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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Mrs. Mike, a vintage tale (first published in 1947) is about an Irish-American girl sent out to Alberta a hundred years ago for her health and how she met and married a mountie and moved up into the wilderness 700 miles north of Edmonton on the Peace River where she was the only white woman for hundred of miles. Later, her husband was reassigned to a small settlement, but life was always wild and dangerous. I was surprised to discover how good the writing is; here are the first two paragraphs of the book:
The worst winter in fifty years, the old Scotsman had told me. I'd only been around for sixteen, but it was the worst I'd seen, and I was willing to take his word for the other thirty-four.
On the north side of the train the windows were plastered with snow, and on the south side great clouds of snow were whipped along by a sixty-mile gale. There was snow on top of the train and snow under the train, and all the snow there was left in the world in front of the train, which was why we were stopped.
The worst winter in fifty years, the old Scotsman had told me. I'd only been around for sixteen, but it was the worst I'd seen, and I was willing to take his word for the other thirty-four.
On the north side of the train the windows were plastered with snow, and on the south side great clouds of snow were whipped along by a sixty-mile gale. There was snow on top of the train and snow under the train, and all the snow there was left in the world in front of the train, which was why we were stopped.
I really liked this, but I also feel kind of bad for liking this; while it presents itself as only semi-fictional, a kind of Laura Ingalls Wilder-type thing, it's actually mostly fictional, apparently (also like Laura Ingalls Wilder), and has a lot of the same issues - namely racism and a somewhat idealized portrayal of "frontier" life. Mrs. Mike tackles much more difficult things - domestic abuse, child death, etc. - but lacking even the fig leaf of "that's how they thought back then" (because it's fiction, so the authors were choosing to make these narrative decisions) it's hard to swallow that argument in any way. That said, the heartstrings are very effectively tugged.
Mrs. Mike is the kind of story I would've loved in junior high. Romance. Adventure. An authentic pioneer type of story. Unfortunately I'm not 13 anymore. It's a nice story, but also tragic in so many ways. I found the way the story jumps time challenging - weeks or months or years would have passed, but I had to figure it out several pages later. It was also a story, but didn't really have a plot.
If you like heartwarming love stories in the vein of Christy, you'll enjoy this. But if you are more a modern reader (even if you like historicals), I'd leave this to the middle schoolers.
If you like heartwarming love stories in the vein of Christy, you'll enjoy this. But if you are more a modern reader (even if you like historicals), I'd leave this to the middle schoolers.
Probably 4-5 stars, but it does have problematic material. (racism/sexism) Hard to separate this as authorial prejudice or just historical portrayal.
An endearing story of love, grief and survival in the rugged Northwest. I've read it three times and I love it every time!
Mostly fictionalized but inspired by actual history, this oldie from the 40s (I think) was a good read but a difficult read. I had to keep reminding myself this was written a long time ago when the "climate" was different.
What I did enjoy was the description of life in the North. I enjoyed hearing about the lives of the animals - pretty fascinating stuff, but it was hard to swallow a lot of what went on with the people.
What I did enjoy was the description of life in the North. I enjoyed hearing about the lives of the animals - pretty fascinating stuff, but it was hard to swallow a lot of what went on with the people.
I love this book. It is one that I have read and reread. It is one the best examples of how a story about life and love can be utterly beautiful, entertaining, and soul-filling.
Sweet story that takes place in the Canadian wilderness at the turn of the 20th century. At first I was skeptical, as it seemed in the first few chapters to be a silly love story--but as the story progressed you could see the progression (through the good and bad times) of the main character and her amazing mounty husband.
Definitely recommend!
Definitely recommend!
A beautiful story... proof that a love story can be amazing AFTER a couple is married. The writing style was a little odd, but once I got into it I got used to it.
A fun period piece. I can see why it is so popular, all these years later. It reads with a 60s or 70s sensibility, but that is okay. The characters are worth reading about.