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Buffalo Flats
Based on true-life histories, Buffalo Flats shares the epic, coming of age story of Rebecca Leavitt as she searches for her identity in the Northwest Territories of Canada during the late 1800s.
Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Leavitt has traveled by covered wagon from Utah to the Northwest Territories of Canada, where her father and brothers are now homesteading and establishing a new community with other Latter-Day Saints. Rebecca is old enough to get married, but what kind of man would she marry and who would have a girl like her—a girl filled with ideas and opinions? Someone gallant and exciting like Levi Howard? Or a man of ideas like her childhood friend Coby Webster?
Rebecca decides to set her sights on something completely different. She loves the land and wants her own piece of it. When she learns that single women aren’t allowed to homestead, her father agrees to buy her land outright, as long as Rebecca earns the money —480 dollars, an impossible sum. She sets out to earn the money while surviving the relentless challenges of pioneer life—the ones that Mother Nature throws at her in the form of blizzards, grizzles, influenza and floods, and the ones that come with human nature, be they exasperating neighbors or the breathtaking frailty of life.
Buffalo Flats is inspired by true-life histories of the author’s ancestors. It is an extraordinary novel that explores Latter-Day Saints culture and the hardships of pioneer life. It is about a stubborn, irreverent, and resourceful young woman who remains true to herself and discovers that it is the bonds of family, faith, and friendship—even romance--that tie her to the wild and unpredictable land she loves so fiercely.
Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Leavitt has traveled by covered wagon from Utah to the Northwest Territories of Canada, where her father and brothers are now homesteading and establishing a new community with other Latter-Day Saints. Rebecca is old enough to get married, but what kind of man would she marry and who would have a girl like her—a girl filled with ideas and opinions? Someone gallant and exciting like Levi Howard? Or a man of ideas like her childhood friend Coby Webster?
Rebecca decides to set her sights on something completely different. She loves the land and wants her own piece of it. When she learns that single women aren’t allowed to homestead, her father agrees to buy her land outright, as long as Rebecca earns the money —480 dollars, an impossible sum. She sets out to earn the money while surviving the relentless challenges of pioneer life—the ones that Mother Nature throws at her in the form of blizzards, grizzles, influenza and floods, and the ones that come with human nature, be they exasperating neighbors or the breathtaking frailty of life.
Buffalo Flats is inspired by true-life histories of the author’s ancestors. It is an extraordinary novel that explores Latter-Day Saints culture and the hardships of pioneer life. It is about a stubborn, irreverent, and resourceful young woman who remains true to herself and discovers that it is the bonds of family, faith, and friendship—even romance--that tie her to the wild and unpredictable land she loves so fiercely.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 25, 2023
37 people are currently reading
2927 people want to read
About the author
Martine Leavitt
15 books232 followersMartine Leavitt has published ten novels for young adults, most recently Calvin, which won the Governor General’s Award of Canada. My Book of Life by Angel was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and winner of the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year. Other titles by Leavitt include Keturah and Lord Death, a finalist for the National Book Award, Tom Finder, winner of the Mr. Christie Award, and Heck Superhero, a finalist for the Governor General’s Award. Her novels have been published in Japan, Korea, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands. Currently she teaches creative writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts, a short-residency MFA program. She lives in High River, Alberta.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
March 21, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Groundwood Books for an advanced copy. I am auto-approved for House of Anansi Press which allowed me access to this title.
The tale of 17-year-old Rebecca, a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, who has traveled from Utah to Canada's Northwest Territories with her parents and brothers to homestead on land. Rebecca is a strong protagonist who hopes that she too will be able to own land.
What a great novel! Buffalo Flats is coming out at the end of April and I really hope that my fellow readers and reviewers pay attention to this book. A historical fiction that shows a family overcoming hardship and instilling a sense of community and good values in all their children. I loved Rebecca's mother so much! Although it was a little slow at the beginning of the story, I soon became immersed in the events of the text. A memorable read!
Expected Publication Date 25/04/23
Goodreads review published21/03/23
#BuffaloFlats #NetGalley
The tale of 17-year-old Rebecca, a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, who has traveled from Utah to Canada's Northwest Territories with her parents and brothers to homestead on land. Rebecca is a strong protagonist who hopes that she too will be able to own land.
What a great novel! Buffalo Flats is coming out at the end of April and I really hope that my fellow readers and reviewers pay attention to this book. A historical fiction that shows a family overcoming hardship and instilling a sense of community and good values in all their children. I loved Rebecca's mother so much! Although it was a little slow at the beginning of the story, I soon became immersed in the events of the text. A memorable read!
Expected Publication Date 25/04/23
Goodreads review published21/03/23
#BuffaloFlats #NetGalley
April 4, 2023
Advance copy read via NetGalley. I am from this part of Southern Alberta and have family who would have had similar experiences to the author’s family’s in that time period.
Pros: the solid feminist angle on the prairie settler experience of an independent young woman.
Cons: lots of talk of “dominion” and no thought to the Blackfoot people from whom the land was taken. For a historical book published in 2023, no excuse for not incorporating that into the narrative, or at the very, very least, the author’s afterword. Cannot recommend because of this.
Pros: the solid feminist angle on the prairie settler experience of an independent young woman.
Cons: lots of talk of “dominion” and no thought to the Blackfoot people from whom the land was taken. For a historical book published in 2023, no excuse for not incorporating that into the narrative, or at the very, very least, the author’s afterword. Cannot recommend because of this.
November 10, 2023
I feel like I'm in danger of saying too much about this book. It doesn't need much introduction - it's an historical novel about pioneers in western Canada. It's just about life.
That's exactly what's so great about it. Things like this book here are exactly what got me into writing in the first place - it's a snapshot of life as it actually was for a particular person, in a particular point in time, in a particular place. I've been giving this review some thought, and I'm still not sure what to say.
Of course the faith represented was my favorite part. A fellow librarian I was talking to about this book mentioned that "of course, it's such a feminist text," and I was surprised. I thought about it, and realized that she was correct, but that it wasn't the radical, misandrist feminism I usually see in contemporary YA. It was a quiet, timely, Christian feminism - standing up for your own dignity an the dignity of other women, without losing sight of your own femininity. I was so worried when talking with my colleagues that they were going to be derisive of Rebecca and her mother's lived faith (they were not), because it felt so real to me, and it was valuable to me to see it depicted. Organized worship was only depicted in passing, but Rebecca's interior relationship with God, and her Christian worldview permeated everything, and that is something I haven't seen in popular fiction. The end result wasn't that she was "freed" from her religion, or that the resolution of her character arc meant a rejection of her values or beliefs; it all worked together, and by the end of the book her faith is stronger and her relationship with God is more fortified.
This was the first book I've read that I really saw myself in. Ever. Throughout my education and into my professional life, I've talked with teachers and librarians and other book professionals, and they always mentioned the startling lack of representation in publishing for people of color, or LGBTQ+ people, or people with disabilities. I always agreed with them (recently I've been wondering what the statistics look like nowadays, because it seems to be much improved in some ways from ten years ago). As a professional I was told it was my duty to provide those mirrors for children when they came to me, whether they knew it or not - occasionally a problematic statement for me, but it was my duty nonetheless. My career and my faith hinged on that duty, although none of my colleagues knew or could've understood it. But these conversations also made me realize that I had never had a mirror of my own. It only got worse as those strides towards inclusiveness were made in publishing - I'm not an overt feminist, I'm not trans, I'm not a person of color, I don't experience same sex attraction, and I don't have any disabilities. Even in the classics I read as a child, Jo and Anne didn't share my faith; I may have related to their personalities and interests to some degree, but they still weren't like me.
That's a long and roundabout way of saying that Rebecca's story was familiar to me on a more personal level than anything I've ever read. And I was hit over the head with it right off the bat - Rebecca meets God on her tor, looking out at the mountains she loves. She learns things that I am learning, and has thoughts that I've been having. In between all of it is the hard work of surviving on a homestead in the North American west, which is always something simultaneously appealing and terrifying to me. If I couldn't relate to it in particular, I could relate to it in general.
That's all well and good, but I'm just talking about what worked for me in particular. The book in general was wonderful too, and I have no doubt that anyone reading it would love it. The writing is beautiful, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious; the characters are masterfully crafted (and I loved the way their utter humanness, for good and bad, was revealed over the course of the book); the plot was perfection, and the pacing just right. I have zero complaints about this book. When was the last time that happened?
That's exactly what's so great about it. Things like this book here are exactly what got me into writing in the first place - it's a snapshot of life as it actually was for a particular person, in a particular point in time, in a particular place. I've been giving this review some thought, and I'm still not sure what to say.
Of course the faith represented was my favorite part. A fellow librarian I was talking to about this book mentioned that "of course, it's such a feminist text," and I was surprised. I thought about it, and realized that she was correct, but that it wasn't the radical, misandrist feminism I usually see in contemporary YA. It was a quiet, timely, Christian feminism - standing up for your own dignity an the dignity of other women, without losing sight of your own femininity. I was so worried when talking with my colleagues that they were going to be derisive of Rebecca and her mother's lived faith (they were not), because it felt so real to me, and it was valuable to me to see it depicted. Organized worship was only depicted in passing, but Rebecca's interior relationship with God, and her Christian worldview permeated everything, and that is something I haven't seen in popular fiction. The end result wasn't that she was "freed" from her religion, or that the resolution of her character arc meant a rejection of her values or beliefs; it all worked together, and by the end of the book her faith is stronger and her relationship with God is more fortified.
This was the first book I've read that I really saw myself in. Ever. Throughout my education and into my professional life, I've talked with teachers and librarians and other book professionals, and they always mentioned the startling lack of representation in publishing for people of color, or LGBTQ+ people, or people with disabilities. I always agreed with them (recently I've been wondering what the statistics look like nowadays, because it seems to be much improved in some ways from ten years ago). As a professional I was told it was my duty to provide those mirrors for children when they came to me, whether they knew it or not - occasionally a problematic statement for me, but it was my duty nonetheless. My career and my faith hinged on that duty, although none of my colleagues knew or could've understood it. But these conversations also made me realize that I had never had a mirror of my own. It only got worse as those strides towards inclusiveness were made in publishing - I'm not an overt feminist, I'm not trans, I'm not a person of color, I don't experience same sex attraction, and I don't have any disabilities. Even in the classics I read as a child, Jo and Anne didn't share my faith; I may have related to their personalities and interests to some degree, but they still weren't like me.
That's a long and roundabout way of saying that Rebecca's story was familiar to me on a more personal level than anything I've ever read. And I was hit over the head with it right off the bat - Rebecca meets God on her tor, looking out at the mountains she loves. She learns things that I am learning, and has thoughts that I've been having. In between all of it is the hard work of surviving on a homestead in the North American west, which is always something simultaneously appealing and terrifying to me. If I couldn't relate to it in particular, I could relate to it in general.
That's all well and good, but I'm just talking about what worked for me in particular. The book in general was wonderful too, and I have no doubt that anyone reading it would love it. The writing is beautiful, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious; the characters are masterfully crafted (and I loved the way their utter humanness, for good and bad, was revealed over the course of the book); the plot was perfection, and the pacing just right. I have zero complaints about this book. When was the last time that happened?
February 27, 2024
Based on true-life histories, Buffalo Flats is a story of homesteading in the Northwest Territories of Canada during the late 1800s. When I picked up this book, I was thinking of Yellowknife, NT; but it was actually set in southern Alberta, which at that time was part of the Northwest Territories and is just across the border from Montana.
December 25, 2023
“Buffalo Flats” is a young adult historical fiction novel focusing seventeen-year-old Rebecca Leavitt as she arrives and her family band together to make a living off the land after having moved from Utah to the Northwest Territories of Canda.
The novel consists of twenty unnumbered chapters, an author’s note, and acknowledgements.
The novel begins in 1890 with main character Rebecca having a private moment with God while sitting on a mountain.
After returning home late from the mountaintop, it is revealed that Rebecca is the only daughter born to her parents Samuel and Elizabeth after having six sons. Her brothers Gideon, Zach, and Ammon lives with her and her parents. One brother William, died as a child, and her two other brothers, Jared and Samuel chose to stay in Utah and have families of their own.
Since Rebecca’s her father and brothers are homesteaders, she’s well aware of the various dangers they face such as their cattle not surviving cold winters, wolves attacking and eating their cattle, competition from a neighboring ranch, and cowboys who are resistant to her and other Latter-Day Saint families who have moved into their community.
Although Rebecca has dreams of owning her own homestead someday, because so few women have done it, when she tells her father of her plans, he tells her that single women can’t homestead and she will have her own land by way of her husband when she marries. Rebecca is undeterred in her dream to own her own land and is pleasantly surprised to get support from her soft-spoken mother.
Rebecca struggles between wanting to be kind and patient like her mother, pure like her best friend LaRue Fletcher as well as being authentic to herself by being independent.
Despite facing opposition from her father, Rebecca decides to go to the land office in a nearby town to plead her case to homestead but is turned down. Although Rebecca’s mother suggests to the land agent that her husband buy the land then put Rebecca’s name on the deed does, she decides that her dream of owning land is out of reach since she would need to provide four hundred and eighty dollars to buy the land which her family doesn’t have.
As the novel progresses, the reader learns about the Rebecca’s past friendship with twenty-year-old Coby Webster starting from when his family lives near hers in Utah. Coby, like Rebecca’s brothers, has worked in the Utah coal mines from the age of twelve. A little over two years ago, Coby heard that the Leavitts were going north to Canada and asked if he could travel with them. Despite Cody showing romantic interest in Rebecca, she is much more interested in his friend Levi Howard, the third son of a titled Englishman who came to Canada to start a horse ranch and practice his faith. Rebecca’s top competitor for Levi’s affection is the prettiest girl in the community Radonna Beck.
Although Rebecca attempts to raise the four hundred and eighty dollars by milking cows, collecting eggs, and making straw bonnets to sell at the annual Dominion Day celebration, she feels discouraged by how little money she has earned and saved. As a possible way to earn money for her plot of land, Rebecca assists her mother in her midwife duties but soon after realizes that it’s a difficult job. Seeing the pain a church member goes through to birth a baby makes Rebecca reconsider having babies in the future but when an emergency situation comes involving LaRue’s mother, Rebecca throws her fears aside to help.
Although Rebecca is enamored with Levi, after a blizzard hits the Northern Territories, Rebecca realizes how much she cares about Coby. As the winter weather continues to pummel the northern Territories and her family’s cows are caught in a snowdrift, Rebecca is given permission to accompany her father, brothers, Coby, and Levi on a rescue mission and all the men are impressed by Rebecca’s willingness to brave the storm rather than staying home with her mother.
With the start of a new canal being built nearby, Rebecca decides to apply to work as a cook with the blessing of her mother. Soon Rebecca is joined at her new job by LaRue and other friends Minnie and Layla. Work stops on Saturday afternoon so everyone can go home and be ready for church on Sunday.
Rebecca’s plan to buy her land are almost destroyed when a flood washes away her family home while her mother puts her life in peril to save Rebecca’s money box containing all the money she’s saved to be her land. Following the flood, Rebecca is upset when her father announces to the family plans for him, her, and her mother to return to Utah so she gives her father the money she’s saved after he promises that they will stay in the northern Canadian Territories.
Soon the community experiences an outbreak of the grippe (now known as influenza) and Rebecca rushes to assist her mother’s side as a nurse. As more and more families are infected with the grippe, Rebecca is soon sent to nurse them on her own.
The novel ends with Rebecca and Radonna become friends, the reader learning Coby’s real name, Rebecca’s dream of becoming a landowner comes true, and Coby shares his goal of going to college and becoming a veterinarian.
In the author’s note, author Martin’s Leavitt shares the inspiration from this novel come from her husband’s great-grandfather’s journey from Utah to the North-West Territories in 1887. True elements to the novel include the story of the building of the canals which was planned in 1889 but didn’t actually start until 1898.
Though the novel is a fictional story, Leavitt does include some real people including Charles Ora Card and his wife Zinna, Charles Magrath, Elliott Galt, Kootenei Brown, and Joe Cosley.
As I finished this novel, it was interesting to learn about Latter-Day Saints culture as well as life in 1890s Canada. I was sad to see the patriarchy rules of the time that stated that because Rebecca is a woman, she is not a view as a person and therefore cannot be legally able to homestead. I admired Rebecca’s drive and focus in making her dream to own land come true, despite initial opposition from her father and others.
The novel consists of twenty unnumbered chapters, an author’s note, and acknowledgements.
The novel begins in 1890 with main character Rebecca having a private moment with God while sitting on a mountain.
After returning home late from the mountaintop, it is revealed that Rebecca is the only daughter born to her parents Samuel and Elizabeth after having six sons. Her brothers Gideon, Zach, and Ammon lives with her and her parents. One brother William, died as a child, and her two other brothers, Jared and Samuel chose to stay in Utah and have families of their own.
Since Rebecca’s her father and brothers are homesteaders, she’s well aware of the various dangers they face such as their cattle not surviving cold winters, wolves attacking and eating their cattle, competition from a neighboring ranch, and cowboys who are resistant to her and other Latter-Day Saint families who have moved into their community.
Although Rebecca has dreams of owning her own homestead someday, because so few women have done it, when she tells her father of her plans, he tells her that single women can’t homestead and she will have her own land by way of her husband when she marries. Rebecca is undeterred in her dream to own her own land and is pleasantly surprised to get support from her soft-spoken mother.
Rebecca struggles between wanting to be kind and patient like her mother, pure like her best friend LaRue Fletcher as well as being authentic to herself by being independent.
Despite facing opposition from her father, Rebecca decides to go to the land office in a nearby town to plead her case to homestead but is turned down. Although Rebecca’s mother suggests to the land agent that her husband buy the land then put Rebecca’s name on the deed does, she decides that her dream of owning land is out of reach since she would need to provide four hundred and eighty dollars to buy the land which her family doesn’t have.
As the novel progresses, the reader learns about the Rebecca’s past friendship with twenty-year-old Coby Webster starting from when his family lives near hers in Utah. Coby, like Rebecca’s brothers, has worked in the Utah coal mines from the age of twelve. A little over two years ago, Coby heard that the Leavitts were going north to Canada and asked if he could travel with them. Despite Cody showing romantic interest in Rebecca, she is much more interested in his friend Levi Howard, the third son of a titled Englishman who came to Canada to start a horse ranch and practice his faith. Rebecca’s top competitor for Levi’s affection is the prettiest girl in the community Radonna Beck.
Although Rebecca attempts to raise the four hundred and eighty dollars by milking cows, collecting eggs, and making straw bonnets to sell at the annual Dominion Day celebration, she feels discouraged by how little money she has earned and saved. As a possible way to earn money for her plot of land, Rebecca assists her mother in her midwife duties but soon after realizes that it’s a difficult job. Seeing the pain a church member goes through to birth a baby makes Rebecca reconsider having babies in the future but when an emergency situation comes involving LaRue’s mother, Rebecca throws her fears aside to help.
Although Rebecca is enamored with Levi, after a blizzard hits the Northern Territories, Rebecca realizes how much she cares about Coby. As the winter weather continues to pummel the northern Territories and her family’s cows are caught in a snowdrift, Rebecca is given permission to accompany her father, brothers, Coby, and Levi on a rescue mission and all the men are impressed by Rebecca’s willingness to brave the storm rather than staying home with her mother.
With the start of a new canal being built nearby, Rebecca decides to apply to work as a cook with the blessing of her mother. Soon Rebecca is joined at her new job by LaRue and other friends Minnie and Layla. Work stops on Saturday afternoon so everyone can go home and be ready for church on Sunday.
Rebecca’s plan to buy her land are almost destroyed when a flood washes away her family home while her mother puts her life in peril to save Rebecca’s money box containing all the money she’s saved to be her land. Following the flood, Rebecca is upset when her father announces to the family plans for him, her, and her mother to return to Utah so she gives her father the money she’s saved after he promises that they will stay in the northern Canadian Territories.
Soon the community experiences an outbreak of the grippe (now known as influenza) and Rebecca rushes to assist her mother’s side as a nurse. As more and more families are infected with the grippe, Rebecca is soon sent to nurse them on her own.
The novel ends with Rebecca and Radonna become friends, the reader learning Coby’s real name, Rebecca’s dream of becoming a landowner comes true, and Coby shares his goal of going to college and becoming a veterinarian.
In the author’s note, author Martin’s Leavitt shares the inspiration from this novel come from her husband’s great-grandfather’s journey from Utah to the North-West Territories in 1887. True elements to the novel include the story of the building of the canals which was planned in 1889 but didn’t actually start until 1898.
Though the novel is a fictional story, Leavitt does include some real people including Charles Ora Card and his wife Zinna, Charles Magrath, Elliott Galt, Kootenei Brown, and Joe Cosley.
As I finished this novel, it was interesting to learn about Latter-Day Saints culture as well as life in 1890s Canada. I was sad to see the patriarchy rules of the time that stated that because Rebecca is a woman, she is not a view as a person and therefore cannot be legally able to homestead. I admired Rebecca’s drive and focus in making her dream to own land come true, despite initial opposition from her father and others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2023
Sometimes authors manage to delight me with their turns of phrase, and Leavitt is one of them - which is, I feel, high praise from a heavy reader: to be able to find new ways to express something that’s already been expressed in thousands of ways. Also, this book made me laugh a lot and has a graceful way of looking at God and religion. A real gem, especially if you like historical fiction.
September 22, 2023
After having a sit with God overlooking the beautiful land her Mormon family homesteads in Northwestern Canada, spirited Rebecca decides to recommit herself to being good, while at the same time determined to own the spot of land between her father's property and her childhood friend Coby's for herself, to let it sit free for her to enjoy its beauty. This presents challenges because she is a young women in the 1870s, and women in Canada cannot own property outright. Imagining a loophole around this, Rebecca works hard to earn the money for her land and struggles to love the people in her community as her faith demands, although they can be hard to love at times.
This is a book with some really beautiful writing in it. It's not often I read YA books centered around characters who practice religion and talk about their faith, and I thought this book was truly a breath of fresh air in this regard. Leavitt writes beautifully about themes of faith and loving one's neighbor in a way that's very humanistic. Rebecca struggles to love her neighbors in a way that's realistic for a teenager who is independent minded and free spirited; her voice starts out on the young side and develops throughout the course of the story as her life experiences show her how to overcome some of those struggles, and also to learn when exceptions to rules must be made.
This is a novel with a strong sense of place and the setting shines as much as the characters do.
This is a book with some really beautiful writing in it. It's not often I read YA books centered around characters who practice religion and talk about their faith, and I thought this book was truly a breath of fresh air in this regard. Leavitt writes beautifully about themes of faith and loving one's neighbor in a way that's very humanistic. Rebecca struggles to love her neighbors in a way that's realistic for a teenager who is independent minded and free spirited; her voice starts out on the young side and develops throughout the course of the story as her life experiences show her how to overcome some of those struggles, and also to learn when exceptions to rules must be made.
This is a novel with a strong sense of place and the setting shines as much as the characters do.
August 6, 2024
“Be kind to yourself, in the grand scheme of things you are just a little girl.”
My local library has had a program over the past year where one can sign up to receive a package of books of your chosen genre each month. Little did I know my June package of historical fiction novels would contain a book that would instantly become a favourite. I’d not been so startled by the beginning of a book as much as I was by this one. I want to talk about that great way to start but I won’t spoil it for everyone. I want you all to be surprised, and hopefully delighted, by it.
“‘What will you do with land that comes without a husband?’
‘I shall Sit on it. And observe sunsets.’” - LaRue and Rebecca
Rebecca’s main mission in life, even before learning how to be good, is to own her own land. However, it is 1890 and seeing as Canadian women would not be recognized as persons until October 18, 1929, Rebecca cannot purchase her own land. She does make a deal with her father that if she can earn enough money, he will buy the land for her. It’s about as good a compromise as she can get. While I don’t love the idea of owning the land, objectifying it in that, I love that Rebecca wants it so that she can protect it from development and just sit on the rock on the tor.
“Some people think I am an angel because I do not express contradictory opinions, and they think it is because I cannot. They think I am a shadow and that they can walk right through me, But they misunderstand angels, and they are going to bump into me now. They will see that I will not move to the right or the left, and they are going to have to trouble themselves to walk around me.” - Mother
I love all the women in this story. Rebecca’s mother is always supportive of her dreams, believing that “A daughter might have what a woman cannot.” All the women in this story - from LaRue to Florence and even to Radonna - truly support each other in everything they do, and for the most part, the men are equally supportive of them. The women take a stand together for each other and their values. They prove they rule but never overexert their power. They may not all be conscious feminists but their actions support the cause. They are kind, generous, compassionate, protective, and loyal, even Rebecca. She has a fiery spirit but a good soul.
“LaRue lived softly on the world, always adding to the happiness of others, whereas Rebecca tromped around with her mind mostly made up about things…Rebecca had no idea why LaRue persisted in being her friend, but until LaRue figured out that she was unworthy of her, Rebecca would cling to her and be grateful for the gift of her.”
The power of God is showcased in this story. Miracles abound but none are unbelievable. There are not too many of them for these people to seem too blessed. They have their share of hardships. These miracles are not the epic ones of the Bible but more of the everyday kind - miracles made by others out of love.
“People were miracles. They woke up each day swimming in their sorrows and fears and got up and braved the day and cared for their little ones and had a thought for others. They planted the land and babied their crops so they could live. They hurt and they yearned and they hoped, and nobody could stop them. God never came, and they prayed. He took their babies away, and they worshipped. They suffered, and they served. They were beautiful as an idea, and they were beautiful in the particular. And Rebecca could never unknow it.”
I loved the writing style of Martine Leavitt. Meeting new characters was always exciting because she gives such lovely descriptions of them. See example:
The world building was great. I could see Rebecca’s beloved grandfather mountains so clearly. Consequently, I felt the urgency of the mission to protect the sitting rock and to protect the beautiful buffalo flats. I did not want to leave this little corner of the world.
“It was a miracle, this land, and a miracle that her father and brothers had proved up this month and, so far, her family had made a go of living on it. She should be grateful enough for that. But you broke your heart over a rock like this. You did what you could to make it yours, that was all.”
This was a book I could just relax into, even when I was gripped with anticipation or apprehension for what was coming next. I love that it’s set in my beloved Canada. This book was a safe place. I’ll need to get my own copy of it because this is a comfort read now.
“She had learned that no mortal soul could love the whole world all at once; you could love only the person before you, and the next and the next, one at a time, man by woman by child, just the one before you and the world each soul carried with her. That was grace. That was commandment. That was the Point.”
My local library has had a program over the past year where one can sign up to receive a package of books of your chosen genre each month. Little did I know my June package of historical fiction novels would contain a book that would instantly become a favourite. I’d not been so startled by the beginning of a book as much as I was by this one. I want to talk about that great way to start but I won’t spoil it for everyone. I want you all to be surprised, and hopefully delighted, by it.
“‘What will you do with land that comes without a husband?’
‘I shall Sit on it. And observe sunsets.’” - LaRue and Rebecca
Rebecca’s main mission in life, even before learning how to be good, is to own her own land. However, it is 1890 and seeing as Canadian women would not be recognized as persons until October 18, 1929, Rebecca cannot purchase her own land. She does make a deal with her father that if she can earn enough money, he will buy the land for her. It’s about as good a compromise as she can get. While I don’t love the idea of owning the land, objectifying it in that, I love that Rebecca wants it so that she can protect it from development and just sit on the rock on the tor.
“Some people think I am an angel because I do not express contradictory opinions, and they think it is because I cannot. They think I am a shadow and that they can walk right through me, But they misunderstand angels, and they are going to bump into me now. They will see that I will not move to the right or the left, and they are going to have to trouble themselves to walk around me.” - Mother
I love all the women in this story. Rebecca’s mother is always supportive of her dreams, believing that “A daughter might have what a woman cannot.” All the women in this story - from LaRue to Florence and even to Radonna - truly support each other in everything they do, and for the most part, the men are equally supportive of them. The women take a stand together for each other and their values. They prove they rule but never overexert their power. They may not all be conscious feminists but their actions support the cause. They are kind, generous, compassionate, protective, and loyal, even Rebecca. She has a fiery spirit but a good soul.
“LaRue lived softly on the world, always adding to the happiness of others, whereas Rebecca tromped around with her mind mostly made up about things…Rebecca had no idea why LaRue persisted in being her friend, but until LaRue figured out that she was unworthy of her, Rebecca would cling to her and be grateful for the gift of her.”
The power of God is showcased in this story. Miracles abound but none are unbelievable. There are not too many of them for these people to seem too blessed. They have their share of hardships. These miracles are not the epic ones of the Bible but more of the everyday kind - miracles made by others out of love.
“People were miracles. They woke up each day swimming in their sorrows and fears and got up and braved the day and cared for their little ones and had a thought for others. They planted the land and babied their crops so they could live. They hurt and they yearned and they hoped, and nobody could stop them. God never came, and they prayed. He took their babies away, and they worshipped. They suffered, and they served. They were beautiful as an idea, and they were beautiful in the particular. And Rebecca could never unknow it.”
I loved the writing style of Martine Leavitt. Meeting new characters was always exciting because she gives such lovely descriptions of them. See example:
“Philemon…talked as if the air was not quite breathable without words floating in it. After a visit from Philemon, words could be found for days in cups and corners and teaspoons and thimbles. She asked questions of others until they, too, were chatting like a tree full of birds on a spring day. A soul couldn’t be lonely if she lived within a mile of Philemon.”
The world building was great. I could see Rebecca’s beloved grandfather mountains so clearly. Consequently, I felt the urgency of the mission to protect the sitting rock and to protect the beautiful buffalo flats. I did not want to leave this little corner of the world.
“It was a miracle, this land, and a miracle that her father and brothers had proved up this month and, so far, her family had made a go of living on it. She should be grateful enough for that. But you broke your heart over a rock like this. You did what you could to make it yours, that was all.”
This was a book I could just relax into, even when I was gripped with anticipation or apprehension for what was coming next. I love that it’s set in my beloved Canada. This book was a safe place. I’ll need to get my own copy of it because this is a comfort read now.
“She had learned that no mortal soul could love the whole world all at once; you could love only the person before you, and the next and the next, one at a time, man by woman by child, just the one before you and the world each soul carried with her. That was grace. That was commandment. That was the Point.”
April 27, 2023
Buffalo Flats tells the story of young Rebecca Leavittt, a Mormon whose family has relocated from Utah to Southern Alberta, Canada. Beginning in 1890, it opens a window into a harder yet gentler time when "family" wasn't just your own people but also your community, your neighbors in the faith. Throughout the story, Rebecca grows and matures into a young woman who cares for others. This novel reminded me of the Little House books in that they experienced both the joys and the hardships of living in the wilderness. A worthwhile read!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
July 17, 2023
I like juvenile and young adult historical fiction so I have a bias. That being said, this is not an area I typically read about so that was an interesting perk. It reminded me of Little House on the Prairie for a little bit older audience. It was a nice change to read about the Northwest Territories and pioneers.
Recommended for grades 4-10 who enjoy historical fiction and surviving hardships.
Recommended for grades 4-10 who enjoy historical fiction and surviving hardships.
September 20, 2023
I rarely give a book 5 stars, but this one just moved me so much I had to. The story was SO beautiful! The writing swept me away so that it all felt magical even though it was about struggles and challenges involved in frontier life. Rebecca and her family and all the characters were so vibrant and full of life. It was such a lovely escape that I savored the last 1/3 just so it wouldn’t end too soon. This is being added to my list of favorites.
December 29, 2023
I could not love this book more. Martine Leavitt is always amazing, but I love this account of pioneers settling in Alberta Canada, based on her own family history. So much of it is reminiscent of my own pioneer ancestors, so I relate with that. I relate with how much she loves the land. I love her plucky heroine who feels like Anne of Green Gables and Christy rolled into one. This is a funny, moving book that made me cry more than once. Fantastic!
August 8, 2023
This was sooo good. And not just because it takes place in my hometown’s backyard and tells the story of my pioneer ancestors. The writing was beautiful. It’s short, sweet, and definitely feel good. It reminds me of “Mrs Mike” or “A Lantern in Her Hand” or “Little House on the Prairie” for adults. I loved all the strong women and how the main character shows her flaws but also her growth.
June 12, 2023
A quietly beautiful little book that I really enjoyed. The setting, the history, the characters; all were fascinating. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it at first, but ended up becoming completely immersed in the story of Rebecca, her family, her friends, her service, and her God.
May 13, 2024
I had a really hard time getting into this book but I kept reading because it is a tribute to the land I grew up on and love. I’m glad I pushed through because the last half of the book was so good I couldn’t put it down. There is some weird “lds fluffy stuff” that makes you cringe and is totally not doctrinally correct, but overall reading the development of Rebecca Leavitt’s character was a beautiful journey and I was crying my eyes out by the last page. If you’re from Southern Alberta then you definitely need to read this!
November 7, 2023
This was so good! I loved Rebecca so much! She was so real and inspiring :)
April 28, 2024
Beautiful.
January 3, 2025
RIPPED through this one - WHAT a book 💗
October 6, 2023
Exquisite. My favorite book in a long time.
March 30, 2024
Read this with my 12-year-old daughter, and we liked it. But it plods, and occasionally plot points are dropped and then picked up too late (like the gold ring).
April 24, 2023
Rebecca Leavitt and her family are settlers in Canada and, as her father and brothers work to establish a homestead, Rebecca is expected to set her sights on marriage. But Rebecca has other plans to purchase land of her own. In order to do this though she has to find a way to raise 480 dollars, an impossible sum for the times, and her efforts aren't without opposition. The hardships of life as a pioneer are relentless and Rebecca will soon be tested in more ways than she can imagine, but she is determined not to give up on her dreams.
This book started out slow but midway through the story really picked up! The second half of the book was CRAZY and I couldn't put it down! I love reading about this time period and the author did a great job of putting into perspective the lives of the pioneers and the challenges they faced. I really liked the progression of Rebecca's character. At the beginning, I wasn't her biggest fan as she appeared very shallow but with every hardship she faced there came a shift as she was forced to grow and adapt, ultimately adding so much depth to her character. The story followed somewhat the same progression as it became richer as time went on and by the end I was feeling so many emotions! The only thing missing from this book is any mention of Native peoples. This didn't have to necessarily be part of the plot, but something in the afterword at least would've helped. Other than that I'm really glad I read it! Happy Reading :)
This book started out slow but midway through the story really picked up! The second half of the book was CRAZY and I couldn't put it down! I love reading about this time period and the author did a great job of putting into perspective the lives of the pioneers and the challenges they faced. I really liked the progression of Rebecca's character. At the beginning, I wasn't her biggest fan as she appeared very shallow but with every hardship she faced there came a shift as she was forced to grow and adapt, ultimately adding so much depth to her character. The story followed somewhat the same progression as it became richer as time went on and by the end I was feeling so many emotions! The only thing missing from this book is any mention of Native peoples. This didn't have to necessarily be part of the plot, but something in the afterword at least would've helped. Other than that I'm really glad I read it! Happy Reading :)
March 27, 2023
I am a huge of of pioneer stories, and this book had everything I want out of one. There's the rebellious religious girl praying and trying to be a better person, while harboring thoughts about the unfairness of patriarchal religious ruling. There's the supportive mother who believes in all of her children, but supports her daughter's out-of-the-box pursuits. As a person who's favorite Little House TV Series episode is 'Country Girls' this mother-daughter relationship got me good. I cried at work over it. There's also your typical farming struggles - lack of money, hard winters, floods, illness. This book is full of hope, though, and the strength of women is at the forefront. The women teach the men a few lessons in this book and there's the greatest come-to-Jesus female empowerment moment I wish I could replicate in my life. The main character is everything I want to be in life- sure of herself, while wanting to be a better person, and though I don't buy into everything religious I relate to her desires and wishes out of life. There's not much romance here, but there is the courting storylines. This heroine dares to challenger her circumstances at the time, and challenges her family and community's thinking at the same time. I will be buying this book to add to my collection. I couldn't be more in love with it. The themes are familiar for this genre, but the writing of the characters is so powerful and you think of the women of the time and how they would have felt so triumphant if they had had a character like this to look up to and give them comfort that they're not wrong, but can forge their own path, or find comfort in a girl who has like-mindedness.
September 22, 2023
For me, this book blew hot and cold. After a dynamite first chapter, I didn’t much care for it at first but gradually got sucked in and really got into it and very much liking it until it started losing me again at the end. So 4* seems like an appropriate average rating for me. Come to think of it, I had a similar reading trajectory with the somewhat similarly structured and concerned Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary Schmidt, though superficially the two have nothing in common. I’d be curious too to reread Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, a Newbery Honor winner published in 2006, which I remember liking, though maybe there the resemblance is superficial.
November 20, 2023
An odd little book that felt like Little House on the Prairie in Canada if Laura was a little older and trying to earn enough to buck the trend and buy her own homestead. Characters and a culture that seemed off putting at first grew on you as they faced challenges and grew stronger. Writing style was also unique but still kept my attention. Mixed feelings but glad I read it. P.S. members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints aren’t generally as odd as the book made them seem.
May 21, 2023
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4.5/5 rounded down to 4
Full review can be found at: https://whatimreading6.wordpress.com/...
4.5/5 rounded down to 4
Full review can be found at: https://whatimreading6.wordpress.com/...
May 25, 2023
4.5/5. I unexpectedly loved this book
January 26, 2024
This was the best novel I read in all of 2023, across all genres, age categories, and writing styles. And I read a lot of novels in 2023.
June 17, 2023
I enjoyed this so much. A relatively simple but beautiful story of a young pioneer girl in Cardston, Alberta. She has a moment with God that leads her to wanting to have her own section of land as she sees her brothers having and improving their own sections. Rebecca, though, will have to pay full price for the land because she isn't a man, so she starts working and saving.
I loved Rebecca's cheeky attitude, loved that she wanted to try being a better person but usually fell short, at least in her mind. I loved the descriptions of her starting to help her mother as a midwife and the experiences she had because of that. (I was a little traumatized when one new mother assured Rebecca and her mother that she--who had just given birth after a difficult labor--would be back up and working tomorrow!!! So glad not to be a pioneer!!!) I could appreciate Rebecca's interest in the good looking Levi, her incredulity that her best friend was interested in Rebecca's brother Ammon, and her frustration with her competition, Radonna.
I also loved that the author made the Canadian territory sound so beautiful--makes me want to see it!
"Where was he? What explanation? What of this picking up and shaking? The schooling? Was it meant to mean something? What was the point? Was that the kindness, in the end? Was she expected to stop being a child of God and become a woman of God? Was she meant to stand and say, I carried this, I carried it, and I testify that I carried it? Was she meant to one day look at God and say, I am your child, I am royal, I have this to say, that I am royal. What you gave me I have loved. God didn't want her to be timid and shrinking. He wanted her to stand, to know her worth, her infinite destiny. Sitting and sunsets for one thing, but you knew him, really knew him, and the sorrow and in the serving. She understood that now."
"The prophets might have felt this way for a few minutes, she guessed: for a little while everything had made sense and you knew everything was going to be all right. And then it was over and God was gone and you were back to the needing and fearing and fighting to live, and all you remembered of that good feeling was that you had been a part of something unutterable."
"You are becoming a man of ideas," she said. "That could go well for you, or it could go badly. One never knows with ideas..."
"She had done what she would, and what she could, and she had learned. She had learned that no mortal soul could love the whole world at once; you could only love the person before you, and the next and the next, one at a time, man by woman by child, just the one before you and the world each soul carried with her. That was Grace. That was commandment. That was the Point."
"Are we getting married, then?" he asked.
"Weren't we always going to?"
He sighed and, after a moment, slung his arm around her shoulder. "You never let me be too sure. I'm relieved, Rebecca, I'll tell you."
I loved Rebecca's cheeky attitude, loved that she wanted to try being a better person but usually fell short, at least in her mind. I loved the descriptions of her starting to help her mother as a midwife and the experiences she had because of that. (I was a little traumatized when one new mother assured Rebecca and her mother that she--who had just given birth after a difficult labor--would be back up and working tomorrow!!! So glad not to be a pioneer!!!) I could appreciate Rebecca's interest in the good looking Levi, her incredulity that her best friend was interested in Rebecca's brother Ammon, and her frustration with her competition, Radonna.
I also loved that the author made the Canadian territory sound so beautiful--makes me want to see it!
"Where was he? What explanation? What of this picking up and shaking? The schooling? Was it meant to mean something? What was the point? Was that the kindness, in the end? Was she expected to stop being a child of God and become a woman of God? Was she meant to stand and say, I carried this, I carried it, and I testify that I carried it? Was she meant to one day look at God and say, I am your child, I am royal, I have this to say, that I am royal. What you gave me I have loved. God didn't want her to be timid and shrinking. He wanted her to stand, to know her worth, her infinite destiny. Sitting and sunsets for one thing, but you knew him, really knew him, and the sorrow and in the serving. She understood that now."
"The prophets might have felt this way for a few minutes, she guessed: for a little while everything had made sense and you knew everything was going to be all right. And then it was over and God was gone and you were back to the needing and fearing and fighting to live, and all you remembered of that good feeling was that you had been a part of something unutterable."
"You are becoming a man of ideas," she said. "That could go well for you, or it could go badly. One never knows with ideas..."
"She had done what she would, and what she could, and she had learned. She had learned that no mortal soul could love the whole world at once; you could only love the person before you, and the next and the next, one at a time, man by woman by child, just the one before you and the world each soul carried with her. That was Grace. That was commandment. That was the Point."
"Are we getting married, then?" he asked.
"Weren't we always going to?"
He sighed and, after a moment, slung his arm around her shoulder. "You never let me be too sure. I'm relieved, Rebecca, I'll tell you."
September 4, 2023
In the Northwest Territories, Rebecca has a dream: a plot of land owned under her own name, ideally left wild and untamed, where she can dream and talk with God. There's just one problem: it's the late 1800s, Rebecca is a girl, and girls can't own land. Even a grown woman can't own land, unless she's a widow.
Rebecca's quest for her spot of land is a through-line that drives this book, but it's nowhere near the overarching story. Rather, this is a year or so in the life of a Mormon pioneer girl as she—along with her friends and family—struggles to survive in a promising but harsh climate, and as life throws one thing after another at them. One of the better parts of the book is that the bad lands with the good: people live and people die, and there is no guarantee that all will turn out well.
Rebecca is devoutly Mormon, a theme that comes up again and again in the book. It's functionally Mormon fiction, which (along with it being historical fiction) puts it well outside the range of my usual fiction. But I found myself drawn more and more in as the book went on—I think partly because most of the growth Rebecca does throughout the book has little to do with religion, and partly because of that take-the-bad-with-the-good approach. It's also worth noting that Rebecca has attitudes that would have been very liberal for the time and frankly in some places would still be considered liberal, and (perhaps to keep the book relatively light?) she's always given more support than challenge on those attitudes.
Two omissions keep me from rating this higher: first, I don't know much about First Nations people in the Northwest Territories in the late 1800s, but I'm pretty sure they were there. As far as I can tell, though, every character in this book is white, with nary a thought for the people who were on the land before them. And second, plural marriage: this was common among the LDS at the time, and the people—Leavitt's ancestors—on whom the book is based were polygamous. But there is, again, no mention of that here. Leavitt says in the author's note at the end that she opted not to write about this part of their history because it was not written about in the book of family history that she drew on, but...I don't know. I suppose I wonder whether it wasn't written about in that family history because either 1) polygamy had only just gone out of fashion—the LDS church turned away from it in 1890, the year the book starts, so that Utah could become a state—and the topic was touchy or 2) when Leavitt's ancestor went north to Canada, he left one of his two wives behind, and she ceased to be important. Perhaps both—Canada also outlawed plural marriage in 1890, so it might have been tricky for immigrants to bring two wives north. But...in a story willing to tackle a few complicated subjects, it feels like something that is omitted for the sake of modern sensibilities.
I'm not sure I'd read more along these lines, but it made for an enjoyable and engaging deviation in my reading.
Rebecca's quest for her spot of land is a through-line that drives this book, but it's nowhere near the overarching story. Rather, this is a year or so in the life of a Mormon pioneer girl as she—along with her friends and family—struggles to survive in a promising but harsh climate, and as life throws one thing after another at them. One of the better parts of the book is that the bad lands with the good: people live and people die, and there is no guarantee that all will turn out well.
Rebecca is devoutly Mormon, a theme that comes up again and again in the book. It's functionally Mormon fiction, which (along with it being historical fiction) puts it well outside the range of my usual fiction. But I found myself drawn more and more in as the book went on—I think partly because most of the growth Rebecca does throughout the book has little to do with religion, and partly because of that take-the-bad-with-the-good approach. It's also worth noting that Rebecca has attitudes that would have been very liberal for the time and frankly in some places would still be considered liberal, and (perhaps to keep the book relatively light?) she's always given more support than challenge on those attitudes.
Two omissions keep me from rating this higher: first, I don't know much about First Nations people in the Northwest Territories in the late 1800s, but I'm pretty sure they were there. As far as I can tell, though, every character in this book is white, with nary a thought for the people who were on the land before them. And second, plural marriage: this was common among the LDS at the time, and the people—Leavitt's ancestors—on whom the book is based were polygamous. But there is, again, no mention of that here. Leavitt says in the author's note at the end that she opted not to write about this part of their history because it was not written about in the book of family history that she drew on, but...I don't know. I suppose I wonder whether it wasn't written about in that family history because either 1) polygamy had only just gone out of fashion—the LDS church turned away from it in 1890, the year the book starts, so that Utah could become a state—and the topic was touchy or 2) when Leavitt's ancestor went north to Canada, he left one of his two wives behind, and she ceased to be important. Perhaps both—Canada also outlawed plural marriage in 1890, so it might have been tricky for immigrants to bring two wives north. But...in a story willing to tackle a few complicated subjects, it feels like something that is omitted for the sake of modern sensibilities.
I'm not sure I'd read more along these lines, but it made for an enjoyable and engaging deviation in my reading.
January 29, 2024
I loved this Young Adult story of Latter-day Saint settlers in the Northwest Territories of Canada, what is now Southern Alberta, in the 1890s. Beautifully written with an authentic depiction of the struggles and mores and manner of speaking of the time. This historical fiction chronicles the “coming of age story of Rebecca Leavitt as she searches for her identity in the Northwest Territories of Canada.” Background information and inspiration comes from the real stories of Thomas Rowell Leavitt (1834-1891), the author’s great-grandfather through her husband, of whom was said, “To his credit, he built well—not so much his crude pioneer log cabins, but his family traditions of togetherness and integrity.” An outbreak of grippe (influenza) taught Rebecca much as she helped nurse the dying: “The life in them unspooled: backward they went from strong to helpless, backward from stoic courage to childlike whimpering and no control of the bowels, backwards to blind infancy, backward to blue and breakless like a newborn just out of the womb.” “Every person was a surprise, she was learning. Every soul never had its copy. . . . She held the dying, each one a world, and she loved the life of that solitary world, that single bit of holy flame that birthed itself back to God. She’d thought it strange, when nursing the sick, that just when life was all but done, just at the moment when things seemed most unfair, that was when they loved God most. Why? She had wondered. What did they see on that precipice? What view? What new world, new understanding? How did they, in the end, hand over life so simply? A breath not breathed, and peace.”
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