A Great and Noble Scheme

The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from Their American Homeland

By: John Mack Faragher

Narrated by: Paul Heitsch

Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1755, New England troops embarked on a "great and noble scheme" to expel 18,000 French-speaking Acadians ("the neutral French") from Nova Scotia, killing thousands, separating innumerable families, and driving many into forests where they waged a desperate guerrilla resistance. The right of neutrality - to live in peace from the imperial wars waged between France and England - had been one of the founding values of Acadia. Its settlers traded and intermarried freely with native Mikmaq Indians and English Protestants alike.

But the Acadians' refusal to swear unconditional allegiance to the British Crown in the mid-18th century gave New Englanders, who had long coveted Nova Scotia's fertile farmland, pretense enough to launch a campaign of ethnic cleansing on a massive scale.

John Mack Faragher draws on original research to weave 150 years of history into a gripping narrative of both the civilization of Acadia and the British plot to destroy it.

©2005 John Mack Faragher (P)2019 Tantor

A slice of unjustly ignored history!

Quite possibly the single best book ever written on this subject! John Mack Faragher’s highly detailed and comprehensive study on the outrageous and shameful expulsion of the French Acadians in the 18th century at the callous hands of the British and Yankee colonists ought to be included in the curriculum of every high school in both Canada and the U.S. But of course it is not, alas. It is not too much of an exaggeration to claim that this book changed my life when I first read it 10 years ago. Because of it, I rediscovered my love of writing historical fiction! Thank you Mr. Faragher!

Great story, problematic narration

This is a fascinating book but I have to agree with a previous review that the awkward pronunciation of the abundant French names was painful to the ears. Otherwise the narration was decent, but surely in all of bilingual Canada there is a reader who can pronounce both languages.

A family history

Wonderful recorded history - such detail and I even heard a family name mentioned through out - I doubt most are even are aware of the history

Absolutely fascinating

As an Californian, I can’t say that I have ever dreamed of reading the history of early Nova Scotia. But I was absolutely astonished to see the connections between the story of the Acadians and the development of American history. This book is thorough, engaging, and gives tremendous insight into the events in eastern North America, as well as places like “Cajun” Louisiana, in the mid-18th century - the exact time when revolutionary fervor was beginning to form in the United States. The Acadians’ refusal to take up arms in often spurious British wars eventually led to their cruel removal. But how relevant that is to a similar sentiment among the American colonials! Neutrality may be a noble end, but it often comes with a heavy price. The only small criticism I might make is the author’s implication that average New Englanders wanted the removal. It is important to remember that in 1755 they were not Americans yet, and had absolutely no say in this operation, which originated in London.

Must Read For Acadians

I’ve heard this story in parts before, but it was good to hear it in full. Hard to comprehend what my ancestors had to endure. I know why family is so important to us now.

The fate of my ancestors.

This book is a thorough account of the actions that led up to the expulsion of my Acadian ancestors from L'Acadie, NS. It is an example of intertwined descendancies that I am descended from those who were expelled and those who replaced them. All this from one set of my grandparents.

Informative and Engaging

Very interesting account of history. Good narration also. I have listened to this book twice now, and will again as there is a lot of detail.

Weak narration

The content may have been interesting, but the narrator's voice was so thin and the copious amounts of French were so painfully rendered that it was not pleasant to listen to.