Shadows on the Rock (Willa Cather, 1931)

I recently re-read this novel in preparation for our upcoming trip to Montreal and Quebec. It's one of Cather's later works. I just really like her novels.

In this book, Cather describes "the quiet, isolated life of Cecile Auclair and her father, the town apothecary." It is set in the early days of old Quebec. Cecile's father (with wife and young daughter) left France as personal physician (or whatever) to Count Frontenac, the governor of New France. As such, he had special privileges to bring along furniture and what-not; his small house (and attached apothecary shop) felt more like France than most other houses in Quebec. His wife died after a few years, and his daughter (then ~10 years old) took up the task of maintaining the old customs, while building a life, in a new world.

Which she came to love, even though the father had always planned to return to France.

I can't say why I find this story so effective; it's certainly not one of Cather's more famous books. It doesn't have a strong plot line (by design), yet it completely gets my imagination going about what this type of life may have been about. What about the idea of these folks - isolated on a rock in the wilderness - watching the last set of ships head back to France in October - with a wait of eight months for replenishment? The trappers, the old bishop, the townspeople, the missionaries, the feeling of being on the edge of civilization alongside the dark never-ending forest.

I really want to see this area for myself.