Finding Flora
Autor Elinor Florenceen Limba Engleză Paperback – 23 oct 2025
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.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9781668058916
ISBN-10: 166805891X
Pagini: 384
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 25 mm
Greutate: 0.41 kg
Editura: Simon&Schuster
Colecția Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 166805891X
Pagini: 384
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 25 mm
Greutate: 0.41 kg
Editura: Simon&Schuster
Colecția Simon & Schuster
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Notă biografică
Elinor Florence grew up on a Saskatchewan farm and earned degrees in English and journalism. She worked for newspapers in all four Western provinces, spent eight years writing for Reader’s Digest Canada, and even published her own award-winning community newspaper. Her first novel, Bird’s Eye View, was a national bestseller, while the second, Wildwood, was named one of Kobo’s Hundred Most Popular Canadian Books of All Time. Finding Flora, an instant #1 national bestseller and a Heather’s Pick, was inspired by her own Scottish homesteading and Indigenous ancestors. She is a member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia and makes her home in the mountain resort of Invermere.
Extras
Chapter One
Bracing herself against the jerk and pitch of the train, Flora leaped into the darkness.
Her long skirt billowed in the icy updraft. For several seconds she was airborne, trapped between her past life and an unfathomable future. Then her left foot struck the ground with such force that her ankle bent like a green twig and she screamed with pain, the sound lost in the thunder of the wheels. She tumbled down the steep gravel bank and landed on her back in a shallow pool, shattering a thin crust of spring ice. There she lay rigid and gasping, terrified that someone had seen her shadow cross the lighted windows.
Flora clenched her chattering teeth and forced herself to play dead. Steel screeched against steel as the massive steam locomotive groaned around the curve and picked up speed. The ground vibrated, the boxcars creaked, and the wheels clattered across the cracks in the rails. Eventually the caboose rolled past and disappeared. The rhythmic chuffing of the engine faded, and the earth fell silent.
Only then did Flora struggle to her feet, the ice beneath her breaking into shards as sharp as needles. Her hat had vanished, and her hair hung heavy and wet over one shoulder. Although her new tweed travelling suit and tartan shawl had saved her skin from abrasion, one side of her face throbbed with pain.
Flora had heaved out her calfskin valise before jumping, had watched it bounce once before it was swallowed up in the black night. After an unsuccessful attempt to wring the water from her sodden skirt with numb hands, she limped along the ditch, searching for the bag, straining her eyes in the gloom. Her left ankle was on fire.
For a moment she regretted her trunk, locked in the baggage car, rushing away in the opposite direction. With a sense of urgency, she fumbled for the leather pouch strapped around her waist and gripped it for reassurance. Inside were her identification papers and her life savings. Safely sewn into the seam of her petticoat was her secret treasure. Now that the contents of the trunk were gone, everything else she owned in the world was in that valise. Flora bent over and renewed her desperate search.
The heavy clouds parted, and moonlight flooded the prairie. She spied the bag wedged under a clump of willows and gave a small cry of relief. Clutching it with one hand, she clawed her way up the bank with the other. The steel rails looked like two silver threads stretching away to the horizon. Flora hobbled a few steps and halted, her treacherous ankle pounding, as she came to the bitter realisation that she couldn’t walk all the way back to Calgary. Nor could she remain beside the tracks and wait for help, since she knew there wouldn’t be another train for three days.
Balancing on one high-heeled shoe, Flora scanned her shadowy surroundings. She was no stranger to the empty sweep of the Highland moors, but this landscape was an alien creature, bristling with hostility. Patches of stubborn snow lingered between the spiky blades jutting from its broad back. Even the air was thin and harsh and stung her panting lungs. Through the silence came an eerie howl. Flora started so violently that she bit her own tongue and tasted blood. Surely setting off into this savage wasteland was an act of suicide.
While she stood motionless, almost stupefied with shock and fear, something caught her eye. A yellow glow winked once, winked twice. Flora stared into the shadows, wondering if it were a star, unsure where the black earth met the black sky. Then she glimpsed it again, a tiny beacon that flickered and faded.
Flora slid down the bank and wrenched a sturdy branch from the underbrush. Wedging her makeshift staff under her left armpit and hoisting the valise with her right hand, she set out across the cold, dead plain toward the light.
CHAPTER ONE
Bracing herself against the jerk and pitch of the train, Flora leaped into the darkness.
Her long skirt billowed in the icy updraft. For several seconds she was airborne, trapped between her past life and an unfathomable future. Then her left foot struck the ground with such force that her ankle bent like a green twig and she screamed with pain, the sound lost in the thunder of the wheels. She tumbled down the steep gravel bank and landed on her back in a shallow pool, shattering a thin crust of spring ice. There she lay rigid and gasping, terrified that someone had seen her shadow cross the lighted windows.
Flora clenched her chattering teeth and forced herself to play dead. Steel screeched against steel as the massive steam locomotive groaned around the curve and picked up speed. The ground vibrated, the boxcars creaked, and the wheels clattered across the cracks in the rails. Eventually the caboose rolled past and disappeared. The rhythmic chuffing of the engine faded, and the earth fell silent.
Only then did Flora struggle to her feet, the ice beneath her breaking into shards as sharp as needles. Her hat had vanished, and her hair hung heavy and wet over one shoulder. Although her new tweed travelling suit and tartan shawl had saved her skin from abrasion, one side of her face throbbed with pain.
Flora had heaved out her calfskin valise before jumping, had watched it bounce once before it was swallowed up in the black night. After an unsuccessful attempt to wring the water from her sodden skirt with numb hands, she limped along the ditch, searching for the bag, straining her eyes in the gloom. Her left ankle was on fire.
For a moment she regretted her trunk, locked in the baggage car, rushing away in the opposite direction. With a sense of urgency, she fumbled for the leather pouch strapped around her waist and gripped it for reassurance. Inside were her identification papers and her life savings. Safely sewn into the seam of her petticoat was her secret treasure. Now that the contents of the trunk were gone, everything else she owned in the world was in that valise. Flora bent over and renewed her desperate search.
The heavy clouds parted, and moonlight flooded the prairie. She spied the bag wedged under a clump of willows and gave a small cry of relief. Clutching it with one hand, she clawed her way up the bank with the other. The steel rails looked like two silver threads stretching away to the horizon. Flora hobbled a few steps and halted, her treacherous ankle pounding, as she came to the bitter realisation that she couldn’t walk all the way back to Calgary. Nor could she remain beside the tracks and wait for help, since she knew there wouldn’t be another train for three days.
Balancing on one high-heeled shoe, Flora scanned her shadowy surroundings. She was no stranger to the empty sweep of the Highland moors, but this landscape was an alien creature, bristling with hostility. Patches of stubborn snow lingered between the spiky blades jutting from its broad back. Even the air was thin and harsh and stung her panting lungs. Through the silence came an eerie howl. Flora started so violently that she bit her own tongue and tasted blood. Surely setting off into this savage wasteland was an act of suicide.
While she stood motionless, almost stupefied with shock and fear, something caught her eye. A yellow glow winked once, winked twice. Flora stared into the shadows, wondering if it were a star, unsure where the black earth met the black sky. Then she glimpsed it again, a tiny beacon that flickered and faded.
Flora slid down the bank and wrenched a sturdy branch from the underbrush. Wedging her makeshift staff under her left armpit and hoisting the valise with her right hand, she set out across the cold, dead plain toward the light.
Recenzii
“. . . the B.C.-based novelist draws on her own Scottish homesteading and Indigenous ancestors, as well as childhood growing up on a Saskatchewan farm, for a richly Canadian take.”
— Zoomer Book Club
“I was so glad to have a chance to read this novel and I can say with certainty that I do NOT have what it takes to be a strong female on the prairies like the women featured in this book!”
— Beth’s Book-Nook Blog
“Finding Flora is a story both refreshingly modern and full of old-fashioned storytelling charm, impressively detailed and impeccably researched, and a lyrical and luscious addition to the canon of Canadian historical fiction.”
— NATALIE JENNER, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, Bloomsbury Girls & Every Time We Say Goodbye
“Flora is a heroine to cheer for! She’s brave, dogged, stubborn, joyful, a pioneer in a beautiful and punishing land. I can’t remember when I’ve been more caught up in the fate of a character! And what’s so splendid is that it is full of fascinating historical detail which never showed itself off, being so beautifully integrated into the story.”
— IONA WHISHAW, best-selling author of the Lane Winslow series
“In Finding Flora, novelist Elinor Florence has given us a striking new Scottish-Canadian heroine — a young woman at once courageous, sympathetic, and vividly alive. After tumbling alone into a harsh, unforgiving world on the Alberta prairie, that young woman shows extraordinary mettle while battling hardship and injustice. When she emerges after a final twist, I for one found my eyes stinging with tears.”
— KEN MCGOOGAN, whose books include Flight of the Highlanders: The Making of Canada
“When we think of pioneers and homesteaders, women are normally relegated to the sidelines. Elinor Florence's new novel upends this narrative. You can't help but cheer for the resilient women of ‘Ladyville’, who are not only loveable characters but also reflect the grit, hardships, and societal tensions that helped shape Canada as we know it today. Finding Flora is an engaging and educational read, rich with shifting fortunes and trouble brewing at every turn.”
— ELLEN KEITH, award-winning author of The Dutch Wife
“I was swept away to the to the wild and wide-open spaces of Alberta, circa 1905, by the magic of Elinor Florence’s writing. I cheered for Flora every step of the way in this epic tale as big as the prairie sky.”
— LESLIE HOWARD, bestselling author of The Brideship Wife
“Historical fiction readers will love this fascinating, incredibly researched story of survival and courage honouring the strength and resilience of early female pioneers.”
— GENEVIEVE GRAHAM, #1 bestselling author of The Secret Keeper
“Elinor Florence has vividly captured a time in Canadian history when life for so many people was physically very hard and rigid demarcations separated both class and gender. The struggle of her female characters to forge a life for themselves against daunting odds grabs our sympathy and doesn’t let go until the totally satisfying ending. They are women I, for one, would love to hang out with.”
— MAUREEN JENNINGS, award-winning author of the Murdoch Mysteries books
“A gorgeously written and researched story of love and survival, following a plucky Scotswoman fleeing her abusive husband, and a powerfully diverse group of women homesteaders on the prairie in the early 1900s. You will fall in love with the prairies and this wonderful book”
— MAIA CARON, author of The Last Secret and Song of Batoche
— Zoomer Book Club
“I was so glad to have a chance to read this novel and I can say with certainty that I do NOT have what it takes to be a strong female on the prairies like the women featured in this book!”
— Beth’s Book-Nook Blog
“Finding Flora is a story both refreshingly modern and full of old-fashioned storytelling charm, impressively detailed and impeccably researched, and a lyrical and luscious addition to the canon of Canadian historical fiction.”
— NATALIE JENNER, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, Bloomsbury Girls & Every Time We Say Goodbye
“Flora is a heroine to cheer for! She’s brave, dogged, stubborn, joyful, a pioneer in a beautiful and punishing land. I can’t remember when I’ve been more caught up in the fate of a character! And what’s so splendid is that it is full of fascinating historical detail which never showed itself off, being so beautifully integrated into the story.”
— IONA WHISHAW, best-selling author of the Lane Winslow series
“In Finding Flora, novelist Elinor Florence has given us a striking new Scottish-Canadian heroine — a young woman at once courageous, sympathetic, and vividly alive. After tumbling alone into a harsh, unforgiving world on the Alberta prairie, that young woman shows extraordinary mettle while battling hardship and injustice. When she emerges after a final twist, I for one found my eyes stinging with tears.”
— KEN MCGOOGAN, whose books include Flight of the Highlanders: The Making of Canada
“When we think of pioneers and homesteaders, women are normally relegated to the sidelines. Elinor Florence's new novel upends this narrative. You can't help but cheer for the resilient women of ‘Ladyville’, who are not only loveable characters but also reflect the grit, hardships, and societal tensions that helped shape Canada as we know it today. Finding Flora is an engaging and educational read, rich with shifting fortunes and trouble brewing at every turn.”
— ELLEN KEITH, award-winning author of The Dutch Wife
“I was swept away to the to the wild and wide-open spaces of Alberta, circa 1905, by the magic of Elinor Florence’s writing. I cheered for Flora every step of the way in this epic tale as big as the prairie sky.”
— LESLIE HOWARD, bestselling author of The Brideship Wife
“Historical fiction readers will love this fascinating, incredibly researched story of survival and courage honouring the strength and resilience of early female pioneers.”
— GENEVIEVE GRAHAM, #1 bestselling author of The Secret Keeper
“Elinor Florence has vividly captured a time in Canadian history when life for so many people was physically very hard and rigid demarcations separated both class and gender. The struggle of her female characters to forge a life for themselves against daunting odds grabs our sympathy and doesn’t let go until the totally satisfying ending. They are women I, for one, would love to hang out with.”
— MAUREEN JENNINGS, award-winning author of the Murdoch Mysteries books
“A gorgeously written and researched story of love and survival, following a plucky Scotswoman fleeing her abusive husband, and a powerfully diverse group of women homesteaders on the prairie in the early 1900s. You will fall in love with the prairies and this wonderful book”
— MAIA CARON, author of The Last Secret and Song of Batoche
Descriere
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.
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.