Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freedman

This story is narrated by Kathy O’Fallon. It starts out with her living with her family in Boston when she is diagnosed with pleurisy (an inflammation of the lungs), her doctor recommends that she moves to Canada with her Uncle, claiming that the cold, dry climate will do her well. So, at 16 she makes the long journey to live with her Uncle. Soon after arriving she meets and marries Mike Flannigan, who whisks her away into a remote settlement far from everyone she knows having to start a whole new life for herself and become a lot stronger person than she ever realized.

After I started reading this story I realized it had been based loosely on a true story, which to me made it more interesting and also probably made me enjoy it more than I would have. Going into it I thought it was going to be more of a Jane Austen story that focused on Kathy and Mike, but really it was Kathy’s story about adjusting to harsh environments, suffering losses, becoming a strong person and of course her relationship with Mike. The book covers a long time-span, which is nice in a way but can also be a bit overwhelming and I almost felt like each chapter was a short story packed with a lot of drama and then the next chapter jumping into another drama. Having lived in North Dakota and experiencing -50 below weather it gave me a better appreciation for the characters, and was better able to picture what they went through, in a small way.

It is an interesting story and definitely worth reading.