From Torture to Triumph: The Lost Legend of a Man Who Opened America: Guillaume Couture Paperback – July 7, 2015

After some ancestral research during the pandemic I learned that Guillaume Couture was my eighth great grandfather. I was enthralled by this thoroughly researched and beautifully written account of his inspiring life.

As a tenth generation descendant of Guillaume Couture I was very interested in learning more about the man. I found the book to be very well written and learned a lot about early French Canadian history. Would recommend to anyone interested in the early settlement of Canada. A man from a common background that really stepped forward and did whatever had to be done.

This is an accounting of my Great Grandfather (10 generations removed). I ordered this book for my son so he could present a project in school. It is awesome to be able to read about your ancestors and see their contributions to the new world. Guillaume Couture plays a large part in North American history and includes, battles with the English, capture, and torture by the Iroquois and later adoption. He was invited to sit in on their councils. No other European would ever get this honor. In 1690, Captain Couture defended Pointe-Levy from the British invader Admiral William Phips and his troops. He was 72 years old. By now, Guillaume was the chief magistrate of the Pointe-Levy. Some of his jobs were: run the censuses, enforce government edicts, and run the local assemblies. He was also in charge of local cases, being both judge and jury. Couture was also periodically invited to sit on the Sovereign Council, which ran New France for Louis XIV. This was a great honor since the French were very status oriented when Guillaume was low born.

The writing in this book is beautiful as must have been the land they found. It is a story of someone likely not known to most readers, but the protagonist, Guillaume Couture, has a fascinating life. He lived a long life, probably unlike many of his contemporaries, and is the rare traveler to the New World, not trying to convert pagans. Fenn has obviously done a great deal of research and you get a strong sense of the day to day experiences of a strong character in a time and world far apart from our own.An interesting and quick read.

This is a good account of Guillaume Couture one of my early ancestors in North America. I bought copies for my children to go with my own account of the man and old family photos of our Couture ancestors. A wonderful book, especially for the price.

I truly appreciate the insight this book gives into the incredible life of Guillaume Couture. What an amazing man he must have been.

Well researched and written. A fascinating account of the early creation of accords between French and native North Americans. Guillaume was an important participant in the founding of Quebec.

Well written and researched. Quick read. Couture is an important yet almost forgotten figure in Canadian history. This book fills in some blanks and expands on the other biographies I've seen on him. He lived a life unimaginable to us today. Enjoyed learning more about this ancestor of so many of us.

I learned a great deal about my ancestors from this well written book.

A fascinating account of one of the founding fathers of Quebec. You will certainly want this book if you find Guilliame Couture in your family tree, or if you want a searingly clear description of the world and cultures of 16th century North America. Not for the romantic or faint of heart, yet somehow bracing and heartening.

Enjoyed the book on my gggggggrandfather, Guillaume Couture.

Pour tous les descendants de Couture, ce livre est une lecture obligée! On y comprend très bien son rôle primordial dans l'architecture de la Grande Paix de Montréal et d'une rencontre pleine et entière entre les peuples des Canadas, et d'Europe.The book is really great. It tells the story - worth an action movie - of Guillaume Couture, an ordinary Frenchman whose life in the 17th century Canadas was more than extraordinary. Couture raids the Mohawks, is kept prisoner, survives, and becomes a key player in the diplomatic efforts of both the Iroquois Confederacy and the French to establish a new peace. Couture also becomes the founder of Lévis, and explores the North, mapping the route from the Saguenay to James Bay.A few insights from this book are really worth its reading. First, without Couture, New France might have not survived, no matter how useful Champlain. Second, the interpretation of the Wendat(Huron) - Kanienkehaka(Mohawk) rivalry is quite nuanced and erudite, indicating much research from a not-so-colonial standpoint.

Très bien rédigé à part quelques erreurs de traduction surprenante comme "courrier des bois" ce qui ne veut rien dire en français, au lieu de coureur des bois.