Up Next: Isola - Allegra Goodman

From Writers Who Read by Gary Alan McBride

March 8, 2026 · 3 min

About this episode

The episode analyzes the novel 'Isola' by Allegra Goodman, focusing on its historical context and character development.

Whitney, Mira, and Gary analyze another recently-published novel on the next episode of Writers Who Read . Next up: Isola by Allegra Goodman. Based on a historical person, Allegra Goodman's Marguerite is as real a 16th century woman as we are ever likely to find within a novel. Orphaned as a child, her fate is in the hands of an unscrupulous guardian who takes her fortune and eventually maroons her on an island in Canada. How she reacts to her situation aligns perfectly with the options available to her within her time, place, and social status--it all reads true. Prepare to be transported by Goodman's masterful use of language. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Gary Alan McBride

Topics covered

book analysis
historical fiction
character study
language use
female protagonists

Keywords

Isola
Allegra Goodman
historical fiction
Marguerite
book analysis

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Isola