Mrs. Mike and The Search for Joyful

Mrs. Mike #1-2

by Benedict Freedman, Nancy Freedman

From the front flap of this 470-page "Raging blizzards, crimes of passion, love that blossoms in the wild Canadian North. The elements that make 'Mrs. Mike' an enduring popular classic have lost none of their sparkle since the book was first published in 1947. Along with its equally exciting sequel, 'The Search for Joyful', the story of Mrs. Mike and her extended family will continue to enthrall a new generation. When Katherine Mary O'Fallon leaves drizzly Boston for a stay with her uncle in the cold, crisp climate of Calgary, Alberta, she meets and is dazzled by dashing Sgt. Mike Flannigan, a handsome, red-coated Mounty. They marry, and set out to raise a family in a distant wilderness outpost, embarking on a journey that will bring its share of both joy and pain. With 'The Search for Joyful', the story continues through the eyes of Kathy's foster daughter, a full-blooded Cree."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

470 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Benedict Freedman, the son and grandson of writers, was born in New York City in 1919. While in high school he studied accelerated courses for gifted boys and graduated with a medal for mathematics. At fourteen he entered Columbia University as a premed student, but had to drop out at sixteen because of his father's sudden death. For a time Benedict continued private study of higher mathematics. Freedman’s chief interest was in games and recreational mathematics, but he also assisted in writing a textbook and worked on actuarial problems as clerk to a consulting actuary.

Reviews

[Kathy Sweedler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Mrs. Mike as a teenager and it made a big impression on me. Big enough that my sister gave me this combo edition (two books in one) for Xmas. I enjoyed reading them both -- wonderful detail and a good story. I'm still not sure, though, why it made such an impression on me so many years ago .... Good read for a winter night :)

[Errica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, wonderful books set in Unsettled Canada. I love historical fiction and these stories are fantastic. I developed a deeper appreciation for native American culture and I learned that I should truly feel joy each day.

[Kathy Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Mrs. Mike many years ago and loved it. Doesn't have as much detail as I thought it did when I read it all those years ago but still a good story. Search for Joyful had its moments and was a pretty good read- Just one of those feel good stories

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that I didn't think that I would finish. But got better. It was about an indian woman who was a nurse during world war II. She falls in love with a man who was fighting the americans.

[Evelyn Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

These two stories, brought together in one book were quite adventurous, and held my attention. I very much appreciated that the women characters (both named Kathy) were intelligent, hard working, and open-hearted. Lots of interesting history, like what it was like to live in northern Canada far from "civilization," and in the second book, I enjoyed learning what it was like for a woman during WWII to get a job, and nurse soldiers during the war. The issues: in the first book "Mrs. Mike", each chapter was an interesting adventure or event, but there was no sense of continuity or growth by the characters, based on what was happening (almost seemed like little self-contained stories). The character development was much improved in the second book "The Search for Joyful," but again the huge events and/or tragedies didn't impact the main character, Kathy. Soon after an event, the I understood that Kathy felt awful, then "tra-la-la, I'm over it, what's next in my life." No way. Her character should have grown or changed in some way. There were also big chunks of war history that did not blend well with the story, and read more like someone copied and pasted an essay about the war into this story (though it was still interesting).

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother-in-law recommended this one to me, and I ate it up. Set in early unsettled Canada, it speaks of the trials and tragedies of a woman learning about life. A great read.

[Edith Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Mrs Mike more than the Search for Joyful. Interesting reading about the native culture.

[Andria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book but I prefer European lit as opposed to frontier survival lit.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, Very Good Book

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read this book before, but reading out loud to my own "Mike" was a wonderful experience. So glad I got to share this with him!

[Ashleigh Mattern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Mike was written in 1947, and in some ways, it's showing its age while in other ways, it remains a classic. The story of a young woman who moves to Calgary in the early 1900s and falls in love with a Mountie is captivating. The story holds adventure, romance and tragedy, and it highlights the challenges of living in rural places at that time. It's also a story about how the settlers and Indigenous interacted and while some of the book club readers who I read the book struggled with the outdated language describing Indigenous people, the interactions between the Indigenous people and Sergeant Mike Flannigan and the Katherine Mary O'Fallon are largely positive, and become more positive throughout the novel as Mike and Kathy better understand their neighbours. The copy I got from the library included the sequel The Search for Joyful, which I actually enjoyed even more than Mrs. Mike. The Search for Joyful is a work of pure fiction, following the life of Mr. and Mrs. Mike's adopted Indigenous daughter, and has little to do with the first book in the series.

[Lynne Block · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trite story dressed in Indian lore

[Elissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, but again, Mrs. Mike is the best thrilling story.

[Mary Vanderkooy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite childhood books -- I have quite a few.