Famille sans nom

by Jules Verne

" We pity the poor creatures who are flying at each other's throats for the sake of a few acres of ice." So said the philosophers at the end of the eighteenth century, referring to Canada, for whose possession the French and English were then at strife.

The few acres of ice now form a Dominion, with an area larger than that of Europe.

In the year of 1534 a Frenchman, Jacques Cartier, landed, and took possession of this vast territory.

A few facts, a few dates, will suffice us to trace the progress of this important state from its foundation to the period between 1830 and 1840, in which the events recorded in this history took place.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Adventure, French Literature, France

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1889

About the author

Novels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).

This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).

Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...

Reviews

[Luís · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conceived as a novel of mysterious adventures within the framework of the Franco-Canadian uprising of 1837, this little-known book by Jules Verne is a vigorous lyrical pamphlet in favour of free Quebec.
The young and fierce Jean Without a Name will compensate for the defeat by engulfing his boat set on fire by the English in Niagara Falls.
This admirable novel has a sublime ending.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ici, le grand écrivain de la science-fiction nous donne un roman historique très ordinaire sur la Rébellion des patriotes de 1837. Il ne fait pas des grands erreurs dans le domaine des faits historiques. Le problème est qu'il ne comprend rien de la société canadienne-française de l'époque qui était divisée entre des Libéraux radicaux et les catholiques ferventes.
Nous attendons toujours un bon roman canadien qui réfléchit sur ce soulèvement qui a quand même profondément marqué notre histoire.
Ce roman est dl 'intérêt seulement pour les Canadiens.

[Yves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Famille-Sans-Nom retrace de façon romancée la triste épopée de nos valeureux patriotes Québécois (Canadiens-Français à l'époque) lors des fameuses rébellion de 1837-1838. Jean-sans-Nom, personnage fictif, est dévoué à la cause patriote depuis la trahison de son père face à la cause indépendantiste. Il fera tout pour racheté les tords de son géniteur.

Jules Verne a écrit ce livre à l'époque pour sensibiliser ses compatriotes français à ce qui se passait avec l'ancienne colonie de la Nouvelle-France. Je dois dire avec surprise que l'auteur est assez précis et bien documenté. Il y a quelques petites erreurs mais rien de très grave.

Ce livre a réussi à toucher mon coeur Québécois indépendantiste. Quelle tristes histoire que celle des patriotes. Tout ce qu'ils voulaient, c'est le droit de diriger leur destiné et de se faire respecter en tant que francophone. Où je ne suis pas d,accord avec Jules Verne c,est lorsqu'il dit en conclusion que la création du Canada en 1867 a permis aux anglos et aux francos de vivre dans l'harmonie.Encore aujourd'hui, on a de la difficulté à se faire respecter par les canadiens anglais.


Cependant, lorsque je regarde aujourd'hui l'état des anciennes colonies française, je me dis que la conquête britannique n'a pas eu que des points négatifs.

[Camila · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia es exquisita en muchísimos sentidos, desde la completa contextualización hasta el desarrollo propio de los personajes. Siento que, de todas maneras, es una lectura más bien densa, pero eso no significa que no haya disfrutado cada página. De todos modos, al no conocer completamente el contexto histórico a lo que hace referencia no lo pude disfrutar tanto como quería, ya que, si bien sabía que respondía a cierto tipo de ideología, se sentía como ficción (y sí, sé que lo es, pero el contexto no es ficción como tal).
De todas maneras, es un libro bastante bueno que, sin duda alguna, recomendaría incluso a mis estudiantes.

[Roger H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un peu de fiction (Jean-sans-nom est un personnage fictif) ajouté à des éléments de réalité historique qui permet aux lecteurs de son époque (européens) de connaître un peu ce qui se passait à ce moment-là. Le résultat: une histoire assez intéressante mais avec un part pris évident (l’édition publiée chez 10/18 a comme sous-titre « Pour un Québec libre »). Écrit dans une autre époque, le texte contient des dialogues parfois très mélodramatiques ainsi que quelques clichés sociaux.

[James Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading books that take place in and around areas in which I've lived, and this novel is no exception (taking place for the most part along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec), but aside from that the story doesn't seem to carry the Verne charm that so many of his other works have. Of interest to those who enjoy Canadian History (particularly that of 19th century Quebec) and, of course, for the Jules Verne completist, but otherwise not essential reading in the Verne canon.

[Laura]

4* Five Weeks in a Balloon (Extraordinary Voyages, #1)
3* The Adventures of Captain Hatteras (Extraordinary Voyages, #2)
4* Journey to the Center of the Earth (Extraordinary Voyages, #3)
3* From the Earth to the Moon (Extraordinary Voyages, #4)
TR In Search of the Castaways; or the Children of Captain Grant (Extraordinary Voyages, #5)
4* Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Extraordinary Voyages, #6)
TR Round the Moon (Extraordinary Voyages, #7)
TR A Floating City (Extraordinary Voyages, #8)
TR The Blockade Runners (Extraordinary Voyages, #8.5)
TR Measuring a Meridian: The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa (Extraordinary Voyages, #9)
TR The Fur Country (Extraordinary Voyages, #10)
4* The Fur Country (Extraordinary Voyages, #10)
4* Around the World in Eighty Days (Extraordinary Voyages, #11)
3* The Mysterious Island (Extraordinary Voyages, #12)
TR The Survivors of the Chancellor (Extraordinary Voyages, #13)
TR Michael Strogoff (Extraordinary Voyages, #14)
TR Off On A Comet (Extraordinary Voyages, #15)
TR The Underground City (Extraordinary Voyages, #16)
TR Dick Sands the Boy Captain (The Extraordinary Voyages, #17)
TR The Begum's Fortune (Extraordinary Voyages, #18)
TR Tribulations of a Chinaman in China (Extraordinary Voyages, #19)
TR The End of Nana Sahib: The Steam House (Extraordinary Voyages, #20)
TR 800 Leagues on the Amazon (Extraordinary Voyages, #21)
TR Godfrey Morgan: A Californian Mystery (Extraordinary Voyages, #22)
TR The Green Ray (Extraordinary Voyages, #23)
TR Keraban the Inflexible: Adventures in the Euxine (Extraordinary Voyages, #24)
TR The Star of the South (Extraordinary Voyages, #25)
TR El Archipielago En Llamas (Extraordinary Voyages, #26)
TR Mathias Sandorf (Extraordinary Voyages, #27)
TR The Lottery Ticket (Extraordinary Voyages, #28)
TR Robur the Conqueror (Extraordinary Voyages, #29)
TR North Against South: A Tale of the American Civil War (Extraordinary Voyages, #30)
TR Flight to France (Extraordinary Voyages, #31)
TR Adrift in the Pacific: Two Years Holiday (Extraordinary Voyages, #32)
TR A Family Without a Name: Into the Abyss (Extraordinary Voyages, #33)
TR The Purchase of the North Pole (Extraordinary Voyages, #34)
TR Caesar Cascabel (Extraordinary Voyages, #35)
TR Mistress Branican (Extraordinary Voyages, #36)
5* The Castle of the Carpathians (Extraordinary Voyages, #37)

[Karla Baldeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recuento ficticio sobre la guerra independentista canadiense desde el bando francés, escrita por Julio Verne, ensalzando a los héroes de la causa francesa. Obviamente no terminó como el autor creía justo, pero el conflicto sirvió de base para crear la historia de una familia de traidores que, a base de trabajo arduo y fervor patriótico, buscan redimirse de sus errores del pasado y del estigma que este trajo hacia su familia.
Tenemos a un héroes rebelde que es el hijo menor de la familia, quienes han abandonado su nombre por el deshonor y la infamia que este les otorga, quien cada día se juega el pellejo para levantar a los diferentes pueblos a la sublevación y que se gana la aprobación y admiración de todos los hombres y mujeres fieles a la causa, quien ven en este joven sin nombre a su máximo líder sin saber quién es en realidad y quién es su familia.
Por otro lado, el hermano mayor de este ha entrado al clérigo y, a su vez, va sublevando a sus feligreses en cada iglesia a la que asiste, finalmente hace un gran sacrificio para cuidar de su hermano menor a quien ve como a la esperanza de todas las luchas de la independencia de su país.
El último miembro de esta familia es la madre, quien presa de los remordimientos por la traición de su esposo, a quien creyó hasta el último momento solo para finalmente ser probado como el traidor, se ha encerrado en una casa solitaria y aislada a donde una y otra vez regresan los hijos y algunos aliados buscando refugio y aliento para continuar con su lucha.
La descripción de las batallas está llena de detalles sombríos y momentos de heroísmo que deslumbran al lector, donde los personajes parecen morir felices tras luchar por una causa justa, pero es parte de la visión romántica de la batalla de este autor.
La recomiendo a todos los que le guste la historia narrada desde la perspectiva de la ficción.

[Ana Riva Palacio M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es uno de esos libros que nadie te recomienda, pero que sorprenden un montón. Nada que ver con sus novelas más famosas de aventuras fantásticas. Aquí estamos en el Canadá de 1837, con una rebelión real contra el dominio británico, mucha historia, drama familiar, política y acción.

Lo que más me gustó fue la relación de los hermanos Jean y Joannès. Uno todo noble y honorable, y el otro más pasional y terco, pero los dos súper comprometidos con la causa patriota. El dilema de cargar con la culpa del padre traidor y querer limpiar el apellido me pareció muy poderoso y emotivo.

Hay partes lentonas, sobre todo cuando Verne se pone súper técnico con datos históricos o geográficos (clásico en él), pero el drama vale la pena. El clímax es buenísimo, y sí, lloré con el sacrificio de Jean 🥲.

No es una novela de ciencia ficción ni con inventos raros, pero tiene ese sello de aventura, valentía y justicia que caracteriza a Verne. Siento que es de esas joyitas escondidas en su obra.

Le doy 3 estrellas por qué no llega al nivel de sus obras más famosas pero es muy bueno

[Farseer · Rating 4 out of 5]

(33) Famille-sans-nom (Family Without a Name, 1889) (2 volumes) 107K words


The 33rd Extraordinary Voyage is the second to take place in Canada (after "The Fur Country"). Unlike that previous novel, however, "Family Without a Name" is not an adventure story in the frozen wilderness of the Arctic regions, but a historical tale about the struggle of the French Canadians along the St. Lawrence River to gain their freedom from British domination. This is the fourth and last of the historical novels that Verne wrote around this time, the previous ones being "The Archipelago on Fire", "North Against South" and "The Flight to France".


First read or reread?: First read for me.


What is it about?: Simon Morgaz is a traitor hated by all French Canadians: in exchange for money, he betrayed the leaders who were planning a rebellion against the British colonial government, leading to their execution. During the trial, his confused statements revealed his treachery to the whole of Canada. He and his family are scorned by the populace and he had to flee, taking his wife Bridget and his two sons, Jean and Joann with him, before eventually committing suicide. Years later, a new rebellion is brewing, and one of its leaders is an enigmatic young man who calls himself Jean Without a Name.


While the previous book in the series ("Two Years' Vacation") was a return to the adventurous, optimistic tales that we associate with the first part of Verne's career, this one has a darker and more tragic tone. I don't enjoy this darker side of Verne quite as much, because it doesn't capture my imagination in the same way, but in fairness I also have to say that it gives this story some dramatic depth and emotional impact that most of his novels do not have.

The suffering of a family marked by an act of villainy committed by the father, even though the rest of the family were not accomplice, is painted vividly. Verne did not particularly shy away from depicting suffering, see for example the privations the characters of a much earlier novel, "The Survivors of the Chancellor", go through. But here the tone is also less optimistic. The wife and the sons of the traitor have devoted their angst-filled lives to compensating the shameful betrayal, but despite their heroism and their lack of guilt they seem unavoidably marked. Their suffering is mirrored by the suffering of the population as the British army takes revenge against the rebels.

This darkness may be a reflection of the trouble in the author's own life, or maybe it's just a consequence of Pierre-Jules Hetzel's death. Hetzel, who was Verne's editor and publisher, had always pushed him towards more commercial fiction. After his death, Hetzel's son, who took over his father's business, did not have as much influence over Verne.

Even though Verne occasionally had British characters, and in fact many of the protagonists of "The Steam House" were British officers in India, the author had never been very sympathetic towards British imperialism. Also, he had often shown sympathy in his novels for nations struggling against foreign domination. Here, he sides unequivocally with the oppressed French Canadians. As I read this novel, I had mixed feelings about that because nationalism, while it can be a noble sentiment under certain conditions, also leads to much fanaticism and suffering. For the purposes of this story, however, the British were oppressors and the people of the Lower Canada were only right in rising in arms against them.

The pace of the story was perhaps a bit too slow in the first half of the novel, but as is usually the case with Verne, it improves later. His stories are never uneventful, even when they start slow. In this sense, it reminded me of Verne's other two-volume historical novel ("North Against South"), which also had a slow beginning, while the other two historical novels, being only one volume each, do not really have this problem.

Given how serious and dark the novel is, some comic relief is in order. It is provided by Mr. Nick, the placid and conciliatory notary who also happens to be descendant of the Native American Sagamores and is, very much against his will, elected chief of his tribe. In spite of his desire to resume his profession, he has to accept this responsibility and join the tribe of his ancestors to avoid being arrested by the British, due to a misunderstanding. This leads to some funny situations, but the whole thing is so absurd that it belongs to a farce, and doesn't really suit this otherwise somber story.

Like in "Mathias Sandorf", the main characters here are political leaders in a revolution, which is something that was not the case in other Verne novels, except perhaps, to a lesser extent, in "The Archipelago on Fire". The plot is still action-oriented, though, with a romantic subplot also.

The bond between brothers, like Jean and Joann Morgaz in this novel, is a theme here and would also appear in some of Verne's latest works, particularly "The Kip Brothers" and "The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz". This may be a reflection of Jules Verne's close bond with his younger brother Paul. In fact, "The Kip Brothers", published shortly before Jules' own death, was dedicated to the memory of his brother Paul, who had just died.


Enjoyment factor: The darkness of this one took me by surprise, but I did enjoy it, although I have already commented that I prefer the optimistic, adventure-oriented side of Verne. Despite enjoying them, I'm not sorry that we are done with this mini-series of historical novels. Let's see where Verne takes us next.


Next up: The Purchase of the North Pole, aka Topsy-Turvy


See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/thread...

[papibook · Rating 5 out of 5]

En tant que Quebecois, je ne saisis pas pourquoi ce livre n'est pas lu dans nos écoles. Magnifique et surpris par l'exactitude des informations.

[Juan Carlos Santillán · Rating 2 out of 5]

"La familia sin nombre" (2/5)

Exasperante perorata patriotera, en las antípodas de los buenos libros de Verne centrados en la aventura, de la que éste carece. No es un "viaje extraordinario", sino un circunloquio tedioso. Lo único bueno es el final de los personajes, justo cierre para esperpentos anodinos que jamás debieron salir de pluma alguna, y menos de la de Verne. El olvido generoso es el mejor premio para este bodrio, cuya mayor virtud es la agilidad que el buen Jules le imprimió a su narración, permitiéndonos pasar rápido el trago amargo.

26.12.16

[Samuel Saint-Denis-Lisée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre peu connu de Jules Verne où l'action se déroule au Québec, au temps de la révolte des Patriotes. Un livre inspirant qui donne un bel aperçu de notre Québec et de son ardeur, tout en mettant en scène des personnages inoubliables.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt lost at the beginning with all the dates and canadian names but then, I liked the story. It was funny and sad in some parts. However, the characters were great.

[Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fue uno de los primeros libros en frances que lei y del cual aprendi mucho sobre la historia de Quebec.

[Ercira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es muy descriptivo e histórico. De la mitad para adelante me gustó

[Kees Jansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jules Verne remains one of the first SF writers. I love to read his books, even though they now are a bit dated in language as well as in thematics

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

yes, that Jules Verne; 1 of 7 of his books set in Canada