Le Québécois: The Virgin Forest

by Doris Provencher-Faucher

By Randy Seaver Courier Editor, Biddeford, Maine

 What started out as a matter of curiosity slowly evolved into an eight-year labor of love for Doris Provencher Faucher of Biddeford, and the result is something that has provided area Franco-Americans with a sense of history and pride.
 After retiring from a 17-year teaching career at Biddeford High School in 1988, Faucher found herself with plenty of spare time on her hands. Her four children were all grown, and she finally had an opportunity to begin a project that she had been thinking about for several years.
 With plenty of encouragement from her husband and friends, Doris sat down at her computer and began weaving the story of Sébastien and Marguerite Provencher, a young peasant couple who ventured from their village to begin a new life in Canada.
 Parts of the story have been fictionalized but many of the characters and events are real.  In fact, Doris has traced her own genealogical roots back more than 10 generations, discovering that she is a direct descendant of Sébastien Provencher.  After eight years of meticulous research, Doris has discovered much about her heritage and she wanted to share what she had learned with others who share her ethnic background.
 The result?
 A novel entitled Le Québécois: The Virgin Forest. The 255-page story, set in the mid 1600s, details the struggles and dreams of French peasants who risked everything in order to make a new life for themselves in a wilderness that was untamed and full of hope.
 Faced with the prospects of living in a country dominated by a feudal system, newlyweds Sébastian and Marguerite choose instead to make the long and treacherous journey across the North Atlantic into the unknown regions of Canada. The story of the Provencher family is similar to the stories shared by thousands of others who were lured to the new continent with promises of indentured servitude and the prospects of owning their own land; a dream that would never be realized in Louis XIV's France.
 From its opening pages, Faucher's novel explores the trials and tribulations of the early settlers in the St. Lawrence River valley area with an amazing historical accuracy and a penchant for stunning details. The story is compelling in its themes, winding its way through 15 years as Faucher slowly reveals the determination and fortitude of her ancestors.
 For her part, Doris says she is happy that the book is finally finished, but she is planning to begin work soon on a series of sequels that will continue to trace the history of Franco Americans who emigrated into Maine from Canada.
Where can people find the book? It's now available at the Bookport in Kennebunkport and at Nonesuch Books (formerly Bookland) in Saco and South Portland.
Also, contact the author at:
Doris Provencher-Faucher