Sylvie’s Chance

In this novel of the 1830s, a young woman challenges boundaries of language, religion, and culture to survive war and find love and a home on the Texas frontier.

Sylvie Pensoneau, an orphan, knows she must take risks to create a life beyond the traditional French community in southern Illinois where she has grown up. Avoiding an early marriage, she leaps to join an uncle in an American colony in Texas, then part of Mexico. Spurred by ideals for a new society, she becomes caught up in the Texas war for independence, and after a bit of spying, endures life as a refugee and aids at a key battle.

Returning to Illinois presents its own dangers, including fighting for her rightful inheritance. She faces being disowned if she goes back to Texas and marries the man she loves. And she must summon the courage to make a home on land Comanche Indians have traditionally claimed and will fight to keep.

Drawing on a legacy from generations of explorers and voyageurs, Sylvie weaves a story to inspire herself and her family as they strive for a better world. Readers can recognize her struggles for love, friendship, and a place to belong as she reaches across the borderlines of race, religion, culture, and language. The novel is based on a true story.