Skip to Main Content

Promises to Keep

See More Retailers


Summer 1755, Acadia




Promises to Keep ONE
June 1755

The hummingbirds would return soon, tiny warriors marking the true beginning of summer in their frantic, efficient manner, and I smiled every time I saw them. For now I had to be satisfied with the robins, poking their little beaks into the dirt, retrieving what goodness they could find.

How simple for them, I thought, hoisting my second bucket of water. They pulled their food from the earth and drank their fill from the dew, and they had no chores at all. Early summer—nipk to the Mi’kmaq, when Nipniku’s brought the summer moon—meant the morning mud beneath our clogs would be cold, the stinging flies relentless. At the end of the day we would fall back into bed, exhausted and itchy.

Ah, but the little birds did not have what I had either, I mused. They could not come inside and warm their feathers by a welcoming fire when the rain raged or the wind banged the shutters of our house. They could not keep their tiny feet warm in fine woollen socks or wooden clogs like mine. They could not even enjoy the notion of how fortunate we were to live in this wonderful place with a loving family and so many friends.

I heard Maman singing, then Giselle joined in with her high, happy voice. My little sister was fourteen, but she often seemed younger than that to me. Setting a bucket on the threshold, I opened the door and walked inside, then poured the water into the large pot hanging over the stove. No one had been tending the fire, and I glanced at the others, but they seemed not to sense my annoyance. I thought about mentioning their laziness, but their laughter dissuaded me. There was no sense in dampening their good mood. I knelt and coaxed a flame from the pulsing orange logs.

“Oh! Thank you, Amélie,” Maman said. “I don’t know where my head is this morning.”

“I do!” Giselle said.

Maman shook her head, but she was smiling. “You are a little tease.”

Shame washed through me, and I turned so they wouldn’t see my embarrassment. How could I have forgotten?

“You were distracted,” I said. “Thinking about Claire and Guillaume.”

“Aren’t you?” Giselle asked. “The wedding will be wonderful! Then Claire will have her own home and her own children, and I will be an aunt! Oh, if only we didn’t have to wait until September! But I suppose it is all right. After the harvest we can enjoy it even more. What about you, Amélie? You are seventeen already. When will you choose a husband?”

I abhorred that question, and they loved to ask it. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to marry. I simply had not met anyone with whom I could imagine spending the rest of my life. When I thought about the hours in a day, then those in a night, I knew my husband would have to be more than just strong and hard-working. He would have to be someone with whom I could talk about anything, and no one in our village had yet reached my standards.

“Hush, Giselle. Don’t ask me that.”

Maman pursed her lips. “You know, Pierre Melanson—”

“I will not talk about this right now.”

“But, Amélie!” Giselle wailed. “There must be someone—”

“Stop! I said I won’t talk about it.” I yanked the door open. “I suppose I’ll get the milk too, since everyone but me seems too busy to do anything today.”

The sweet, ripe smells of the barn welcomed me inside, and I breathed in deeply, feeling instantly soothed.

“Good morning, Amélie,” Papa and André said, glancing up from their work.

The men in my family have never pressured me to find a husband. Marriage was important, I knew, but they seemed to understand that nagging would do no good.

“Good morning. Maman will have breakfast ready soon.”

“Merci, mon ange,” Papa said, scraping his rake across the stall floor.

“He told them they need their canoes back for fishing,” André said.

I realized I had accidentally interrupted their conversation, and I perked up, listening for clues to the topic. Anything would be more interesting than discussing marriage.

“And said they are losing cattle and oxen to the predators in the woods.”

Papa nodded sombrely. “This is true. Now that the Mi’kmaq have moved away and no longer hunt—”

“They moved away?” I cried. Surely Mali wouldn’t have gone without speaking to me or saying goodbye!

“Not far, but far enough. Don’t worry. Mali will be fine. Go on,” he said to André. “What else? The petition? What did he hear about that?” He gestured with his chin. “And work while you talk.”

That reminded me I had a job to do as well. I dragged a stool to the cow and leaned my shoulder against her warm, bristled side, letting her know I was there. My fingers closed around her and tugged in a familiar rhythm.

At the other end of the barn André began filling the wheelbarrow, clouding the air with dust. “Governor Lawrence would allow no one to read the petition, Papa. Instead he ordered everyone assembled—all one hundred men—to swear an oath of allegiance to the British Crown, promising to take up arms against the King of France.”

Papa and I both stopped what we were doing, incredulous.

“Take up arms?” Papa puffed out a breath.

“But we cannot side with the English in any kind of war,” I reasoned. “They can’t make us do that, can they?”

What would the Mi’kmaq do if the Acadians were forced to side with the British? Would they have to fight against us? It hurt to imagine it.

“Keep working, Amélie.” Papa nodded toward the cow. “She’ll get impatient.” He turned back to André. “Tell me, what happened when the men heard the order?”

André could only shrug. “Of course everyone said no. They said such an oath would rob us of our religion and everything else we believe in. So Governor Lawrence arrested them all and sent them to a prison near Halifax!”

Papa groaned. “This Lawrence. I’ve heard terrible things about him, threatening people with his sword, frightening them for fun. A tyrant! Does your friend know what they plan next?”

“No. He ran when he thought the soldiers had discovered him there.” He sighed. “There is more to the story, I am afraid.”

The oldest of my three brothers was an intense man. Even as a child he had been particular and precise in everything he did. His expression was often difficult to interpret, since he deliberately hid his feelings. This morning he was surprisingly easy to read.

“Governor Lawrence took away the priests,” he said, his voice so choked with fury that I feared he might break down. “He then made the church into his command post—”

“What?” I blurted.

“And he himself has moved into the priest’s house. Tents have been picketed all around the area for the soldiers. The English flag now flies over our church, Papa, and they are tossing out sacred items as if they are nothing more than a nuisance.” He flung his shovel aside. “To make matters even worse, more soldiers have come.”

I couldn’t speak. What did this mean? What could have prompted the British to behave so? The act of seizing our church was an insult to all of us. We were not a warring people; if they declared war on us, what would we do?

By the time I had been born in 1738, the British and the French had battled over this land many times, but my people had not been part of the fight. We had always called our home l’Acadie, but when the British had finally defeated the French for good, they named it Nova Scotia. It had never mattered to me which country believed they were in charge, because we Acadians lived independently of them all. I was not a Nova Scotian; I was an Acadian. Politics had never touched my life before now.

I set the full bucket outside the barn, then gazed across the land toward our church. The shapes of men moved among the straight white rows of tents where they slept. Certainly I had seen them before, but they had not seemed so menacing until today.
Promises to Keep
By Genevieve Graham
Reading Group Guide



In the early 1600s, a hardy, hopeful stream of French settlers travelled from France to North America, settling predominantly along the shores of the Bay of Fundy in a region known as “Acadie.” They established a harmonious relationship with the native Mi’kmaq people, who taught them how to survive the unfamiliar land and traded with them. Within a few generations, the French, now known as the Acadians, had transformed the lush wetlands along the Bay of Fundy into some of the most fertile fields in the world.

But Acadia was poorly positioned with regards to the politics of the day, and by the 1700s, the warring French and British vied for sovereignty over their land. When the Acadians refused to pledge allegiance to the invading British, the army began forcibly removing them from their homes.

In Promises to Keep, Genevieve Graham reimagines this harrowing story through the eyes of Ame̒lie, a young Acadian girl, and Corporal Connor MacDonnell, a reluctant participant in the British plan to expel the Acadians. As their relationship deepens, more ships arrive to take Ame̒lie and her family away, and Connor is forced to make a decision that will alter the future forever.

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. In 1755, women were expected to behave in a certain way, but Ame̒lie does not follow those social norms and early in the novel, she asserts her disinterest in marriage. How do her views about marriage compare to the expectations that would be placed upon her as a woman at that time? Are those expectations different in l’Acadie than in France? If so, why?

2. Ame̒lie’s father Charles says that sometimes there is a difference between doing what is right and what is good. What do you think this means? Which is more important: doing what is right or doing what is good? Can you come up with some examples of this?

3. In the prologue, the author uses foreshadowing as a device to introduce the story. What was the effect of the prologue? Did it change your opinion of Ame̒lie’s father when you realized he was the man who saved Me’tekw?

4. If you were in Ame̒lie’s place, would you have escaped to the forest when the British were taking the Acadians away? Would you have done anything differently?

5. Why does Ame̒lie struggle to trust Connor? And what changes her mind? What does Connor do to gain her trust?

6. After the Acadians were forced from their land, the British burned their homes and crops to the ground. Why do you suppose this was done?

7. Given what you know about Canadian history, does this portrayal of the expulsion of the Acadians change your understanding of their experiences?

8. The author told the story mostly from the perspective of the Acadians. If this story was told from the perspective of the Loyalists, how might it be different?

9. The Acadians were expelled from their land because they refused to choose a side. How did this attitude shape how the British saw and treated them?

10. Connor promises to keep Ame̒lie and her family safe. Given the ending, do you believe he was successful?

11. What do you think Promises to Keep means?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Mi’kmaq lived along the eastern shores of North America, hunting, fishing, and farming in a region known as Mi’kma’ki. The particular region of Minas Basin and Grand Pré was the setting of heroes such as Glooscap. Research the history of the Mi’kmaq people and see if you can find stories about Glooscap and other legendary figures.

2. In 2012, Amélie’s home, Grand Pré was made an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read about the region’s history here:

3. The Acadian Expulsion became known by many different names, including the Great Upheaval, the Great Expulsion, the Great Deportation, and Le Grand Dérangement, but it refers to the deportation of over 10,000 Acadians from 1755 to 1763. Many died along the way. Those that did survive later returned to eastern Canada, while others established a thriving French community in Louisiana, then a colony of Spain. In 2003, the Canadian government, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, acknowledged the wrongs the Acadians suffered at the hands of the British and recognized July 28 as the anniversary of the deportation. Check out this timeline of Acadian history here:
Photograph by Bryghton Towns

Genevieve Graham is the #1 bestselling author of The Forgotten Home Child, Tides of Honour, Promises to Keep, Come from Away, and At the Mountain’s Edge. She is passionate about breathing life back into Canadian history through tales of love and adventure. She lives near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit her at or on Twitter and Instagram @GenGrahamAuthor.

“At once dizzyingly romantic and tremendously adventurous, this novel also serves as a poignant reminder of the senseless toll the violence of war can take—and the incredible lengths of heroism humans will go to in order to survive and rescue the ones they love.” 

– Toronto Star

“Fascinating, harrowing, illuminating, this is a gripping love story. Graham sheds light on a dark chapter of Canadian history, immersing the reader in 1755 Grand Pré, making vivid the flames and the pain of the Acadians deported from their idyllic homeland.”


– Beth Powning, bestselling author of A Measure of Light

“In this beautifully-written, meticulously researched novel of the Acadian expulsion from Grand Pré in 1755, Genevieve Graham crafts an uncompromising glimpse into the anguish of war and the eventual triumph of love. A must read for fans of Canadian history.”

– Kaki Warner, bestselling author of Pieces of Sky

“Sinking into Promises to Keep is like stepping into the lush forest of whole new world. The novel sings with power, adventure, and heart.”

– Katherine Scott Crawford, author of Keowee Valley

“A compelling tale of a strong young woman fiercely loyal to her family and to her heart.”

– Sophie Perinot, author of Médicis Daughter

"Graham makes the 1755 Acadian Expulsion feel like a modern-day tragedy. Her powerful fiction is a boat sailing the choppy surf of love and war over her ocean-deep research into a vital time in Canadian history."

– Jon Tattrie, author of Cornwallis: The Violent Birth of Halifax


“[Graham] has delivered a book that reads like a love letter to a time and place that figures largely in our national identity: Halifax in 1917.”

– The Globe and Mail

“Fans of Gabaldon and other historical fiction/romance writers will lap this up for the classy, fast-moving, easy-to-read and absorbing book that it is—with some Canadian history to boot.”

– Winnipeg Free Press

“Evocative of place and time, a novel blending tragedy and triumph in a poignant and uplifting tale that’s sure to leave its mark upon your heart.”

– Susanna Kearsley, New York Times & Globe and Mail bestselling author

“Travel back to 1917 and explore a world of suffragettes, Bolsheviks and the Great War - and the love story that illuminates them all.”

– Jon Tattrie, author of Black Snow

“A moving Maritime story of love, loss, and the human spirit.”

– Lesley Crewe, author of Relative Happiness and Kin

“Graham has created a memorable story of love surviving devastation. Set during the darks days of the Halifax Explosion—the largest man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima—a young artist and a wounded soldier are forced to overcome their personal struggles in the face of disaster. Graham examines class struggles and the post-traumatic effect of war with a vivid description of early twentieth century Halifax.”

– Pamela Callow, international bestselling author

“Audrey is a strong female character, a hallmark of Graham’s books.”

– The Chronicle Herald

More books from this author: Genevieve Graham

You may also like: Genevieve Graham: A Canadian Voice