«Maria Chapdelaine» in French with a Parallel Translation

Maria Chapdelaine is a novel about the bright life of early French Canadian colonists. The book is based on the personal experience of the author as he himself worked in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region for most of his life. Maria is a young woman, she lives with her family on the Quebec border and bears hardships of isolation and harsh climate. After all, Maria must choose which of three suitors to marry, the suitors lead quite different lifestyles: one is a trapper, the second one is a farmer, and the third one is a Parisian immigrant. Although, the novel is quite simple, it expresses the essence of faith and determination - the key factors for survival. Maria Chapdelaine has been translated into many languages and is considered a landmark piece of Canadian literature.