Instant #1 Bestseller
A rollicking historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Alberta about a young woman on the run from her abusive husband who uses a legal loophole to claim a homestead in the Wild West—perfect for fans of Outlawed and The Giver of Stars.
Scottish newcomer Flora Craigie jumps from a moving train in 1905 to escape her abusive husband. Desperate to disappear, she claims a homestead on the beautiful but wild Alberta prairie, determined to create a new life for herself. She is astonished to find that her nearest neighbours are also female: a Welsh widow with three children; two American women raising chickens; and a Métis woman who supports herself by training wild horses.
While battling both the brutal environment and the local cynicism toward female farmers, the five women with their very different backgrounds struggle to find common ground. But when their homes are threatened with expropriation by a hostile government, they join forces to “fire the heather,” a Scottish term meaning to raise a ruckus. To complicate matters, there are signs that Flora’s violent husband is still hunting for her. And as the competition for free land along the new Canadian Pacific Railway line heats up, an unscrupulous land agent threatens not only Flora’s livelihood, but her very existence.
A terrific read
"With a sort of grownup and more sinister “Little House on the Prairie” vibe, this engrossing read tells the tale of the feisty Miss Flora Craige, who for reasons the reader will uncover, finds herself a homesteader in 1905 in the remote regions of the province of Alberta, Canada. Tasked with surviving the desolate landscape and terrible winters for a minimum of three years to earn title to her land, Flora is a winning combination of vulnerability, and resilience, that will likely charm all but the most cynical reader. A close-up look at the harshness of the real-life world facing women in this time period, magnified incredibly by the lot of those who chose to settle the remote territories, this is a fascinating blend of pioneer history and a life-affirming study of communities in the making — whether they be those peopled by women thrown together by shared circumstances; or the entrenched fellowship baked into the lives of the settlers and farmers of the isolated regions. A terrific read, this book is recommended for readers of historical fiction, particulary those interested in the early days of the evolving Canadian Pacific Railway, and the accompanying property title exploitation it unleashed; as well as those who enjoy stories of bonding and sisterhood; or readers who delight in journeys for protagonists ulitmately seeking justice. And of course, redemption. A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own."
