The Innocent

Beneath the Alders #1

by Lynne Golding

"Lynne Golding knows how to tell a story. With yarns she gathered at her great aunt’s knee, she has woven a compelling story that harkens back to a time of pre-war innocence in a town I’ve always been proud to call my own."
— Former Premier the Honorable William G. Davis

In the year 1907, all of Brampton is present at the sod-turning ceremony for the Carnegie Library. At the end of the event, the crowd rises as one to walk to the Presbyterian Church for a consecration service... Everyone except Jessie Stephens and her family. Her father will not allow them to enter the Presbyterian Church.

No one will tell young Jessie the reason, but she learns that it has something to do with her grandfather Jesse Brady, who built it. As she seeks to solve that mystery over many years, Jessie slowly begins to learn the history of the town in which she lives. Her tales of everyday life in small town Ontario combine to craft a vivid portrait of a life and a family that are, upon closer inspection, anything but ordinary.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2018

About the author

Lynne Golding was born and raised in Brampton, Ontario. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from Victoria College at the University of Toronto before studying law at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She is a senior partner at the international law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP where she leads their health law practice group. Lynne lives in Brampton, Ontario. She is married to Tony Clement. They have three grown children. Winner of the 2018 Ontario Book Publishers Organization “What’s Your Story Short Prose and Poetry Competition,” Lynne is preparing for the release of her debut novel, ​The Innocent​.

Reviews

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Innocent is such a strange, slowly winding book. I can see a lot of current day readers possibly being bored with it because it was so slow – but I wasn't. I loved it. The book is slow and comfortable, despite always running around a theme of a secret that the family keeps from the child. The mood of it contrasts so well with the safety of growing up in a rural town. You can't place a lot of events at first, but they aren't without meaning – they form a bundle of yarn, spun together, and merge in the end. You can see the bigger picture of seemingly unrelated events through a child's eyes, and can't help but interpret them as an adult. The book is made up of small story blocks, it's more like a family saga with loads of descriptions and detail. It circles around the theme of keeping secrets in families, on the pretense of some people being too young to know them. In the end, I'm not entirely sure if I got what this book was about – but I did like the journey, and I would like to follow the characters through the sequels as well.

I thank Blue Moon Publishing for sending me a copy for review in exchange for my honest opinion. It doesn't affect my opinion.

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[Deanne Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read pleasant book about a young girl growing up and discovering her world in the early 1900's in a small Canadian town. There is a family secret that she seems to be the only one because of her young age that doesn't know the answer to it. She asks her family members but they say she'll know when she's older. She becomes an expert eavesdropper . Young children are very insightful and understand and know much more than we realize. The book moved slowly and was not one of my favorites.
Pub Date 30 Oct 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from DigiWriting through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

[ABCme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the ARC.

I'm halfway through and not sure what to make of this book.
So far I've read tons of observations on the comings and goings in Brampton, Canada early 1900's and followed young Jessie from age 4 to 6. All the while wondering what the story is. The book has a historical setting, but I would call it literary fiction. The writing is very detailed and beautiful but way too slow for my liking. I'm starting skipping pages just to get on with it. My cue to give up. Maybe one day I'll have the patience to finish it.

[Geet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming romance set in 1903 Brampton where four year old girl is living a normal Bramptonian life with her family and uncovers some secrets in her family . I loved reading this book by Lynne Golding . The story is written in much depth which keeps the reader glued to the book .

I loved Jessie and her relation with her grandfather , how her brother calls her "little one" , her mother's obssession with shoes and her fear of scary scott .

Anyone who has an interest in Historical fiction will find this book interesting . The story is set in Brampton 1903 . Jessie tells about her family , her extended family , her friends , her good and bad days along with history of Brampton and how it was formed .

Lynne golding is great granddaughter of Jessie's aunt Rose . this book is somewhat fiction because a lot of characters are from author's imagination but it is a good read <3

[Cathi Mietkiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It had all the things I love in a novel – it’s Canadian, it talks about small town life in Canada – and many of the stories remind me of my own family. Even though I have no connection to Brampton, I felt “at home” reading this book.

I am usually put off by fiction that uses real life historical events to move the story forward….I say this because I seriously dislike reading about actual events that have been “fictionalized” and by that I mean altered to fit the fictional story. That is not the case here. The history has been meticulously researched, so that the history informs the fictional story – not the other way around. I feel like I learned a lot about Brampton while enjoying a great novel.

Outstanding. I can’t wait to read the future installments.

[Mrsk Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her novel, The Innocent, Lynne Golding has done a magnificent job of capturing what life was like growing up in small town Canada in the early 20th century. The setting for this novel is Brampton and while I cannot speak to the facts as outlined in the novel I can speak to the characters as well as both their mindsets and the authenticity of the activities they participated in. I, too, spent the formative years of my life in a similar small Canadian town and, although half a century later, I could relate to many of the same experiences as described by Jessie (the narrator of the story who ages from four to a tween during the story). Back then small town Canadian life was one of freedom and innocence. Children cavorted about neighbourhoods, most families had several children, households were multi-generational, citizens had a particular pecking order as befitted their background, almost everyone was white and Christian, mothers stayed home to work as homemakers while the men all held jobs and everyone knew everyone else's business. All this and more are captured in this sweet tale.
Through Jessie, Golding paints a canvas of the seasonal rhythm of small town life as experienced by a child – the excitement of holidays, the blissful heat of summer, the thrill of local sports teams, going back to school upon the return of the cooler nights of autumn, the magic of Christmas and outdoor ice skating during winter, and the anticipation of new life as well as the possible annual devastation caused by spring floods. She even includes a brain damaged adult who is perceived as a boogie man by Jessie who has to walk by him on her daily walk to school, an occurrence which exactly mirrors my own daily walks back and forth to elementary school!
This books stands as an historical document of a time when family and community were paramount. Golding is to be congratulated for listening to the stories of an elderly friend and capturing its essence in this book. I look forward to the next instalment of this trilogy.
I received a free copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly written! I loved the vivid descriptions and how the author Lynne Golding brought the small Canadian town and the people of Brampton come alive. Set in the early 1900s the period appears to be accurately portrayed capturing its essence. Told from the perspective of Jessie starting when she was 4 years and progressing to teenager years, the story of her family, their and her trial and tribulations are told. The story gives insight into family life in a small town. This is an exploration of a family and a town, as she grows so does the town. There really isn’t much of a story line or plot - it is more an historical depiction with atmosphere. While it is easy to read it is more a relaxed book that doesn’t have you on the edge of your seat. A sit back and chill type of read.
As a debut novel it is very well written and a first in a series it will most likely continue to follow the life of Jessie.


Thank you to Netgalley and Blue Moon Publishers for an ebook copy to read and write an honest review.

[Douglas Osler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This an easy to read,pleasant story of a young girl discovering the world in a small Canadian town. Like anywhere else,it has its secrets and its animosities. The girl tries to discover family secrets barred to her and becomes an expert eavesdropper. Her family goes through the usual tribulations but survives. The town grows as she grows. The understanding of the young child's approach to the world is full of insights and surprises, This is not a mystery or a novel of suspense. It is like being the eavesdropper on the girl who is so expert at that skill. There is another follow-up to come.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley and DigiWriting in exchange for an honest review.

Jessie Brady is an astute young girl growing up in a small city of Brampton in 1907. After a ground breaking ceremony at the Carnegie Library, she notices that her family does not follow the town to the Presbyterian Church. Jessie's inquisitive nature gets the better of her and in her attempts to discover the answers to her questions, she finds out more about her family history and the town in which they live.

I would classify The Innocent as a historical literary fiction novel in which a young girl inquiries about her family lineage and how it pertains to the township in which she lives. The characters are charming and the narrative feels true to the historical period in which it is written. At times this novel reads a bit more like a historical documentary; which one might find interesting if they want to learn more about Brampton in the 1900's. Although the novel was well written I felt like some of the narrative was a bit tedious and incessant. I think this novel had a lot of promise, the characters were appealing but the narrative might need to be a bit more entertaining to capture the reader’s attention. Overall it was a simple novel about a young girl and her family that would be perfect for readers to enjoy historical township accounts and lineage.

[Ron Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm writing these notes after reading the second book The Beleaguered.

I heard Lynne Golding speak at the Yorkminster Park Speakers Series in January 2023 and was impressed by her presentation on the reality of The Great War in small town Canada. And this led me to the trilogy of Beneath the Alders.

I enjoyed the first book as a story of what we today would consider a stifling lifestyle, but then transport and communications as well as society were so very different at that time. There was a criticism I read somewhere that the book was a bit "episodic" and I concur somewhat in the chapters felt somewhat a series of isolated stories. But overall, it was fine. However in the second book, the author brings together a very strong story line that makes undestanding the background through the first book well worth it.

For a story of unheroic real life in the street of early 2oth Century small town Canada, this book is a treasure.
(A review of The Beleaguered will follow.)

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jessie's family is not allowed to set foot in the town's Presbyterian church even though her grandfather was involved in the design and construction of it.
This intrigues 5 year old Jessie as, being the youngest in her whole extended family, no-one is prepared to tell her why.
The story is told from her perspective over 7 or so years. Seeing pinnacle events and happenings in their hometown through Jessie's eyes as she tries to find out the reason why they can't enter the church.
The story is based on true accounts told by the real Jessie.
I was a bit disappointed as not all the issues were resolved in this book, but it seems to be part of a series, so I presume the reading of the next books is required to understand what happened.
Otherwise this was a nice read and a window into another world 100 years ago. I do think I would read more of this author's work.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I love historical fiction - learning about Brampton, Ontario all while falling in love with the characters. I really enjoyed and I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Megan Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her beautiful well detailed descriptions of the area, had me frequently putting down the book to look at the area now in Google maps. If I hadn't moved away from Brampton, I would have been jumping in my car to drive over and take a look and immerse myself in the story.

[Neil McKenzie-Sutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will add a detailed review soon!!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Innocent is exactly what it promises to be: it's a beautiful story about a young girl growing up in a small town at the very start of the 20th century. The book itself is well-researched, the writing both detailed and vivid, and the story invokes strong feelings throughout.

[Stephenstephensparling.Ca]

Lynne Golding’s The Innocent has very defined character development. From the father and his trademark white shoes to the exciting single Aunt living in the big city.

It is an excellent historical fiction and an eloquently told story. It is all about family and community life in the early days of Brampton’s development.

It brings to mind my own family at the turn of the century and beyond in Pembroke, Ontario right down to my own great Aunt Hildred bombing down the street in her old Buick.

On my Mothers first visit to Pembroke as a nineteen year old bride there was my Great Aunt Hildred and my Grandmother Dwyla duking it out in front of my wide eyed Mother.

This story is chalk full of stories like this and speaks to the early days of building a community and the local leaders that made it happen.

Strong character development, an enchanting story well told and speaks to an exciting time in early Canadian history about families, friends and community building.