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Des Inconnus sous mon toit: Une histoire d’exclusion : les francophones des Plaines
A renowned author investigates the dark and shocking history of her prairie house.
When researching the first occupant of her Saskatoon home, Candace Savage discovers a family more fascinating and heartbreaking than she expected.
Napoléon Sureau dit Blondin built the house in the 1920s, an era when French-speakers like him were deemed “undesirable” by the political and social elite, who sought to populate the Canadian prairies with WASPs only. In an atmosphere poisoned first by the Orange Order and then by the Ku Klux Klan, Napoléon and his young family adopted anglicized names and did their best to disguise their “foreignness.”
In Strangers in the House, Savage scours public records and historical accounts and interviews several of Napoléon’s descendants, including his youngest son, to reveal a family story marked by challenge and resilience. In the process, she examines a troubling episode in Canadian history, one with surprising relevance today.
When researching the first occupant of her Saskatoon home, Candace Savage discovers a family more fascinating and heartbreaking than she expected.
Napoléon Sureau dit Blondin built the house in the 1920s, an era when French-speakers like him were deemed “undesirable” by the political and social elite, who sought to populate the Canadian prairies with WASPs only. In an atmosphere poisoned first by the Orange Order and then by the Ku Klux Klan, Napoléon and his young family adopted anglicized names and did their best to disguise their “foreignness.”
In Strangers in the House, Savage scours public records and historical accounts and interviews several of Napoléon’s descendants, including his youngest son, to reveal a family story marked by challenge and resilience. In the process, she examines a troubling episode in Canadian history, one with surprising relevance today.
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Published October 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 25, 2019
It is finally here! The book written by Candace Savage, which just happens to be about my Grandfather Napoleon Sureau dit Blondin, my dad's dad. She had no idea when she found a name on a plasticine box in the wall of her kitchen, Ralph Blondin, my uncle, that she would unlock a history for me back to the 1650's that was completely unknown to me.
The book reveals a fascinating history of the settlement of the west and how bigotry, unrest, Orangemen, Ku Klux Klan, racism, religious conflict, and extreme loss all played a part in the lives of those involved.
I am excited to be going to Saskatoon for the book launch on October 3rd and meet the author who is no longer a stranger and also have the opportunity to see the house my granddad built in 1928! How cool is that. Even though I am a bit biased it is a great read!
The book reveals a fascinating history of the settlement of the west and how bigotry, unrest, Orangemen, Ku Klux Klan, racism, religious conflict, and extreme loss all played a part in the lives of those involved.
I am excited to be going to Saskatoon for the book launch on October 3rd and meet the author who is no longer a stranger and also have the opportunity to see the house my granddad built in 1928! How cool is that. Even though I am a bit biased it is a great read!
December 24, 2019
An interesting story about a French-Canadian family never fitting in in the WASPy West. Lots of interesting history that I knew nothing about. Not gripping but interesting. Better read in larger chunks to keep all the characters straight.
August 11, 2021
I love what Candace Savage is doing with her history novels, so I feel bad giving it a lower rating. For me, 3 stars means I liked the premise and wanted to finish the book, but didn't really crave reading it. It's too bad (for me) since I actually grew up and lived for 32 years in the area she writes about, *and* I am half French. But I just didn't get "into it". I guess it's just not my genre.
I appreciate the work that went into researching the book and I think the way she gives an accurate (non-whitewashed) history is important. I enjoy her bird books, and have two of her other history novels that I am reading next. :)
I appreciate the work that went into researching the book and I think the way she gives an accurate (non-whitewashed) history is important. I enjoy her bird books, and have two of her other history novels that I am reading next. :)
August 12, 2020
RESEARCH! A bit all over the place, but so thoroughly researched and not a dry read. So cool that this whole story of prejudice by the pro-British against Francophones and Métis people in Saskatchewan and beyond was inspired through Savage’s Saskatoon home renovations. Makes me wonder what are inside my 1924 Regina “Germantown” walls.
March 17, 2020
Interesting part of history I knew nothing about...even though I grew up out West.
August 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️.5
Le concept est intéressant: l’autrice fait des rénos dans sa maison, trouve des artefacts du passé et décide de faire des recherches sur cette famille qui a habité là.
J’ai beaucoup aimé le côté où elle parle de ses recherches, le contact avec la famille et tout, mais pour ce qui est du reste, j’ai trouvé ça très « académique », c’est à dire beaucoup d’info mais peu de tension pour rendre le tout vivant. C’est l’histoire avec un grand L, donc ce n’était peut être pas nécessaire, mais pour moi, ça venait moins me chercher.
Je le conseille, parce que je trouve intéressant que ce soit une auteure anglophone qui parle de l’histoire de l’assimilation francophone dans les prairies, mais ce n’est pas pour tout le monde.
Le concept est intéressant: l’autrice fait des rénos dans sa maison, trouve des artefacts du passé et décide de faire des recherches sur cette famille qui a habité là.
J’ai beaucoup aimé le côté où elle parle de ses recherches, le contact avec la famille et tout, mais pour ce qui est du reste, j’ai trouvé ça très « académique », c’est à dire beaucoup d’info mais peu de tension pour rendre le tout vivant. C’est l’histoire avec un grand L, donc ce n’était peut être pas nécessaire, mais pour moi, ça venait moins me chercher.
Je le conseille, parce que je trouve intéressant que ce soit une auteure anglophone qui parle de l’histoire de l’assimilation francophone dans les prairies, mais ce n’est pas pour tout le monde.
November 2, 2024
Candace Savage declares her personal space, uncomfortably. She embarks on a project to find the family who built her Saskatoon home and discovers a prairie story of bigotry and belonging. The book documents her journey of discovery as she provides an alternate history of her community and western settlization. The choice to insert herself into the narrative is an interesting choice but perhaps necessary given her start to the project. Much to reflect on and many regrets.
November 14, 2022
I liked this book. Savage does a good job flipping between the past and her personal journey discovering said past. Her experience with genealogy is interesting and a perspective not often given by scholars who use the methodology. Yet, some of the contextual research falls flat for me. One example is where she mentions that women heads of house, divorced or widowed, could obtain a homestead plot. This makes it sound rather simple for some women but is a vast oversimplification of the prejudice the Canadian government held towards the idea of women homesteads (see Sarah Carter's Imperial Plots). Such is just one example but nonetheless, the history she provides is easy to read and worthwhile: if for mostly the discussions around genealogy research.
March 7, 2023
2.5 stars rounded down. I just couldn't get into this book.
April 25, 2021
Strangers in the House by Candace Savage (3 stars) - While researching the first owner of her Saskatoon home, Savage discovers some interesting history within its walls.
I was recommended this book as the house belonged to my mother's best friend's grandpa! I have spent a lot of time with my mom's best friend over the years, she's almost like another mom to me; so it was interesting to find out more about her family's history. Savage scoured through all sorts of public records and historical accounts to piece together the story of Strangers in the House.
The book reveals how both racism and religion played parts in the settlement of western Canada. Napoléon Sureau dit Blondin built the house in question back in the 1920s; overcoming all sorts of obstacles including trying to hide is French accent and name. Blondin's family is afflicted by the Orange Order and then by the Ku Klux Klan in their struggles to blend in.
It's quite the remarkable book but, I think something was just missing in the editing that made it fall flat for me. Though well researched, the writing didn't pull together in places and therefore the book lacked flow and felt disjointed.
I was recommended this book as the house belonged to my mother's best friend's grandpa! I have spent a lot of time with my mom's best friend over the years, she's almost like another mom to me; so it was interesting to find out more about her family's history. Savage scoured through all sorts of public records and historical accounts to piece together the story of Strangers in the House.
The book reveals how both racism and religion played parts in the settlement of western Canada. Napoléon Sureau dit Blondin built the house in question back in the 1920s; overcoming all sorts of obstacles including trying to hide is French accent and name. Blondin's family is afflicted by the Orange Order and then by the Ku Klux Klan in their struggles to blend in.
It's quite the remarkable book but, I think something was just missing in the editing that made it fall flat for me. Though well researched, the writing didn't pull together in places and therefore the book lacked flow and felt disjointed.
February 8, 2022
A gripping story diving deep into the ills of societies...past (?)
How did the book make me feel/think?
A gripping story diving deep into the ills of societies...past (?)
How did the book make me feel/think?
QUEASY + ENLIGHTENED + GROTESQUELY APPALLED
I grew up in Saskatoon |spending my first 30 years there| I loved it, but I never thought much of its insularity until I moved away. Underneath its delightful façade sits darkness swept underneath thick shag carpeting.
STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE reads like a revealing DNA test on steroids where genetics are replaced by stripping the drywall and discovering the secrets within the bones of a house. The book is an interesting look at where we are as a society stacked up against where we’ve been. Disturbingly, the distance between ‘where’ |and| ‘are’ razor-thin and dented with fragility.
Saskatoon is a wondrous place. Full of darkness. Full of light. It is a beacon. While reading Strangers, I became upset. It clouded my hometown with shame.
STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE exposes the grotesque disease that has inflicted many people with a sense of superiority. It sheds light on the reality that although humanity has come a long way in eradicating hatred and the sickness of xenophobia—the slope is slippery, and if we don’t continue paying attention—society could quickly slip back into—
“With their strange dialects, their superstitions and gross ignorance and filth, we are supposed to build up the homogeneous {race} of intelligent, industrious, honest, clean, civilized people.” Hiving the riffraff off in separate schools would just make the problem worse. The only solution was to ensure that every young person in the country passed through the refinement fix of a centrally controlled “national” school to emerge as a worthy citizen of the British Empire.
The preceding excerpt made me feel ill. The sickness is real. Assimilation = Invisibility.
STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE is a gripping story diving deep into society’s ills. While ensuring we pay attention to all the phenomenal gains humanity has made, we don’t shift with the foundation, causing us to taint the good that comes from uncovering the past.
How did the book make me feel/think?
A gripping story diving deep into the ills of societies...past (?)
How did the book make me feel/think?
QUEASY + ENLIGHTENED + GROTESQUELY APPALLED
I grew up in Saskatoon |spending my first 30 years there| I loved it, but I never thought much of its insularity until I moved away. Underneath its delightful façade sits darkness swept underneath thick shag carpeting.
STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE reads like a revealing DNA test on steroids where genetics are replaced by stripping the drywall and discovering the secrets within the bones of a house. The book is an interesting look at where we are as a society stacked up against where we’ve been. Disturbingly, the distance between ‘where’ |and| ‘are’ razor-thin and dented with fragility.
Saskatoon is a wondrous place. Full of darkness. Full of light. It is a beacon. While reading Strangers, I became upset. It clouded my hometown with shame.
STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE exposes the grotesque disease that has inflicted many people with a sense of superiority. It sheds light on the reality that although humanity has come a long way in eradicating hatred and the sickness of xenophobia—the slope is slippery, and if we don’t continue paying attention—society could quickly slip back into—
“With their strange dialects, their superstitions and gross ignorance and filth, we are supposed to build up the homogeneous {race} of intelligent, industrious, honest, clean, civilized people.” Hiving the riffraff off in separate schools would just make the problem worse. The only solution was to ensure that every young person in the country passed through the refinement fix of a centrally controlled “national” school to emerge as a worthy citizen of the British Empire.
The preceding excerpt made me feel ill. The sickness is real. Assimilation = Invisibility.
STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE is a gripping story diving deep into society’s ills. While ensuring we pay attention to all the phenomenal gains humanity has made, we don’t shift with the foundation, causing us to taint the good that comes from uncovering the past.
October 15, 2022
I discovered this book by basically an answer to prayer , on Amazon, and it is about my Mom's family. Her father is one of the brothers in the book... Hercules, and my Mom is the Lucy ( Lucille) mentioned in the book. Her Mom, my Grandmother "Granny' is also mentioned. I had no idea of the racial prejudice that they suffered as French immigrants, by the English Canadians. My Mom told me stories of her life on the farm, of her Uncles Telemac and Ulysses but I had no idea.. of some of the story I read in this book. What an eyeopener. Not only did they suffer great hardship, but they were loyal to one another, and they also went thru WW2 and the Great Depression. Incredibly hardy people.
I'm proud of who they were. Even if you aren't a 'Blondin' but want to know more about early settlement in Canada , this book is hard to put down. I highly recommend it. Candace Savage is a tremendous writer and you feel as if you are discovering all the history right along with her.... great writing.
I'm proud of who they were. Even if you aren't a 'Blondin' but want to know more about early settlement in Canada , this book is hard to put down. I highly recommend it. Candace Savage is a tremendous writer and you feel as if you are discovering all the history right along with her.... great writing.
November 21, 2022
I will admit, the book started to lose me when it went into how the loss at the Battle on the Plains of Abraham was affecting former Quebecois in Saskatchewan almost 300 years prior. I think at that age, trauma to your great great great great great grandparents is a family story, if it's remembered at all.
Also, I found this book to be disturbingly black and white. While organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the Orange Lodges are inherently racist and exist only to give the pathetic a means to believe they have value, the idea that the Francophones in the west are hapless innocents is false as well. The author talks a bit about what the Metis went through and the illogical bias they had to deal with. But by focusing on the Blondin family, she misses a lot of what was going on. The Blondin family may have had relatives among the Metis, but given the timeframe she is writing about, they would not have acknowledged them as relatives. They probably would have treated them in the same way and with the same attitude as the English-speaking settlers.
Also, she is trying to show that the existence of the Orange Lodges placed undo hardships on the French settlers, as shown by the Blondin family. Yet there were no direct correlations drawn between the Blondins and the new legislation that didn't allow nuns to teach while dressed in their habits, for example. Instead, the Blondins were victims of bad harvests and the stock market crash that started the Great Depression. Hardly events that were engineered to make Francophones suffer.
The fact is that the Canadian prairies were extremely bigoted and racist when first settled, and still are to some extent today. But no group was excluded from this, it was very inclusive racism. And when you look at what was suffered by other groups, such as the Chinese, the Aboriginal peoples, and Eastern Europeans, to name a few, the suffering of the French Canadians is minor.
Also, I found this book to be disturbingly black and white. While organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the Orange Lodges are inherently racist and exist only to give the pathetic a means to believe they have value, the idea that the Francophones in the west are hapless innocents is false as well. The author talks a bit about what the Metis went through and the illogical bias they had to deal with. But by focusing on the Blondin family, she misses a lot of what was going on. The Blondin family may have had relatives among the Metis, but given the timeframe she is writing about, they would not have acknowledged them as relatives. They probably would have treated them in the same way and with the same attitude as the English-speaking settlers.
Also, she is trying to show that the existence of the Orange Lodges placed undo hardships on the French settlers, as shown by the Blondin family. Yet there were no direct correlations drawn between the Blondins and the new legislation that didn't allow nuns to teach while dressed in their habits, for example. Instead, the Blondins were victims of bad harvests and the stock market crash that started the Great Depression. Hardly events that were engineered to make Francophones suffer.
The fact is that the Canadian prairies were extremely bigoted and racist when first settled, and still are to some extent today. But no group was excluded from this, it was very inclusive racism. And when you look at what was suffered by other groups, such as the Chinese, the Aboriginal peoples, and Eastern Europeans, to name a few, the suffering of the French Canadians is minor.
October 28, 2020
3,5⭐️
Une lecture très intéressante sur le plan historique! Cette autrice retranche l’histoire de la famille ayant bâti sa maison des années plus tôt. On suit cette famille depuis leur arrivée au Québec en tant que colons et dans les déménagements des différentes générations de cette famille au fil des siècles et des générations jusqu’en Ontario, puis dans les prairies. J’ai aimé en apprendre plus sur l’histoire des Franco-Canadians hors Quebec, l’isolement, le rejet, le racisme vécus, mais ce combat de préserver le français malgré tout dans plusieurs familles! J’ai par contre trouver que le livre devenait lourd à force de références, de nom, de ville, d’association etc C’était parfois difficile de s’y retrouver! Dieu merci il y avait un arbre généalogique à la fin! A lire seulement si vous êtes dans un était d’esprit pour en apprendre plus historiquement (ce que je n’étais pas) parce que c’est comme un livre d’histoire, mais un peu plus romancé! J’aurais voulu qu’il y est davantage de fiction autour de l’histoire de la famille et non seulement des informations très très concrètes. L’autrice a fait preuve d’une rigueur dans ses recherches (40 pages de notes et de référence) ce que j’apprécie beaucoup!
Une lecture très intéressante sur le plan historique! Cette autrice retranche l’histoire de la famille ayant bâti sa maison des années plus tôt. On suit cette famille depuis leur arrivée au Québec en tant que colons et dans les déménagements des différentes générations de cette famille au fil des siècles et des générations jusqu’en Ontario, puis dans les prairies. J’ai aimé en apprendre plus sur l’histoire des Franco-Canadians hors Quebec, l’isolement, le rejet, le racisme vécus, mais ce combat de préserver le français malgré tout dans plusieurs familles! J’ai par contre trouver que le livre devenait lourd à force de références, de nom, de ville, d’association etc C’était parfois difficile de s’y retrouver! Dieu merci il y avait un arbre généalogique à la fin! A lire seulement si vous êtes dans un était d’esprit pour en apprendre plus historiquement (ce que je n’étais pas) parce que c’est comme un livre d’histoire, mais un peu plus romancé! J’aurais voulu qu’il y est davantage de fiction autour de l’histoire de la famille et non seulement des informations très très concrètes. L’autrice a fait preuve d’une rigueur dans ses recherches (40 pages de notes et de référence) ce que j’apprécie beaucoup!
August 27, 2020
I commend the author for shedding light on a part of Canada’s history that we don’t hear about very often and would do well to remember. Unfortunately, this story itself just did not work for me. I felt like the author had a narrative she wanted to tell and tried to force this particular family into it so she could tell the tale of the former inhabitants of her house. But ultimately, the events she goes into in detail have little if any relationship to the actual family, it is just historical facts about the era and area they lived in. She tries to draw connections between historical events or figures and the family, but it just feels forced and disjointed. I think the author should have just written a history book. By forcing the story to revolve around a specific family, I just felt no real connection to them.
May 6, 2020
Interesting read about the early days in Sask. Didn't know the real story about the Orange society, the KKK was there and why and what really was the situation for the Metis and French speaking people who settled there from either Ontario or Montreal. Most interesting. Good history lesson - I was never taught this in school.
June 8, 2020
Savage did a nice job of weaving her current-day search and reactions to her findings with the historic background of her home in Saskatoon. The unglossed presentation of the effects of anti-Catholicism and racism in Canada hits home at any time, but is a timely reminder that people are evil to each other even when their skin is the same colour. A must-read, I think.
September 29, 2021
Everything a history book should be - informative, entertaining, and well rounded. As a lover (and hopeful one day owner) of Saskatoon character homes I loved reading the history of this one in particular!
March 6, 2020
Excellent review of Canadian history from the arrival of the French and then the British. I wish they had taught Canadian history like that in school.
April 21, 2020
I started the book and quickly became immersed in the story building a Home, building a life, on the backs of the history of the Blondin family. I would’ve read it straight through it was so mesmerizing, but the impact of COVID-19 crashed into my days and interrupted any reading for pleasure. Finally able to pick up the book again today, on April 16, I finished it reading through the whole evening by the fire. Yet again I am astonished by Candace’s ability to tell history by living history.
June 10, 2020
Anyone doing ancestry will find this book appealing. Savage goes much further though delving into the history - warts and all - that grew Saskatchewan.
January 31, 2022
Thorough exposition of the persecution of the French in the Canadian Prairies. Most Canadians have no idea about this chapter of their history.
November 12, 2023
A fascinating history of early Canada and Saskatchewan written in a very readable manner.
April 9, 2024
Hoopla audio book - it took me a while to get into this but once I did I found most interesting! A period of history I was not familiar with
September 24, 2024
Did not finish.
October 15, 2024
Very dry read. It jumped around from history to history. I couldn't finish it.
March 23, 2021
Better than 3, I think, but not quite 4.
Want to read
October 27, 2020I have read one of her earlier books of Saskatchewan history & been impressed, so I am looking forward to this one.
On page 29, Jan 16, must return to library. Will re-request.
On page 29, Jan 16, must return to library. Will re-request.
May 20, 2020
Interesting research into her homes history. I learned much history of the west and in particular Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Didn't get this in school back in the day. The real story.
August 22, 2022
Learned a lot about early history and politics of my home city. Engaging. Doesn't read like a history text. Enjoyed it greatly
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews