Letters from Lake Joe

by Mary E. Hughes

Letters from Lake Joe is a charming account of summers spent on Lake Joseph, Muskoka, during the first decade of the 20th century. At that time, going to an island cottage meant a long and arduous journey by train and steamboat. Island life was often rustic, but eminently leisurely and peaceful.
Drawn from letters in The Violet Trilogy, these fictional letters chronicle the day-to-day happenings and hazards, the boats and the bugs, of a gentler, quieter Muskoka. Letters from Lake Joe offers a delightful visit to a bygone era when cottaging on an island was not for the faint of heart.
The book also includes Muskoka Suite, a small collection of mid-century Muskoka memories.

226 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[Henryan Arkson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Entertaining Historical Fiction to Reminisce about Simpler Times.

The story is mostly told through fictional letters written by the violinist Violet Courtenaye Welsman. Readers will experience how life functioned at the turn of the twentieth century at Lake Joseph in Burgess island, Muskoka, Canada. A quiet respite from city life.
Period postcards, pictures, catalogue and sketches enhance the depth of the story. It's a pleasant read filled with everyday activities of the far from idle summers spent in the island while showcasing quite a few historical landmarks.

[G.J. Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read all three of the ‘Imagining Violet’ books in Mary Hughes’ trilogy, I was looking forward to this novel about the family’s holiday exploits on a Canadian island. The island was called Canonshot originally but was later renamed Burgess Island, due to family connections. Lake Joseph is one of the Muskoka Lakes and in one of Violet’s letters she comments that at seventeen miles long it was some seven miles longer than Windermere, in the English Lake District; which was where she and Frank had spent their honeymoon in 1898. The fictitious letters are written with such amazing authenticity that the reader gets to observe, close up, many of the pleasures and rigours of Violet’s family while spending several weeks there. Violet’s growing brood of children over the first decade had such adventures that you feel part of the family, so well described are their characters.
Meanwhile, Violet’s husband, Frank, was still much involved in the orchestral musical world of Toronto. Eventually he becomes the Director of the Toronto Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Understandably, escaping to their cottage on Burgess Island, occasionally, provided him with much relief from that very busy society. But at the same time it reminds the reader about the first book in the Violet Trilogy, when she is embarking upon her own musical career. The tragic news in 1911 about Violet’s difficult sixth pregnancy came as quite a shock to me, and I was quite surprised to feel a sense of loss.
The author’s fictionalised letters are based upon her own diligent research about her grandmother, Violet Welsman, in particular but encompass many real characters who were her ancestors and more recent relatives. The group of vignettes in the second half of the book, under the title ‘Muskoka Suite,’ was a collection of the author’s own holiday memories from the middle decades of the 20th century. It revealed a special significance to Mary Hughes and her family about the island that provided a touching relevance to Violet’s letters. This group of stories felt awkwardly inserted and perhaps could have been introduced to readers in a more subtle way. Regardless of this problem, however, I can still thoroughly recommend ‘Letters from Lake Joe’ to anyone who enjoys well written historical fiction about family life.

[J.E. Rowney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having previously read and enjoyed the Violet trilogy I was not sure what to expect from this book. This is essentially a reworking and reshuffling of Violet’s letters, relating to time spent at Lake Joseph at the dawn of the twentieth century.

Although fictitious, the letters are based on solid research, factual events and the author’s personal passion for Violet, Frank and their (her) family and friends. This book also has the added bonus of containing a collection of vignettes, which are a delightful addition to the book. They are linked to the rest of the book by geography, and work well in the book as a whole, whilst allowing the author to flex her creative talents.

At no point did I feel like the author was going over old ground, even though much was familiar to me. Rather, it felt as though I were catching up with old friends.

[Sheela Word · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This is a well-written, somewhat disjointed account of a family’s historical and present-time connection to their lakeview property in Central Ontario. The bulk of the book is comprised of fictional letters, purportedly written by the author’s grandmother, Violet, but actually written by the author. To me, the letters felt authentic—they really have the flavor of the early 1900’s (and I say this as someone who hated “Titanic” because the dialogue seemed totally out-of-keeping with the times).

I had a little trouble getting into the story. The introduction included details about the lake and adjacent property that history buffs may appreciate more than I did. And the letters themselves were a bit confusing at first. “Where is this headed?” I kept thinking. “Who are these people, and why should I care?”

But the more I read, the more involved I became in Violet’s life. Her vacations on the lake, with her rapidly growing brood of children and all the attendant challenges, are beautifully described, and the character’s intelligent, resolute, good-natured attitude endeared her to me. I came to like her so much. When a sudden sad event occurred near the end of the Violet section, it felt like a knife in my own heart.

The last part of the book consists of several short narratives about the author’s own experiences with the lake. These I found less compelling and a bit repetitious, although they may have value for historians.

This book, as a whole, doesn’t quite gel, in my opinion, but I’m looking forward to delving into the author’s other works about Violet. Hughes clearly has a talent for historical fiction.

[S. Lynn Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely historical fiction book tells its story of summers spent cottaging at Lake Joseph, Muskoka, Canada, through the medium of letters written by the main character Violet (Courtenaye) Welsman. Illustrated with period photographs and postcards, the book is divided into two parts, each a different historical period. The first part is the longer of the two and far more detailed. That is Violet’s time period. The second part, while shorter, was just as enjoyable to read and contained the author’s thoughts and reminiscences of times spent at Lake Joe in roughly the middle to last half of the 20th century.

Violet’s fictional letters read like something I’d expect a woman of that time period and status to write and painted a detailed picture of the lives of the people who summered at the lake. The story provides a delightful taste of life from another time, both good times and a few sad times, and its conversational tone perfectly fit the (mostly) leisurely pace of the summers described. I enjoyed how the small collection of “mid-century Muskoka memories” rounded out the book and provided a different view of the cottage and island where Violet summered so many years earlier.

I really liked this creative non-fiction (as the author describes her books about her ancestor Violet). The book is an engaging slice of life story, an entertaining read.

[Marcel Eschauzier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lake Joe history in letters
Sitting in a café in Christmas-time Brussels, I had some wonderful moments reading this lovely account of the coming of age of Lake Joe and its islands as a tourist destination at the turn of the twentieth century. In a set of imagined letters by some real historic persons, we get a charming and friendly snapshot of times gone by when paddle steamers brought the early tourists to the area. The lively descriptions give a good insight into the author's affection for the family’s island and its appealing surroundings. Some wonderful historic pictures fill in the blanks of our imagination. The personal approach makes one almost feel to be there and then. The author’s pride projects two generations back on her great-grandfather, who helped this well-to-do family prosper in Canada. There are maids and “luncheons,” giving the story somewhat of a New-World Downton-Abbey feel. Readers interested in the area and with nostalgia for simpler times will enjoy reading this solid chronological account of an island cottage owners’ family history and matters.

[R.D. Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting Fictional Account

I enjoyed the read and was inspired to do research on Lake Joseph in Muskoka, Canada. It’s an interesting vacation spot.

The book is written letters which gives an unique look into the mind of the characters and their family.

It was like reading a journal of someone who had lived a long life.

The two separate parts of the book did throw me off. The authors recount of their own adventures didn’t quite fit into the book for me.

I’m still giving this five stars since I’m impressed with anyone who can write historical fiction and make you want it to be true.

[Florian Armas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an innovative way of writing a novel; it comes as a string of some old, well written letters, with a patina of time that makes them feel authentic. The author knew her trade, which in this particular case is the history of Lake Joe at the beginning of the XX Century. There are memories; there are people and a general perception 'history'.
As with any thing having a higher than normal dose of originality, it comes with the caveat that some may not be attracted by its inventiveness.

[Chester Sing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written and imagined series of letters that transports the reader back in time to a rustic, simpler era. It is charming and nostalgic, and is a lovely ode to the author's grandmother and family history. Read this for a trip back in time to a bygone era!