Review:
Madeleine Takes Command is a story of heroism. Based on a true account in the winter 1692-93 in the wilderness of French Canada, fourteen-year-old Madeleine, along with her brothers, twelve-year-old Louis and ten-year-old Alexandre, hold down the fort against a raiding Iroquois party.
The story opens with Madeleine's mother regretfully leaving with her three youngest children to go to Montreal on business. As the oldest child of the seigneur, Madeleine is left in charge of the estate. With the constant threat of raiding Iroquois parties, burning, killing, and destroying, tension builds as Madeleine anxiously awaits her mother's return. Suddenly, while on patrol in the woods, the garrison is attacked and the tenant farmers are either captured or massacred as they make their way to the fields. Madeline, her brothers, an elderly servant, and two useless, cowardly soldiers are left to defend the fort and the remaining wives and children of the workers, who huddle together in the blockhouse.
Through Madeleine's ingenious ideas, they are able to present the appearance of far more militia men defending the fort. Hoping for reinforcements, they must battle against the constant threat of an open assault, as they observe the Iroquois darting in and out of the woods, threatening to do more harm, yet their biggest danger may be their own fatigue from the constant watch.
Who is to blame for all the fighting? The author presents a fair account of the turbulent times, giving blame equally to all sides and prodding the reader to reflect on the true Christian response to war and hatred.
Since this is a recording, the narrator also plays a role in the story. The narrator in this production is a woman with a sweet and soft-spoken voice. Her French pronunciation is impeccable. It is the suspenseful storyline, rather than her presentation; however, that carries the listener's interest. With each new turn of events, my children eagerly anticipated the next chapter. Will the reinforcements come in time to save the fort?
