Play Book Tag discussion

Mrs. Mike – Benjamin and Nancy Freedman
Audiobook narrated by Kirsten Potter.
4****

In 1907, Katherine Mary O’Fallon is only sixteen when she moves to her uncle’s ranch outside Calgary, Alberta from her home in Boston. She suffers from pleurisy and it is thought the clean air of Canada will be better for her. It’s a very different world from the big city life she is used to, but she finds friendship and love, and eventually marries the local Sergeant of the Canadian Mounted Police, Mike Flannigan. Together they travel much farther north, where the live among a few settlers, trappers, and miners, and the native tribes of the area.

This is a novel, but it is based on the real life story of Katherine Mary O’Fallon. It’s a great adventure story, love story, and pioneer story. The young couple endure several misadventures and tragedies, including wildfires, floods, and epidemics of diphtheria and influenza. It is their deep love for one another that sees them through, as well as their willingness to understand the cultural mores of the Indians and adapt to, or at least tolerate, their differences.

There are some wonderful scenes describing the joys of family life, and of nature. I also really appreciated the even-handed (if somewhat paternalistic) way their relationships with the native peoples were revealed. I really came to love Kathy from the brash teenager, rushing headlong into adventure, and refusing to let anyone tell her anything to the maturing young woman who gains an understanding of and appreciation for the native culture, becomes a mother and faces loss.

Kirsten Potter does a wonderful job narrating the audiobook. Her pacing is good, conveying a sense of danger or serene solitude as appropriate to the story. She really brings Kathy to life.

LINK to my review