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Understanding Ursula #1
Arriving: 1909-1919
Corinne Jeffery’s Understanding Ursula trilogy vividly recreates the pioneer world of the Canadian prairies with a multitude of memorable characters. You’ll lose yourself between the pages as you watch them struggle to survive and flourish, always at the mercy of Mother Nature and the ever-changing seasons on the unfettered plains.
On July 1, 1909, the day after his eighteenth birthday, Gustav Werner takes the inaugural ride on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway between Melville and Regina, to apply for a homestead grant at the Dominion Lands Office. He is eager to become the most thriving homesteader in the townships of Neudorf and Lemberg, Saskatchewan, set aside for Gustav’s people, the German Lutherans, by Sir Clifford Sifton in Canada’s “Last Best West” land deal. What he doesn’t realize is that beyond becoming a man and a landowner, life as he knows it is about to crumble from his grasp. Family drama and conflict plague Gustav as he learns English - the language that sparks hatred in his staunchly traditional father, Christian - and discovers that his parents have arranged his marriage to sixteen-year-old Amelia Schweitzer.
On July 1, 1909, the day after his eighteenth birthday, Gustav Werner takes the inaugural ride on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway between Melville and Regina, to apply for a homestead grant at the Dominion Lands Office. He is eager to become the most thriving homesteader in the townships of Neudorf and Lemberg, Saskatchewan, set aside for Gustav’s people, the German Lutherans, by Sir Clifford Sifton in Canada’s “Last Best West” land deal. What he doesn’t realize is that beyond becoming a man and a landowner, life as he knows it is about to crumble from his grasp. Family drama and conflict plague Gustav as he learns English - the language that sparks hatred in his staunchly traditional father, Christian - and discovers that his parents have arranged his marriage to sixteen-year-old Amelia Schweitzer.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
518 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Corinne Jeffery
6 books5 followersCorinne Jeffery is the author of the bestselling Canadian historical fiction trilogy Understanding Ursula with titles Arriving: 1909–1919 (2011) Thriving: 1920–1939 (2012) and Choosing: 1940–1989 (2013). She is also the author of Lords and Lepers (2018), an intriguing coming of age novel set in the Canadian prairies, and The Reluctant Author (2020), a fictionalized memoir. Since she learned to read, Jeffery has dreamed of writing a novel. She also took “the other path,” attaining a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Manitoba and becoming an educator with Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton. The Other Path is her sixth novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 23, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, I described it to a friend as "Little House on the Prairie for grown ups". While I found the dialogue quite stilted and formal, the story was compelling and hard to put down.
In my mind's eye I pictured the Werner farm and house exactly like the one belonging to an aunt and uncle of mine. Even though it was the 1970's, they had no plumbing, and there was a large wood stove in the kitchen, a water pail with a dipper for drinking, an outhouse, cows to milk by hand, milk to separate, pigs to feed the slop pail to, a huge garden...in other words, it was this city kid's idea of paradise! Coincidentally, this farm from my childhood is located in the same general vicinity as Neudorf, SK.
In my mind's eye I pictured the Werner farm and house exactly like the one belonging to an aunt and uncle of mine. Even though it was the 1970's, they had no plumbing, and there was a large wood stove in the kitchen, a water pail with a dipper for drinking, an outhouse, cows to milk by hand, milk to separate, pigs to feed the slop pail to, a huge garden...in other words, it was this city kid's idea of paradise! Coincidentally, this farm from my childhood is located in the same general vicinity as Neudorf, SK.
November 6, 2017
If you love family sagas, this first book in the Understanding Ursula trilogy will keep you engaged. This is a very long, dense novel describing the original settlement of the extended Werner family, German-speaking immigrants, in southern Saskatchewan.
There are several differences between this and the typical settler story. Being a very traditional German family, the Werners avoid mingling with “the English” and thus keep their own cultural customs, such as arranged marriages. The path to assimilation is a rocky one for the younger family members.
And their lifestyle is not romanticized in the least, as along with the happy family times are instances of mental illness, cruelty and abuse. In other words, this is a novel filled with complex characters who grew and changed throughout.
My only small concern was that I found the dialogue somewhat formal, although I believe it was the author’s intention to show that the characters were speaking in their native tongue.
Finally, although this was a self-published novel, the writing and editing were top-notch.
There are several differences between this and the typical settler story. Being a very traditional German family, the Werners avoid mingling with “the English” and thus keep their own cultural customs, such as arranged marriages. The path to assimilation is a rocky one for the younger family members.
And their lifestyle is not romanticized in the least, as along with the happy family times are instances of mental illness, cruelty and abuse. In other words, this is a novel filled with complex characters who grew and changed throughout.
My only small concern was that I found the dialogue somewhat formal, although I believe it was the author’s intention to show that the characters were speaking in their native tongue.
Finally, although this was a self-published novel, the writing and editing were top-notch.
October 12, 2025
I really enjoyed this book and will continue with the trilogy. I'm a sucker for a good family saga.
This story follows the young life of Gustav Werner. He's a teenager at the start of the book and grows into adulthood, establishing himself and his family during these 10 years.
There's hardships, bad times, good times and...war. This novel is about life; it's trials and joys. It's well written in an interesting, engaging manner.
Gustav's family are immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia. They've lived through difficult times and are looking for peace in Canada. The family clings to it's roots, speaking German only, not mixing with the English, for example. Gustav is the first generation and he sees that as citizens the family cannot keep themselves apart. He strives to find a way to fit in and keep the traditions of his heritage.
As his family grow and age, their stories unfold and we get to know their personalities and beliefs. One gets invested in these people and wants to know how they fare and what their future holds.
I look forward to the next book, Thriving: 1920–1939.
This story follows the young life of Gustav Werner. He's a teenager at the start of the book and grows into adulthood, establishing himself and his family during these 10 years.
There's hardships, bad times, good times and...war. This novel is about life; it's trials and joys. It's well written in an interesting, engaging manner.
Gustav's family are immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia. They've lived through difficult times and are looking for peace in Canada. The family clings to it's roots, speaking German only, not mixing with the English, for example. Gustav is the first generation and he sees that as citizens the family cannot keep themselves apart. He strives to find a way to fit in and keep the traditions of his heritage.
As his family grow and age, their stories unfold and we get to know their personalities and beliefs. One gets invested in these people and wants to know how they fare and what their future holds.
I look forward to the next book, Thriving: 1920–1939.
October 31, 2018
Where are the editors??
Stilted conversations every last time!!
The story needs less words ...
Stilted conversations every last time!!
The story needs less words ...
August 4, 2013
This book has two things I love very much. Drama and Canadian History. I had a hard time putting this book down every night as I was drawn into the world of Gustav Werner and his German family. Jeffery provided plenty of believable and enduring characters and plot surprises to keep me turning the pages. The ending of this book left me in such suspense that I had to go out and find the sequel right away.
June 19, 2023
I really wanted to like this book, but I have to admit I could not finish it. The stilted conversations, far too many characters, and the overall wordiness of most passages made this far too much work to read. I am hugely disappointed because the premise was so interesting.
September 26, 2022
Dearest Author, you have written the history of my own family and history. My great grandparents settled from Austria in the Stony Plain area. I thank you.
June 26, 2013
This is a great story. I like that it is set in sask. I also like that it is very true to life of what it was like in the early part of the 1900's.
February 9, 2014
LOVED this book. I have fallen in love with all of the author's wonderfully developed characters.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews