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Understanding Ursula #3
Choosing: 1940-1989
Choosing, book three of Corinne Jeffery’s Understanding Ursula series, concludes the heart-wrenching story of five generations of the controversial and secretive Warner family. Become reunited with Amelia and Gustav, meet their many descendants, and follow them across the Canadian prairies from Saskatchewan to Manitoba and finally to Alberta.
In spite of relentless ambition and increasing prosperity, at every turn Gustav Warner is cursed by strife, upheaval, and tragedy. His own children seem determined to disobey him. He is still grappling with his eldest son’s defiance that strikes at the very foundation of his beliefs, when his daughter Ursula dumbfounds him. Must he forever endure hardships that might break the spirit of ordinary men? Gustav’s inexorable decision and unyielding influence over Ursula ultimately prove so powerful that she becomes her own worst enemy in order to take her secret to her grave. Still, it is not until his children’s demands steadily compromise Amelia’s peace of mind, and eventually her health, that Gustav is forced to make a choice that astounds them all, and no one more than his beloved wife.
In spite of relentless ambition and increasing prosperity, at every turn Gustav Warner is cursed by strife, upheaval, and tragedy. His own children seem determined to disobey him. He is still grappling with his eldest son’s defiance that strikes at the very foundation of his beliefs, when his daughter Ursula dumbfounds him. Must he forever endure hardships that might break the spirit of ordinary men? Gustav’s inexorable decision and unyielding influence over Ursula ultimately prove so powerful that she becomes her own worst enemy in order to take her secret to her grave. Still, it is not until his children’s demands steadily compromise Amelia’s peace of mind, and eventually her health, that Gustav is forced to make a choice that astounds them all, and no one more than his beloved wife.
533 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
17 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 29, 2025
A wonderful continuation of this family saga. I've enjoyed all three books of the trilogy and following this family through the decades.
As in all families, there are highs and lows, good times and bad, hardships and wonders. I have to admit that I sometimes lost track of which grandchild belonged to which child but it all worked out in the end. So many more people with each generation. LOL.
Recommended if you enjoy family sagas.
As in all families, there are highs and lows, good times and bad, hardships and wonders. I have to admit that I sometimes lost track of which grandchild belonged to which child but it all worked out in the end. So many more people with each generation. LOL.
Recommended if you enjoy family sagas.
March 8, 2018
The final instalment in this trilogy spans 49 years. The Warner family birthed so many babies over this period that most of them weren't even mentioned. Not that I feel they should have been, I had a hard enough time keeping track of those that were.
As this series progressed, my fascination with the family dwindled. I no longer felt the connection to the characters that I felt in the first book. Arriving spanned 10 years, and each family member and even some characters outside the family were given ample focus. They grew and evolved over the course of the story, and I was able to keep everybody straight. Thriving spanned 19 years and my connection to the core characters started to slip. New characters were added at a tremendous rate, and the focus seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once.
In Choosing, Ursula's family was highlighted, which makes sense considering the trilogy is named Understanding Ursula. But even though they were the focus, I don't really feel like I know any of them. As a result, I wasn't all that interested in what happened to them.
Running like a thread through the whole trilogy is a series of "family secrets". While I am sure every family has it's secrets, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of secrets here. Or maybe it only seems that way as I covered 89 years in a few weeks of reading. Some of the secrets were kept with the best interests of all in mind, and for the greater good. Some were kept out of shame, and some from spite. All had consequences and people were hurt. But would there have been more hurt if the secrets were told? Something to ponder....
As this series progressed, my fascination with the family dwindled. I no longer felt the connection to the characters that I felt in the first book. Arriving spanned 10 years, and each family member and even some characters outside the family were given ample focus. They grew and evolved over the course of the story, and I was able to keep everybody straight. Thriving spanned 19 years and my connection to the core characters started to slip. New characters were added at a tremendous rate, and the focus seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once.
In Choosing, Ursula's family was highlighted, which makes sense considering the trilogy is named Understanding Ursula. But even though they were the focus, I don't really feel like I know any of them. As a result, I wasn't all that interested in what happened to them.
Running like a thread through the whole trilogy is a series of "family secrets". While I am sure every family has it's secrets, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of secrets here. Or maybe it only seems that way as I covered 89 years in a few weeks of reading. Some of the secrets were kept with the best interests of all in mind, and for the greater good. Some were kept out of shame, and some from spite. All had consequences and people were hurt. But would there have been more hurt if the secrets were told? Something to ponder....
June 4, 2015
Choosing concludes the heart-wrenching story of five generations of the controversial and secretive Warner family. Become reunited with Amelia and Gustav, meet their many descendants, and follow them across the Canadian prairies from Saskatchewan to Manitoba and finally to Alberta. I found this "chapter" sad,though engaging.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews