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The Sister's Tale
A novel of orphans and widows, terror and hope, and the relationships that hold us together when things fall apart.
With murder dominating the news, the respected wife of a New Brunswick sea captain is drawn into the case of a British home child whose bad luck has turned worse. Mortified that she must purchase the girl in a pauper auction to save her from the lechery of wealthy townsmen, Josephine Galloway finds herself suddenly the proprietor of a boarding house kept afloat by the sweat and tears of a curious and not completely compatible collection of women, including this English teenager, Flora Salford. Flora's place in her new family cannot be complete until she rescues the missing person in her life, the only one who understands the trials she has come through and fresh horrors met since they were separated years before.
Reconnecting with characters of Beth Powning's beloved The Sea Captain's Wife, The Sister's Tale is a story of women finding their way, together, through terrible circumstances they could neither predict nor avoid, but will stop at nothing to overcome.
With murder dominating the news, the respected wife of a New Brunswick sea captain is drawn into the case of a British home child whose bad luck has turned worse. Mortified that she must purchase the girl in a pauper auction to save her from the lechery of wealthy townsmen, Josephine Galloway finds herself suddenly the proprietor of a boarding house kept afloat by the sweat and tears of a curious and not completely compatible collection of women, including this English teenager, Flora Salford. Flora's place in her new family cannot be complete until she rescues the missing person in her life, the only one who understands the trials she has come through and fresh horrors met since they were separated years before.
Reconnecting with characters of Beth Powning's beloved The Sea Captain's Wife, The Sister's Tale is a story of women finding their way, together, through terrible circumstances they could neither predict nor avoid, but will stop at nothing to overcome.
328 pages, Paperback
Published May 25, 2021
47 people are currently reading
1748 people want to read
About the author
Beth Powning
9 books103 followersBeth Powning was born in Hampton, Connecticut. She attended E.O. Smith High School, and Sarah Lawrence College, where she majored in creative writing. Powning moved to New Brunswick, Canada in 1970.
Powning's work has been widely published in books, anthologies, and magazines. She is known for her lyrical, powerful writing and the profound emotional honesty of her work.
Her latest novel, "The Sister's Tale", will be released by Knopf Canada in both Canada and the US on May 25, 2021. Set in the 1887 maritimes provinces, it includes characters from "The Sea Captain's Wife" and concerns home children, suffragists, and women's rights.
Her 2015 novel, " A Measure of Light", was a Globe and Mail Bestseller, a Globe and Mail Best Book, long-listed for the Dublin International Literary Award, and the winner of the N.B. Book Award for Fiction. In the USA, "A Measure of Light" was a Sam's Club Best Book for March, 2018.
Beth Powning's novel, "The Sea Captain's Wife" was short-listed for the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, in Canada.; and was a Barnes and Noble Discover Award Book, in the USA. The novel has been long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It was translated into French by Editions Perce-Neige, with distribution in Canada and France.
"The Hatbox Letters" was also long-listed for the Dublin International Literary Award, and was a Globe and Mail Best Book.
Powning also won Canada's Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for High Achievement in English-Language Literary Arts and has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University.
She has appeared at literary festivals across Canada, in Ireland, and the UK.
She lives in a 19th century farmhouse in rural New Brunswick, Canada, with her husband, sculptor Peter Powning.
Powning's work has been widely published in books, anthologies, and magazines. She is known for her lyrical, powerful writing and the profound emotional honesty of her work.
Her latest novel, "The Sister's Tale", will be released by Knopf Canada in both Canada and the US on May 25, 2021. Set in the 1887 maritimes provinces, it includes characters from "The Sea Captain's Wife" and concerns home children, suffragists, and women's rights.
Her 2015 novel, " A Measure of Light", was a Globe and Mail Bestseller, a Globe and Mail Best Book, long-listed for the Dublin International Literary Award, and the winner of the N.B. Book Award for Fiction. In the USA, "A Measure of Light" was a Sam's Club Best Book for March, 2018.
Beth Powning's novel, "The Sea Captain's Wife" was short-listed for the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, in Canada.; and was a Barnes and Noble Discover Award Book, in the USA. The novel has been long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It was translated into French by Editions Perce-Neige, with distribution in Canada and France.
"The Hatbox Letters" was also long-listed for the Dublin International Literary Award, and was a Globe and Mail Best Book.
Powning also won Canada's Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for High Achievement in English-Language Literary Arts and has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of New Brunswick and Mount Allison University.
She has appeared at literary festivals across Canada, in Ireland, and the UK.
She lives in a 19th century farmhouse in rural New Brunswick, Canada, with her husband, sculptor Peter Powning.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
June 15, 2021
The author is a popular New Brunswick novelist. This is an informative historical set in places near where I live. It is impeccably researched with footnotes and further facts at the end. The story is based on political and social history unknown to many readers, even those living locally.
The time frame is the late 1880s, and paupers were put on the auction block to be sold to the LOWEST bidder. There were no almshouses (poorhouses) during this time. This was the first time I understood why the pauper was sold to the lowest bidder. Powning explains this clearly. The government paid the person who made the lowest bid the monthly amount equivalent to their bid for the pauper's upkeep, a scheme to save money.
The author brings up some other facts involving the lack of women's rights. If a husband died without a will, his widow was not considered kin. She had no legal rights to the home or other property. Shockingly, she had no custody rights to their children from the marriage. Women had no right to vote. The book describes the beginning of the suffragette movement, but this legislation was not passed until later. Most occupations and offices were closed to women. Even the brightest academically were rarely admitted to university unless they had the backing of a wealthy college donor. Women began to discard the painful, confining corsets demanded by fashion. It was believed that women were incapable of logical thinking, and if given equal rights, the birth rate would decrease.
Josephine Galloway appeared as the title character in a previous book, 'The Sea Captain's Wife.' At the beginning of this book, she is approached by the Overseer of the Poor. A fifteen-year-old British Home Child, Flora, is to be auctioned off to the lowest bidder. He wants Josephine to attend the auction. He will fix it so her bid is the lowest, and she will bring the pretty girl into her home. This would save her from the lecherous men who might bid on her.
I found the first beginning of the book slow-moving and rather choppy. This is because so many characters were introduced early in the story. I was confused about who was family and who was hired help and wishing I had kept notes. However, the story soon picked up in intensity, suspense, conflicts, interesting occurrences, heartache, and even danger.
Flora was a pleasant, hard-working girl and soon became a trusted family member and gained the servants' respect. She comforted Josephine when her husband was killed in a storm at sea. Intruding on Flora's peace of mind and happiness was her separation from her younger sister, Enid. Josephine now had limited funds and turned the home into a boarding house. Most of the household help had to be dismissed, but the cook remained. She was obsessed with a murder trial and constantly told everyone about the gory details and read the newspaper articles to them.
Once it was discovered that Flora's sister had been placed on a farm in Nova Scotia, Flora was determined to find her. This was a dreadful placement for Enid. She regarded a younger boy sent there as a brother, although forbidden to speak to him. The man of the house was a brutal drunk who sexually abused the little boy. The frequent abuse led to the boy's death. He ferociously beat his wife, and Enid lived in terror. She ran away and almost died of the cold before reuniting with Flora.
Josephine welcomed Enid, but the girl had been badly traumatized. Nevertheless, everyone was kind and patient with the confused and frightened girl. She was gradually getting better but then was kidnapped.
I liked the unusual historical facts at the beginning and the intensity, emotion and suspense near the end. This was an interesting story that highlighted the struggle for women's rights.
The time frame is the late 1880s, and paupers were put on the auction block to be sold to the LOWEST bidder. There were no almshouses (poorhouses) during this time. This was the first time I understood why the pauper was sold to the lowest bidder. Powning explains this clearly. The government paid the person who made the lowest bid the monthly amount equivalent to their bid for the pauper's upkeep, a scheme to save money.
The author brings up some other facts involving the lack of women's rights. If a husband died without a will, his widow was not considered kin. She had no legal rights to the home or other property. Shockingly, she had no custody rights to their children from the marriage. Women had no right to vote. The book describes the beginning of the suffragette movement, but this legislation was not passed until later. Most occupations and offices were closed to women. Even the brightest academically were rarely admitted to university unless they had the backing of a wealthy college donor. Women began to discard the painful, confining corsets demanded by fashion. It was believed that women were incapable of logical thinking, and if given equal rights, the birth rate would decrease.
Josephine Galloway appeared as the title character in a previous book, 'The Sea Captain's Wife.' At the beginning of this book, she is approached by the Overseer of the Poor. A fifteen-year-old British Home Child, Flora, is to be auctioned off to the lowest bidder. He wants Josephine to attend the auction. He will fix it so her bid is the lowest, and she will bring the pretty girl into her home. This would save her from the lecherous men who might bid on her.
I found the first beginning of the book slow-moving and rather choppy. This is because so many characters were introduced early in the story. I was confused about who was family and who was hired help and wishing I had kept notes. However, the story soon picked up in intensity, suspense, conflicts, interesting occurrences, heartache, and even danger.
Flora was a pleasant, hard-working girl and soon became a trusted family member and gained the servants' respect. She comforted Josephine when her husband was killed in a storm at sea. Intruding on Flora's peace of mind and happiness was her separation from her younger sister, Enid. Josephine now had limited funds and turned the home into a boarding house. Most of the household help had to be dismissed, but the cook remained. She was obsessed with a murder trial and constantly told everyone about the gory details and read the newspaper articles to them.
Once it was discovered that Flora's sister had been placed on a farm in Nova Scotia, Flora was determined to find her. This was a dreadful placement for Enid. She regarded a younger boy sent there as a brother, although forbidden to speak to him. The man of the house was a brutal drunk who sexually abused the little boy. The frequent abuse led to the boy's death. He ferociously beat his wife, and Enid lived in terror. She ran away and almost died of the cold before reuniting with Flora.
Josephine welcomed Enid, but the girl had been badly traumatized. Nevertheless, everyone was kind and patient with the confused and frightened girl. She was gradually getting better but then was kidnapped.
I liked the unusual historical facts at the beginning and the intensity, emotion and suspense near the end. This was an interesting story that highlighted the struggle for women's rights.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2021
A very interesting story dealing with a part of Canada's history about which I wasn't aware. The story takes place in New Brunswick from about 1887 to 1890 and includes some important historical events. Josephine, widow of a sea captain, is devastated to learn that since her husband died without a will, she has no rights to any of his property or even to claim their two daughters as her children. She has the added responsibility of caring for Flora, one of many home children sent from Britain to Canada. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, Flora was included in a pauper auction which sounds like a terrible practice and I can't believe Canada participated in such a custom. Flora's biggest concern is reuniting with her younger sister, also a home child who was sent to Canada at a later time and who Flora eventually learns was placed in Nova Scotia.
This was a great read which covers many important issues such as women's rights, the suffragette movement, education, equality, etc., and I highly recommend it. Even though this story takes place in Canada I'm sure conditions were much the same in other countries at that time. The book was well-written and I enjoyed the characters. There is a lot of information included in the afterword, with important milestone dates and an abundance of reference material. This is the first book I've read by Beth Powning and will probably look into reading some of her other novels.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.
This was a great read which covers many important issues such as women's rights, the suffragette movement, education, equality, etc., and I highly recommend it. Even though this story takes place in Canada I'm sure conditions were much the same in other countries at that time. The book was well-written and I enjoyed the characters. There is a lot of information included in the afterword, with important milestone dates and an abundance of reference material. This is the first book I've read by Beth Powning and will probably look into reading some of her other novels.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.
February 1, 2021
“The Sister’s Tale” is an impeccably written, mesmerizing tale of loss and betrayal, and of the strength required not only to find hope amid the ashes, but to rise from them. Using pain-staking and what must have been heartbreaking research, Beth Powning’s lyrical style both soothes and disturbs. I found it very difficult to put the book down. Highly recommend!
February 25, 2021
I couldn’t decide whether this book should be rated at 3.5 or 4 stars.
This book is part of a very interesting piece of history in Canada. I really enjoyed that learning about it. I actually no idea that poor people were “auctioned” by Canadians. So interesting and sad all the same time.
I also really like how empowering this book is for women to see how far we have come. I did not know that when women were widowed in this time frame they basically had no rights if there was no will. I loved the struggles the characters faced in this novel.
For me though, this book didn’t flow as much as I wanted it to. It wasn’t a book I couldn’t put down, so therefore I’m undecided about giving it a rating.
This book is part of a very interesting piece of history in Canada. I really enjoyed that learning about it. I actually no idea that poor people were “auctioned” by Canadians. So interesting and sad all the same time.
I also really like how empowering this book is for women to see how far we have come. I did not know that when women were widowed in this time frame they basically had no rights if there was no will. I loved the struggles the characters faced in this novel.
For me though, this book didn’t flow as much as I wanted it to. It wasn’t a book I couldn’t put down, so therefore I’m undecided about giving it a rating.
March 23, 2021
The Canadian maritime author, Beth Powning, explores the relationships that hold us together when things fall apart. She expertly takes us back to 1887, when orphaned children were sent to workhouses, sisters were separated by an ocean, men still went to sea in square-rigged ships and women began to fight for their rights. “A Sister’s Tale” is her most recent Canadian historical fiction to be published May 25, 2021.
Josephine Galloway, the wife of a New Brunswick sea captain, becomes involved in the case of a British home child, Flora Salford, when the child’s luck runs out. Purchasing the teenager in a pauper auction saves the girl from a what would have been a disastrous outcome if the wealthy townsmen had it their way. Before fitting in to her new land and new family, Flora needs to find out what happened to her sister, Enid.
As is most often the case, we can’t move forward until we take care of the past. Flora is no exception. I loved this story about strong, determined women who work together despite what hurdles life has thrown them. Their tenacity and fortitude inspired me. I was appreciative of Powning teaching us about the forgotten pieces of our Canadian maritime history and the fight for women’s rights. I empathized with the plight of orphaned children who could do nothing to foretell nor avoid their fate.
I have not read the author’s previous work titled, “The Sea Captain’s Wife” but I understand that readers will reconnect with characters from this book. I am drawn to the cover featuring the rather sad and expressive boots of the sisters, Enid and Flora.
Thank you to Beth Powning, Penguin Random House Canada, Knopf Canada and NetGalley for the gifted advance copy. I received it for free and was under no obligation to provide feedback. This is my honest review.
Josephine Galloway, the wife of a New Brunswick sea captain, becomes involved in the case of a British home child, Flora Salford, when the child’s luck runs out. Purchasing the teenager in a pauper auction saves the girl from a what would have been a disastrous outcome if the wealthy townsmen had it their way. Before fitting in to her new land and new family, Flora needs to find out what happened to her sister, Enid.
As is most often the case, we can’t move forward until we take care of the past. Flora is no exception. I loved this story about strong, determined women who work together despite what hurdles life has thrown them. Their tenacity and fortitude inspired me. I was appreciative of Powning teaching us about the forgotten pieces of our Canadian maritime history and the fight for women’s rights. I empathized with the plight of orphaned children who could do nothing to foretell nor avoid their fate.
I have not read the author’s previous work titled, “The Sea Captain’s Wife” but I understand that readers will reconnect with characters from this book. I am drawn to the cover featuring the rather sad and expressive boots of the sisters, Enid and Flora.
Thank you to Beth Powning, Penguin Random House Canada, Knopf Canada and NetGalley for the gifted advance copy. I received it for free and was under no obligation to provide feedback. This is my honest review.
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May 2, 2023Powning does an excellent job evoking the era (or at least I feel she does--I wasn't actually around back then), and particularly the tightness of patriarchy. It is an explicit and implicit theme here, that clearly harms the women. But also, it is a vice around every character, so careful in their actions, playing their assigned gender role.
March 27, 2022
I discovered this Canadian author and decided to showcase her on my website - https://canadiancookbooks.ca/the-sist... Books like this should be added to high school history classes to give Canadian history a personal story. Will read more from this author! https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/...
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February 18, 2022I really enjoyed The Sea Captain's Wife, so was excited to read this one by Powning. Her writing style delights me and I felt completely immersed in 1880s New Brunswick. The title sister is Flora, a "home girl" sent from England when she was 10 to better her life after she was orphaned. She is purchased at a pauper auction by Josephine, as a favour to a friend to save the girl from being purchased by a man. Josephine's house and family completely transform after her sea captain husband dies at sea and his will cannot be located, leaving her, according to the laws of the day, with nothing of her own. Her teenaged daughters become motivated in the suffragist movement, which has a fairly large role in the novel, while her young adult son assumes his role as financial head of the family. Flora is determined to find her younger sister left behind in England and receives help from Josephine and others. There is some surprise and mystery entwined in their lives and the whole thing comes together quite nicely.
July 31, 2021
An emotional roller coaster that had me angry, thoughtful and hopeful throughout.
Not my usual genre of choice as it's historical fiction, I enjoyed the efforts and beautiful verbiage this author is known for.
Not my usual genre of choice as it's historical fiction, I enjoyed the efforts and beautiful verbiage this author is known for.
March 26, 2022
I quite enjoyed this, though I found it slow at times. My grandfather-in-law was a home child so the story of Flora
was fascinating to me. I learned quite a bit about the plight of home children and wish I could have heard his story. Sadly, I never met him.
was fascinating to me. I learned quite a bit about the plight of home children and wish I could have heard his story. Sadly, I never met him.
August 25, 2024
3.5⭐️
November 15, 2021
It took me a while to get into this story. My favourite line was about Josephine “She saw how far she would fall, then, from the woman she was in the process of becoming.”
It made me think how great it would be to always know our own potential and keep hope that we can achieve it.
So grateful for the suffragette women who fought for the vote. I could not imagine living in a world without it.
It made me think how great it would be to always know our own potential and keep hope that we can achieve it.
So grateful for the suffragette women who fought for the vote. I could not imagine living in a world without it.
September 20, 2021
There was some interesting historic content and I did like the characters, but for me the story was lacking something. It was rather slow and I was expecting some sort of shocking twist or big reveal that just didn't happen. A pleasant read that I would give 3.5 Stars.
May 27, 2021
I love this book! I don’t give many 5 stars but this book is a 5 star!
The characters are well developed (a talent of Beth Powning’s writing skills!) as well as beautiful prose. The main women of this book are strong and assertive in a time when women were discouraged from doing so, as they become involved in the suffrage movement.
The main theme is the little known Canadian history of the thousands of home children brought to Canada from England as indentured workers, to New Brunswick in the late 1800s. Powning, through much research, depicts some of the horrible things that happened to these children, and her creation of two such characters shows how family bonds never die as they are driven by love.
This novel has mystery, history, and the enduring strength of love. It will not disappoint!
Thank you to Beth Powning and Craig Payette at Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to have an advanced copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
The characters are well developed (a talent of Beth Powning’s writing skills!) as well as beautiful prose. The main women of this book are strong and assertive in a time when women were discouraged from doing so, as they become involved in the suffrage movement.
The main theme is the little known Canadian history of the thousands of home children brought to Canada from England as indentured workers, to New Brunswick in the late 1800s. Powning, through much research, depicts some of the horrible things that happened to these children, and her creation of two such characters shows how family bonds never die as they are driven by love.
This novel has mystery, history, and the enduring strength of love. It will not disappoint!
Thank you to Beth Powning and Craig Payette at Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to have an advanced copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
June 29, 2021
Home children, paupers' auction, widowhood, identity, the rise of women suffrage - all are beautifully depicted in this novel by Beth Powning. At the core, it is about the work of women, the value of it, and when learning to value each other, the strength of sisterhood.
June 1, 2021
3.5 stars.
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June 17, 2021Disappointing. Beth Powning’s The Sea Captain’s Wife was such a great book and I was expecting more. This story was repetitive and far-fetched. Don’t bother
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May 16, 2021Book Review
The Sisters Tale by Beth Powning
Thank you to @netgalley and @knopfca for my early copy in return for an honest review
Based upon Canadian history this book follows the loves of several women brought together by circumstance. Each trying to build a life for themselves.
Flora- a Home Child who came to Canada from England fleeing poverty for the promise of a brighter future...
Josephine.... recently widowed she has lost everything. Under current Nova Scotian law, as an unmarried woman she cant own property or be the legal guardian of her own children.
Ellen, Lucy, Enid, Josephine, Flora…. All our drawn to the suffragist movement and what it may mean for their futures. These women are connected by their friendship, love, and home in a way that supports them financially and emotionally. Their shared belief that women deserve more fuels their passion for change.
I love a book that teaches me something. I am newly aquatinted with the home children that were sent to Canada from England to work as indentured servants. It is horrible to think of the role Canadians played in child labour at the time. Powning’s book focused more on the rights of women in Canada at the time, this being a subject in Canadian history that I am not well versed in I was happy to learn between the pages of this book.
Powning creates a narrative not only steeped in history but one that describes the gender inequality reflective of the time. The struggle not to define oneself by gender or circumstance but to create your own narrative based on your own passions and wants.
The Sisters Tale by Beth Powning
Thank you to @netgalley and @knopfca for my early copy in return for an honest review
Based upon Canadian history this book follows the loves of several women brought together by circumstance. Each trying to build a life for themselves.
Flora- a Home Child who came to Canada from England fleeing poverty for the promise of a brighter future...
Josephine.... recently widowed she has lost everything. Under current Nova Scotian law, as an unmarried woman she cant own property or be the legal guardian of her own children.
Ellen, Lucy, Enid, Josephine, Flora…. All our drawn to the suffragist movement and what it may mean for their futures. These women are connected by their friendship, love, and home in a way that supports them financially and emotionally. Their shared belief that women deserve more fuels their passion for change.
I love a book that teaches me something. I am newly aquatinted with the home children that were sent to Canada from England to work as indentured servants. It is horrible to think of the role Canadians played in child labour at the time. Powning’s book focused more on the rights of women in Canada at the time, this being a subject in Canadian history that I am not well versed in I was happy to learn between the pages of this book.
Powning creates a narrative not only steeped in history but one that describes the gender inequality reflective of the time. The struggle not to define oneself by gender or circumstance but to create your own narrative based on your own passions and wants.
July 10, 2021
Thank you to Goodreads and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this book.
While I agree with other reviewers that the pace of this novel was slow in places, I still found it very engaging. I found the historical elements (women's rights and particularly the rights of wives, pauper auctions, the Home Children program) very enlightening. While aware that this is a work of fiction, reading from the points of view of people that could have lived through these circumstances broadened my perspective on Canadian history. It is hard to believe how far our country has come, although there is still much progress to be made.
I also appreciated the theme of friendship in this novel. The relationships of the female characters changed so greatly over the course of the story. It was interesting to watch them unfold.
While I agree with other reviewers that the pace of this novel was slow in places, I still found it very engaging. I found the historical elements (women's rights and particularly the rights of wives, pauper auctions, the Home Children program) very enlightening. While aware that this is a work of fiction, reading from the points of view of people that could have lived through these circumstances broadened my perspective on Canadian history. It is hard to believe how far our country has come, although there is still much progress to be made.
I also appreciated the theme of friendship in this novel. The relationships of the female characters changed so greatly over the course of the story. It was interesting to watch them unfold.
January 11, 2022
Great read, excellent research on the history of women as persons and the right to vote in New Brunswick, woven into a heart warming story of sisterhood and strong women looking after each other.
January 9, 2023
An interesting tale of orphans, widows and women’s suffrage in the late 19th century in Canada.
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April 29, 2023I cannot continue to slog through this. I’m moving this to my “did not finish” shelf. I hate doing that but my reading time is too precious for super slow moving Canadian Victorian tales of woe.
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October 24, 2021While there is great historical subject matter covered in this title, I just found the story too slow… nothing really ‘happens’... I’ve had this title open for a few days and it’s just been pick up, put down, pick up, put down… repeat. (I’ve actually read two other books in the same time…) That speaks volumes. The time has come to cut bait on this one. Not even wanting to find out what happened to ‘me’ - as in a character who shares my same, now uncommon, name - is enough to keep me reading to the end.
But... for anyone who is not already familiar with the ‘status of women’ in the mid-1800’s then I would recommend this a solid entry point for getting up to speed on some important women’s history.
But... for anyone who is not already familiar with the ‘status of women’ in the mid-1800’s then I would recommend this a solid entry point for getting up to speed on some important women’s history.
August 26, 2022
Interesting to learn about the fight about the rights of women in Canada!
May 21, 2023
It’s not as good as The Sea Captains Wife, but the characters as just as strong. It’s just kinda slow for a murder.
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August 12, 2022Loved the story, loved the characters, a great local book in NB and even though there were some liberties taken with actual events it was easy to see how the story could have occurred.
October 24, 2021
A wife and widow, a factory worker, a home child and her sister, this interesting read tells the lives of women in late 19th century New Brunswick, who through circumstance come together and through the rise of the suffrage movement work hard to be independent, self confident and successful.
October 21, 2021
I loved the characters & the historical facts, but the story itself jumped around so much. I kept expecting a dramatic scary thing to happen, that never did. Then right as a big event would happen (like meeting her sister) the author would suddenly jump in time a few days…and it would all be quickly explained and rushed past. Also too many stories half told, instead of one well told.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews