Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor

Dear Canada

by Janet McNaughton

Eleven-year-old Triffie is the middle daughter of a well-to-do merchant. Triffie knows nothing about what it means to be poor — until the disastrous fire of 1892 burns down most of St. John's, Newfoundland, leaving Triffie's family and 15,000 others homeless.

The fire claimed everything but their underwear, Mother's best china . . . and Triffie's journal. With no other options, Triffie's family moves into a filthy warehouse while they attempt to rebuild their lives from the ground up.

The aftermath of the fire teaches Triffie a lot about what it means to survive. More importantly, she comes face to face with her own prejudices, and begins to develop a much greater appreciation for how the less fortunate live.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Canada, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, Childrens, Young Adult

193 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Janet McNaughton is the multi-award-winning author of many books, including The Secret Under My Skin, An Earthly Knight and her most recent novel, Dragon Seer, which was shortlisted for the prestigious TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, as well as both the CLA Young Adult Book Award and the Book of the Year for Children Award. McNaughton lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with her family.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truth be told, while I have indeed very much enjoyed (and appreciated) the Dear Canada series of fictional diaries as a whole, as a general entity, Janet McNaughton's Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor has not been all that much of a reading pleasure for me.

For one (and yes, most importantly and essentially) when I peruse a first person narrative (and of course a fictional diary should be considered as being the latter), in order for me to successfully and with actual reading pleasure become both interested and involved in the presented text, in what has been written, I do need to be both able and also willing to enjoy the main protagonist's company, I have to both like the first person narrator on an emotional and personal level and to also consider him or her as someone believable and relatable. And no indeed, in Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor, I just (and in particular in the first part of the book) do tend to find young Triffie Winsor a for the most part opinionated, grating, often full of herself spoiled brat, an annoying little rich girl who has obviously been coddled and pampered and has an attitude of superiority and entitlement as high as a proverbial kite (and truly, not at all an even remotely enjoyable personally reading experience, for while I do readily admit that Janet McNaughton has successfully captured Triffie Winsor's voice of entitlement and being literally spoiled rotten, having to read diary after diary entry of Triffie either tooting her own or her family's horn so to speak or whining and complaining about trivialities has certainly been for the most part annoying and hugely, majorly monotonous).

And furthermore, and for two, I also have to very much admit that I have equally found Triffie's sudden transformation in the second part of Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor (post the Great Fire of Saint John, Newfoundland, with the erstwhile so prosperous Winsor family having very much reduced circumstances, having lost their home, their store and being forced to both live in and work from a rundown and filthy storage warehouse) from spoiled brat to a very much more mature, pleasant and empathetic character also a trifle difficult to completely believe. And this is not really due to the actual changes of personality that occur (which are indeed positive and to be commended) but rather with regard to how quickly and seemingly painlessly, how almost instantaneously and like a deus ex machina type of reversal this seems to transpire, that almost from one day to the next, Triffie Winsor's diary entries seem to change from her being Miss High and Mighty into a much more mature, caring and also very much increasingly humble and aware person, as I simply do consider this quick and easy change from dark to light, from nasty to nice, more than a bit fairy-tale like and as such not really all that realistic and believable.

And thus, while I have certainly very much appreciated reading about the Great Fire of Saint John, Newfoundland (for I had actually not even been aware that there had been a huge and devastating conflagration in the summer of 1892 that destroyed much of the city's downtown business section and left over ten thousand people homeless), the way that Janet McNaughton has made Triffie Winsor come across her (in the latter's) fictional diary entries has been a for the most part rather frustrating and problematic reading experience, devoid of pleasure and actually being able to consider the main protagonist (the fictional diarist of Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor) as likeable and relatable. And therefore, only two stars, as I certainly do find Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor one of the weaker offerings of the Dear Canada series I have read to date.

[Shanelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all Dear Canada books, Flames and Ashes was yet another book that provided me with an interesting story, while teaching me more about Canada's history.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the others in this series, however I'd still recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Canada's history.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The glossary of Newfoundland English terms was unnecessary as it was easy to tell what the words meant from the context in which they were used. Triffie starts out as a shallow character but becomes more likable throughout. It helps that so much of the action takes place early on so that the bulk of the story can be dedicated to character building.

[TJL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stands out as a great example of this series.

I must admit, as I was reading this book I was doing a constant comparison to the Dear America diary for the Great Chicago Fire (Pringle Rose), and I was greatly, greatly pleased to see that this book succeeded where that one failed. In particular, I noticed two things done differently:

First and foremost, the subject of the fire is present throughout the book. I don't think it would be spoiling it to say that the fire happens, since that's the subject of the book- but the author took the fire, which happened in a single day, and brought the repercussions of the fire to light throughout the rest of the book.

Secondly, there is a fine balance between Triffie's personal family life and the historical event. In the Pringle Rose diary, the fire was shoved in to the very end in favor of developing Pringle's life/family drama; but here, Triffie's life and family are weaved in seamlessly with the fire and the fallout that comes as a result of it.

Between the two, this diary was much better written. Triffie's character development, as well as the development of the plot, was organic and satisfying. My only complaint is that here and there, there's just a touch too much detail and dialogue to strain the belief that this is an actual diary. Only a touch, though; Triffie is portrayed as energetic and chatty, and so it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that she would relate a great deal of detail in her diary.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. I feel like it would have worked better if her and her family were more affected instead of coming off better than most. It should have shown more of a struggle and not just kind of a la-de-da approach to the fire.

[Helen Trott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for Flame and Ashes

Thoughts and Plot

Triffie (Tryphena) is the middle, and chatty, child of a wealthy merchant, living in a lovely, large, fancy home along with her Mother and Father, older sister Sarah and her much adored younger brother Alfie (Alfred). Alfie has a condition (known as asthma now) which means his mother keeps him away from other litle boys as she is worried he will have a bout. As a result, Triffie is his best friend and always plays with him when she is not in school. The side effect is that Triffie is not a ladylike daughter, which her mother constantly threatens to remedy if she does not behave by finding her 'proper' company to keep.

Trif is a bit of a snobby kid, without realizing it, despite her mother's best efforts to keep her grounded. But all of that changes when their house is destroyed in the Great Fire of St. Johns. Their house is gone, their shop and warehouses are gone. Their only stroke of fortune is that Triffie's father inherited an old stone warehouse that has sat empty for many years. This becomes their home, and later, also their warehouse and store. It's estimated well over 1,000 buildings were destroyed in the fire, mostly homes, boarding houses and some shops along the shore. This leaves roughly 15,000 people homeless. Many manage to find shelter with family of friends not directly hit from the fire, but more then 1,500 are left to build temporary sheds as shelter (tents as well) in parks and other free spaces.

Triffie's family made it out with only what they could carry and a barrel of china. Triffie has the clothes she was wearing, her favorite dress, a few books, her lap desk, her ink and pen, her journal and her embroidery equipment. Despite this they make the attic of the old warehouse they own, building chairs out of barrels and rooms out of crates. Alfie is sent away with one of the domestic servant's, Rosie, to her parents house on Scilly Island due to his help (and lack of a house to keep). After a few days they manage to save their stove from the rubble of their house so they have something to cook on. They generously provide shelter for Mr. Matt the tinsmith, their cook/domestic servant Nettie, and then later on Ned (orphan Wharf worker) Rosie, Pheobe, and Liza (shop girls).

The amazing thing is to hear about the charity that poured into the city. Canada (Newfoundland, I believe was the last to join the confederation), and many of the neighboring US cities poured in food, blankets, clothes, etc and even Britain sent aid.

Working to together Triffie and her family and friends manage to pull their lives back together and the experience shows Triffie the value of things, people, family, and friends.

Triffie and her family are very believable characters. Each has their flaws, but the feeling of authenticity is there with each of them. Even though she isn't real, she does sound like a real person and you get to watch her grow through her diary entries.

In Conclusion

Well written book that chronicles the trials and tribulations of the aftermath of a disastrous fire that took place in St John's in 1892. Includes pictures and historical notes.

Age range: middle school and up

[Sapphire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand why people would either hate or love this book. Personally, I'm in between.

At the start of the book, Triffie was quite shallow and perhaps a little spoiled, making her the only Dear Canada protagonist to have been purposely unlikable from the start. Thankfully, she becomes much more likable throughout the course of the story. There were some moments when she was quite annoying, but it wasn't as bad as in other books in this collection. I did feel that the transition between "shallow Triffie" and "mature Triffie" was a bit sudden, but it's not that bad, it could have been worse.

The fire happens quite early in the story, which not only does it leave more time for Triffie's character development, but it also has more time to show the aftermath of the fire. Which honestly, this is what should have happened in "All Fall Down," but I'll talk about that book another time. Back to my review, it was nice seeing the amount of damage a fire can cause to a city and how it affected everyone, especially the rich. I do think that Triffie and her family were amongst the luckiest, due to them owning a small shed or something like that to live in. Talk about luck.

One thing is for sure, the epilogue was the worst one I've ever seen in this collection. Like one or two pages of the most basic information to ever exist. Even the epilogue of "Orphan at my Door" had more information despite being two pages long as well.

The reasons as to why I gave this book three stars are simple, the epilogue was disappointing and Triffie's character development was a bit too sudden. Perhaps if Triffie's development wasn't fully rushed, then "Flames and Ashes" would get four stars instead of three. I wanted to like this book more, I really did! But I suppose that wasn't the case. Maybe once I reread this, then I'll like it more, but we'll see.

Do I recommend this book? Kind of. If you're willing to tolerate a shallow twelve year old, go ahead! Read it! If you don't want to tolerate that, then don't and find something else, simple as that.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't repeat the long winded introduction explaining my history with the Dear Canada Series but feel free to check out my previous review on Exiles of War. This was yet another installment I am reading for the first time and the first book I've read by Janet McNaughton. The most interesting thing to me is the concept of Triffie's likeability as a character. I read in other reviews that it was a struggle for some readers. Not only does Triffie look back on her diary and discover she didn't like how she had been at the beginning but in the author's acknowledgements, she comments how readers of her first draft had said the same of her character. I think rather than fix it fully, the author chose to embrace the concept of change her protagonist throughout the story.

I would say that as much as I enjoyed Triffie she was not as dynamic and strong as she could have been. This story focused strongly on the characters involved. As interesting and catastrophic as the Great Fire was, Triffie's diary takes place over only 3-4 months as opposed to some of the other Dear Canada installments.

But regardless I say, if you haven't read it, read it. If you have read it, read it again.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite part was when everyone restarted the store and most of the things in their house were replaced or given back. The worst part was when the fire burnt the big mansion down. My favourite character was triffie because she was the one who decided to make a diary of the fire. Auryn 11 years old, 2015.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most interesting Dear Canada, but still a good insight into one of many great fires at the time. While the main character in Dear Canada novels is usually likeable, Triffie does not start out that way, which can make the book a little intolerable at first.

[Ashley-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a bad story, but I never really got the feeling that this was any sort of real tragedy. no casualties, and just about everyone got back on their feet quite quickly after the fire.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review to Come!

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Triffie had a nice life before the fire, but I like her attitude after the fire much more.

[Sheilah Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this one.

[Rebecca Fehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I would have liked it more though, if all the action wasn't placed right at the beginning. Still, it was a good book. Just not super action packed.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must say I'm a bit disappointed that Triffie didn't turn out to be short for something like "Trifelda" or "Trifecta". Or for some British flair, "Trafalgar". Odd names aside, this is a pretty good entry in the Dear Canada series. I liked seeing how Tryphena matured away from the entitled snob she started as. Still, I can't help thinking that the maid, Ruby, would have been a more interesting heroine to view these events through.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Triffie was funny until 3/4 of the book when she became serious. I think I’ll read another Dear Canada book instead, but on the bright side, I found a new historical event I’d be interested in reading: The Great Chicago Fire.

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story of a well-to-do family recovering from a fire that devastated their city, their home, and their business.

[Kit McAlear · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

[Hannah]

- contender, could use for Atlantic coverage, more localized in events, upper class life

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a bit slow at first, but it got much better by the end, and the characters grew a whole lot during the end of this book.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not one of my favourite Dear Canada books but still a good read.