Canadian history! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.
⚠️CW: Read with care, this book deals with violence against Indigenous women, homophobia and cultural genocide with the early origins of the Jesuits
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October 2, 2022So again, not actually going to rate this one. I really liked it, the story was interesting, sad (so sad!) and kept me engaged right to the last page.
However, on the last pages where the author traces her "Indigenous ancestry" (her words in her bio), I couldn't help but feel like this was a white woman who is talking about an Indigenous "connection" from centuries ago, a la many recent other controversial figures? Some further reading shows that at one point she presented herself as Metis, which she later redacted "out of respect" for Metis culture/lived experiences. Overall left a really bad taste in my mouth.....
However, on the last pages where the author traces her "Indigenous ancestry" (her words in her bio), I couldn't help but feel like this was a white woman who is talking about an Indigenous "connection" from centuries ago, a la many recent other controversial figures? Some further reading shows that at one point she presented herself as Metis, which she later redacted "out of respect" for Metis culture/lived experiences. Overall left a really bad taste in my mouth.....
April 15, 2023
Poruszająca, wstrząsająca opowieść o wielkim konflikcie, największym poświęceniu, o kobietach, które musiały przetrwać.
Wojny Irokeskie to tak istotne tło dla „Córek Klanu Jeleni” i dramatu, jakiego ofiarami stały się kobiety Algonkinów. Danielle Daniel wrzuca nas prosto w sam środek tej wojny. Już pierwsza scena wyznacza ogromny konflikt wewnętrzny bohaterki i pokazuje stawki, o jakie toczyła się owa wojna. Z jednej strony mamy Irokezów, którzy zamordowali jej męża, porwali syna i córkę. Jej plemię traci krew, traci ludzi, słabną z każdym kolejnym atakiem. Ich kultura wymiera. Z drugiej zaś strony mamy kolonistów francuskich i idących za nimi jezuitów, którzy nawracając rdzennych mieszkańców na swoją wiarę, obiecują im ochronę i spokój. Algonkini powoli tracą swoją tożsamość, bez względu na to, w którym kierunku się obrócą. Kobiety plemienia wiedzą, że ich dzieci będą rozerwane między cywilizacją najeźdźców i ich ofiar, tylko od przewrotnego losu zależy, czy uda im się kontynuować pierwotne tradycje i połączyć je z nową wiarą, czy będą musiały wyrzec się przeszłości na zawsze. Konflikt zaszedł zbyt daleko, Agonkini utracili zbyt wiele, teraz można tylko próbować przetrwać. Danielle Daniel pokazuje to osaczenie, ten tragiczny wybór, ten moment, gdy trzeba oddać cząstkę siebie, by móc zwyczajnie istnieć. To bardzo realistyczny i bardzo szczery obraz epoki, co sprawia, że „Córki Klanu Jeleni” są tym bardziej wstrząsającą i wartą uwagi lekturą.
Autorka stworzyła bogate, ciekawe, skonfliktowane wewnętrznie postacie. W „Córkach Klanu Jeleni” nic nie jest proste. Nic nie jest czarne lub białe – historia udowodnia, że to w szczegółach, w odcieniach szarości kryją się odpowiedzi. Tym bardziej w historii tak przejmującej jak opowieść Danielle Daniel, w którą autorka wplotła część siebie i część swoich własnych rodzinnych dziejów. To ona jest potomkinią Marie. To ona nosi w sobie jej krew. To jej przyszło oddać głos kobietom, które niegdyś poświęciły wszystko, by dzisiaj ona mogła je wspominać. Ich opowieść niesie nie tylko ogrom wzruszeń, ale także ogrom wiedzy, która jest tak dzisiaj potrzebna.
Wojny Irokeskie to tak istotne tło dla „Córek Klanu Jeleni” i dramatu, jakiego ofiarami stały się kobiety Algonkinów. Danielle Daniel wrzuca nas prosto w sam środek tej wojny. Już pierwsza scena wyznacza ogromny konflikt wewnętrzny bohaterki i pokazuje stawki, o jakie toczyła się owa wojna. Z jednej strony mamy Irokezów, którzy zamordowali jej męża, porwali syna i córkę. Jej plemię traci krew, traci ludzi, słabną z każdym kolejnym atakiem. Ich kultura wymiera. Z drugiej zaś strony mamy kolonistów francuskich i idących za nimi jezuitów, którzy nawracając rdzennych mieszkańców na swoją wiarę, obiecują im ochronę i spokój. Algonkini powoli tracą swoją tożsamość, bez względu na to, w którym kierunku się obrócą. Kobiety plemienia wiedzą, że ich dzieci będą rozerwane między cywilizacją najeźdźców i ich ofiar, tylko od przewrotnego losu zależy, czy uda im się kontynuować pierwotne tradycje i połączyć je z nową wiarą, czy będą musiały wyrzec się przeszłości na zawsze. Konflikt zaszedł zbyt daleko, Agonkini utracili zbyt wiele, teraz można tylko próbować przetrwać. Danielle Daniel pokazuje to osaczenie, ten tragiczny wybór, ten moment, gdy trzeba oddać cząstkę siebie, by móc zwyczajnie istnieć. To bardzo realistyczny i bardzo szczery obraz epoki, co sprawia, że „Córki Klanu Jeleni” są tym bardziej wstrząsającą i wartą uwagi lekturą.
Autorka stworzyła bogate, ciekawe, skonfliktowane wewnętrznie postacie. W „Córkach Klanu Jeleni” nic nie jest proste. Nic nie jest czarne lub białe – historia udowodnia, że to w szczegółach, w odcieniach szarości kryją się odpowiedzi. Tym bardziej w historii tak przejmującej jak opowieść Danielle Daniel, w którą autorka wplotła część siebie i część swoich własnych rodzinnych dziejów. To ona jest potomkinią Marie. To ona nosi w sobie jej krew. To jej przyszło oddać głos kobietom, które niegdyś poświęciły wszystko, by dzisiaj ona mogła je wspominać. Ich opowieść niesie nie tylko ogrom wzruszeń, ale także ogrom wiedzy, która jest tak dzisiaj potrzebna.
May 12, 2022
This year has been a journey of phenomenal Native and Aboriginal reads for me. This book took on the issues of Aboriginals being stripped of their heritage and self in the 1600s.
This book is an absolute treasure and although it broke my heart, it is a book everyone should read. More importantly, every Canadian should read this passionately. “O Canada, our home and native land….”
Bravo to this Canadian author, it enlightened me on every level.
A painful ending. Five stars do not do this book justice.
This book is an absolute treasure and although it broke my heart, it is a book everyone should read. More importantly, every Canadian should read this passionately. “O Canada, our home and native land….”
Bravo to this Canadian author, it enlightened me on every level.
A painful ending. Five stars do not do this book justice.
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November 11, 2022DNF - dunno how I made it to p.134 tbh lol
this story is soullessly written & it makes me lean more into my doubts about this author's background; everything here we know as fact, but the author is unable to take those things and write a compelling story that pulls you in. the writing feels separated from the POV it's trying to achieve, and at times leans into the mystification of Indigenous people. I much prefer reading from queer Indigenous authors directly. You can tell the difference.
this story is soullessly written & it makes me lean more into my doubts about this author's background; everything here we know as fact, but the author is unable to take those things and write a compelling story that pulls you in. the writing feels separated from the POV it's trying to achieve, and at times leans into the mystification of Indigenous people. I much prefer reading from queer Indigenous authors directly. You can tell the difference.
December 23, 2025
What I liked:
1. Historical fiction
2. History of Indigenous Peoples
3. Strong female characters
4. Multiple POVs
5. Aboriginal Canadian author
6. Canadian history
What I didn't like:
It finished too soon.
"Daughters of the Deer" is a touching and heartbreaking story of the author's ancestors centuries ago. A time when Algonkin (Algonquin) women were forced to marry French settlers in Trois-Rivières region of Quebec during 1600s to save their tribe from Iroquois and the colonials. That means giving up their identities, power and place and enslaving themselves to the French beliefs.
It is a compelling story of Indigenous women with incredible strength and wisdom. There is no happy ending to this book that validates the present for Indigenous. It is a brave yet emotional, raw yet harrowing part of our history that we must know.
This impressive debut book by Danielle Daniel is now one of my favourite reads of 2022. I am looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
Highly recommended.
TW: Child loss, murder, homophobia, genocide, suicide, alcoholism, domestic abuse, sexual assault, prejudice against Indigenous Peoples.
1. Historical fiction
2. History of Indigenous Peoples
3. Strong female characters
4. Multiple POVs
5. Aboriginal Canadian author
6. Canadian history
What I didn't like:
It finished too soon.
"Daughters of the Deer" is a touching and heartbreaking story of the author's ancestors centuries ago. A time when Algonkin (Algonquin) women were forced to marry French settlers in Trois-Rivières region of Quebec during 1600s to save their tribe from Iroquois and the colonials. That means giving up their identities, power and place and enslaving themselves to the French beliefs.
It is a compelling story of Indigenous women with incredible strength and wisdom. There is no happy ending to this book that validates the present for Indigenous. It is a brave yet emotional, raw yet harrowing part of our history that we must know.
This impressive debut book by Danielle Daniel is now one of my favourite reads of 2022. I am looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
Highly recommended.
TW: Child loss, murder, homophobia, genocide, suicide, alcoholism, domestic abuse, sexual assault, prejudice against Indigenous Peoples.
March 30, 2022
From the moment I opened to the first page I knew this would be devastating, and every page until the very end left my heart broken.
This is an incredibly personal novel about the horrors inflicted on Indigenous People since early settler colonialism. The absolute destruction imposed by extreme religion, homophobia/transphobia, and patriarchal values, and how it tears apart families, culture, community, and ways of knowing. Extreme Catholicism is truly terrifying.
The authors inclusion of her own family tree at the end of the novel shows the continued destruction colonialism has on Indigenous People in this country and across Turtle Island. Everyone please read this book.
This is an incredibly personal novel about the horrors inflicted on Indigenous People since early settler colonialism. The absolute destruction imposed by extreme religion, homophobia/transphobia, and patriarchal values, and how it tears apart families, culture, community, and ways of knowing. Extreme Catholicism is truly terrifying.
The authors inclusion of her own family tree at the end of the novel shows the continued destruction colonialism has on Indigenous People in this country and across Turtle Island. Everyone please read this book.
June 1, 2022
i’m obviously the odd one out here but i have a few gripes
- i wish the prose was more beautiful. i saw someone write that this was “delicately written” and i could not disagree more. it felt like reading a grocery list at times.
- i understand the subject matter is what it is and is true to life but i didn’t appreciate every gay being buried. to do this repeatedly to solidify the way lgbtq2s people were and are treated.. the author is a bit hamfisted with this. not a single gay got away.
- was so excited after reading the blurb, i picked it up instantly. i thought the novel was going to be about a 2 spirit individual and their forbidden love, but this was like… 2 chapters of the book.
- so many tragic things seem to happen purely at random? the bear? what was that about lol. it just Happened.
i had so much hope for this story because honestly it’s refreshing to see more varied stories from marginalized people. but this kind of read like tragedy porn to me.. it reminded me of pai kit fai’s horrible book the concubine’s daughter. i should have known when the write up reminded me of it but i went ahead because i trusted the author to do better. i don’t know, i guess it wasn’t my cup of tea.
i’d really love some recommendations on books by and about two spirit individuals.. more like a history of my brief body by billy-ray belcourt or jonny appleseed by joshua whitehead.
- i wish the prose was more beautiful. i saw someone write that this was “delicately written” and i could not disagree more. it felt like reading a grocery list at times.
- i understand the subject matter is what it is and is true to life but i didn’t appreciate every gay being buried. to do this repeatedly to solidify the way lgbtq2s people were and are treated.. the author is a bit hamfisted with this. not a single gay got away.
- was so excited after reading the blurb, i picked it up instantly. i thought the novel was going to be about a 2 spirit individual and their forbidden love, but this was like… 2 chapters of the book.
- so many tragic things seem to happen purely at random? the bear? what was that about lol. it just Happened.
i had so much hope for this story because honestly it’s refreshing to see more varied stories from marginalized people. but this kind of read like tragedy porn to me.. it reminded me of pai kit fai’s horrible book the concubine’s daughter. i should have known when the write up reminded me of it but i went ahead because i trusted the author to do better. i don’t know, i guess it wasn’t my cup of tea.
i’d really love some recommendations on books by and about two spirit individuals.. more like a history of my brief body by billy-ray belcourt or jonny appleseed by joshua whitehead.
March 18, 2022
Wow! What a powerful story with beautiful (and often haunting) imagery. I was so excited to see the audiobook available through my public library - especially since the book was only just released. The narration is superb and made me feel like I was there in that time and place. Highly recommend!
June 11, 2023
i can’t do this book justice with a review so i’m gonna keep it short. heartbreaking and beautifully written.
February 28, 2023
2.5
Audiobook uwypuklił wszelkie wady tej książki. Od tego, że bohaterowie przez lata nie przechodzą praktycznie żadnej przemiany, do wielokrotnych powtórzeń, na które zapewne w formie pisemnej nie zwróciłabym aż takiej uwagi.
Świat przedstawiony bardzo prosto w formie, którą najczęściej widzą dzieci, czyli zero jedynkowo (albo jest ktoś dobry, albo zły - szarość nie istnieje). Sama fabuła i zachowania bohaterów są z kolei do bólu przewidywalne.
Mogłabym ją wpisać na listę pod - ważny temat, ale słaba książka.
Audiobook uwypuklił wszelkie wady tej książki. Od tego, że bohaterowie przez lata nie przechodzą praktycznie żadnej przemiany, do wielokrotnych powtórzeń, na które zapewne w formie pisemnej nie zwróciłabym aż takiej uwagi.
Świat przedstawiony bardzo prosto w formie, którą najczęściej widzą dzieci, czyli zero jedynkowo (albo jest ktoś dobry, albo zły - szarość nie istnieje). Sama fabuła i zachowania bohaterów są z kolei do bólu przewidywalne.
Mogłabym ją wpisać na listę pod - ważny temat, ale słaba książka.
May 14, 2024
Devastating, heartbreaking, and tragic. This book was so beautifully written and brought me to tears many times.
July 27, 2022
a must read.
April 21, 2024
4,5 w poprzednim życiu byłam Indianką, jak nic..
April 6, 2022
Goodness! What a phenomenal story and tribute to the author’s ancestors. Highly recommend!
September 9, 2022
Wasn’t written well enough to make up for the content. The book consists of dull, lifeless characters who tell you in dull, lifeless paragraphs their tragic origin story, with plenty of stereotypical depictions of Indigenous people and cheesey, over-the-top dialogue & passages that are both preachy and trite.
All of that, just to ultimately tell the story of two-spirited, half-Indigenous Jeanne, who is happy for about 10 pages before 1) her girlfriend kills herself 2) she goes half-insane with grief over said girlfriend killing herself and has sex with a hallucination of the girlfriend and 3) is sexually assaulted and murdered by her second-cousin and some random farmhand. I get it, we’re going for historical accuracy here— Indigenous women are raped and murdered constantly throughout history! But I would have been happier if Jeanne had been mauled by a bear, or had died of smallpox, or one of the myriad of other ways people died when they were 17 in the 1600s.
Pointless, senseless tragedy for the sake of senseless tragedy. Nothing sums it up better or leaves a worse taste in your mouth than the final sentence of the book— a description of what Marie’s (Jeanne’s mother, and also the other main character and wise, mystical solemn Indigenous woman who forgets and remembers that white people are bad every other chapter) gravestone has to say, after she dies alone:
“A female savage — died, 1699.”
All of that, just to ultimately tell the story of two-spirited, half-Indigenous Jeanne, who is happy for about 10 pages before 1) her girlfriend kills herself 2) she goes half-insane with grief over said girlfriend killing herself and has sex with a hallucination of the girlfriend and 3) is sexually assaulted and murdered by her second-cousin and some random farmhand. I get it, we’re going for historical accuracy here— Indigenous women are raped and murdered constantly throughout history! But I would have been happier if Jeanne had been mauled by a bear, or had died of smallpox, or one of the myriad of other ways people died when they were 17 in the 1600s.
Pointless, senseless tragedy for the sake of senseless tragedy. Nothing sums it up better or leaves a worse taste in your mouth than the final sentence of the book— a description of what Marie’s (Jeanne’s mother, and also the other main character and wise, mystical solemn Indigenous woman who forgets and remembers that white people are bad every other chapter) gravestone has to say, after she dies alone:
“A female savage — died, 1699.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2022
I loved it from the very beginning right through til the end. So thought provoking. So heartbreaking. The more I read of our Indigenous people the more I am fascinated with their beliefs. The more I am incensed at what, as white people, we did to them and their land. So well written. Highly recommended.
July 5, 2024
When I had 20 pages left, I was set on rating this 4 stars, but then the ending happened, and I sobbed and sobbed. The last sentence literally ruined me.
"Our sons will marry with your daughters and we will be a single people." -Samuel de Champlain
"Our sons will marry with your daughters and we will be a single people." -Samuel de Champlain
March 6, 2023
Piękna historia
January 23, 2025
Une histoire belle, puissante, choquante. Difficile de laisser ce livre une fois qu’on le commence. Vraiment intéressant. On passe par toute une gamme d’émotions.
February 22, 2025
This was the most beautiful and heartbreaking book I’ve read in a long time.
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