He Went With Champlain

1 review for He Went With Champlain

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Katja – August 14, 2025

   4.5 stars (5/10 hearts). Samuel de Champlain has always been a hero of mine. He’s one of the few historical characters of whom everyone, without exception, speaks well, regardless of nationality or age. I was delighted with how he was portrayed here—courageous, prudent, hardworking, just, calm, honest, faithful… Tom was an excellent main character as well. He was a remarkable young man and I really enjoyed following his adventures. I loved seeing Étienne and he was very well portrayed. (I can’t stop thinking about what Aenons said about him after his death…) I despised both Nicholas. I loved Moon Rises and Small Arrow and Onienta, and really, all the characters were well done and very alive.

   The writing style was … interesting. It was oddly inconsistent, yet the French was very well done (she included the accents AND the pronunciation!) and there were some really nice parts. The recital of Champlain’s travels in Canada, from the first one in 1604 to his death in 1635, was very well done—it flowed well and was interesting, full of anecdotes—storylike while still being a biography.

   The ending was poignantly sweet and well done. I almost teared up at the last few paragraphs. What a beautiful testimony to a true hero… a man who founded a great country and a colony that is steeped in heroism and beauty.

   Content: graphic torture details.

   A Favourite Quote: Once Tom said to him, “Tell me how it is that you and all your tribe can suffer so many hardships and never complain.”
   Onienta smiled and said, “Our chiefs teach us that if we complain about a misfortune, we suffer it twice—once when it happens, again when we complain about it. They tell us it is better to say nothing and be ready to meet what comes next.”