The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott by Carolyn R. Parsons

The winter of 1933 is particularly harsh but twenty-something year old Betsy Elliott is a force to be reckoned with! Living in Elliott's Cove with her much older and previously widowed husband John, Betsy is feisty, hard working and determined to survive the merciless environment of outport life during the Commission of Government years in Newfoundland. It is a godsend when Newfoundland born-Harvard educated Edmund Hoffe Taylor returned home for the winter to finish writing about the political situation of the day. Stumbling into their lives at a time when extra help is needed and much appreciated,  Betsy initially cringed at having another mouth to feed and a boarder to contend with. Little did she know that this young, spiffy chap with his fancy way of speaking could do more than just the needed grunt work around the house but aroused within Betsy a longing and innate desire to experience a different life, perhaps one beyond Elliott's Cove. Her long gone father, afterall, had always told her to set her sights on something even bigger than she could imagine. Now was the time when the forbidden dreams of Betsy Elliott could be realized but not before a series of life altering events rock the Elliott household and the entire community.

The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott is a piece of historical fiction that is entertaining, intriguing, and 100% Newfoundland born and bred! From the beginning of the novel to the very last page, there is no doubt that author Carolyn R. Parsons draws from her own life experience as a daughter of a fishing family in the small community of Change Islands, Newfoundland. In her debut novel, Parsons creates a strong but likeable protagonist in the character Betsy Elliott. As readers, we sympathize with her plight, admire her determination and grit and in the end wish nothing but the best for this young mother of two. Likewise the supporting characters are dynamic and serve a very specific purpose in the development of the plot, which is both well paced and meticulously planned. As a reader, I found myself really enjoying the Newfoundland dialect that Parsons used for the dialogue of the characters. It was interesting, natural and not overdone to the point where you were left wondering what the characters were trying to say. The use of such prose also creates a timestamp for the reader, contributing to the creation of a believable place and time in history that Parsons has clearly researched and is familiar with. 

"Are you not afraid of going to hell, Betsy?"

"Hell? Hell is winter when you're stuck with an old lady and man took to his bed because it's too much trouble to get up. When spring comes and the cellar is low and the only thing to do is to take to the ice yourself to get a seal to eat, or perhaps a couple ducks. When you shuts the parlour down because the wood is low and nearly freezes all March month to make do. When you take your babies on a sled into the woods to cut enough to get through, and some man looks at you like you're a meal of seal yourself, and only the infant inside your coat stops him from havin' a go. When you piles up the sled and has to stop to give the baby milk because you had nobody to leave him with and you're worried your other baby will freeze before you gets home. Hell is when you goes into service at ten or when your mother puts your sisters on a steamer for the orphanage because your father died of the fever. I don't concern myself with hell. I figures I'm in it ...."

The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott is romantic, thrilling, and at times quite amusing! Simply put it is a must read book with a character who transcends time. Betsy embodies the fierce love found in all women who call themselves mothers and wives, not just the stoic, resilient, duty-bound women of the Great Depression. It reminds us of the importance to dream big and to follow our heart, even if it means having to make tough choices. Keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel to this novel! The Forbidden Dreams of Betsy Elliott is a Flanker Press publication.

The Liars by Ida Linehan Young

Alice and John MacDonald first met during the Spring of 1887 near Nain, Labrador. Brought together by circumstance and tragedy, Alice and John's relationship of convenience and respect grew to include the love for a new baby named Beatrice who had unexpectedly come into their lives during a train ride to St. John's. To the outside world they were a happy family of three living in Holyrood, Newfoundland but Alice and John are both haunted by the reality of a complicated past full of secrets, lies and false identities. When an escaped murderer turns up in the nearby community of Harbour Main, Alice and John's worst fears are suddenly realized. Not only could their secrets be revealed but the safety of the child they had both come to love as their own is in serious jeopardy. Faced with the heartbreaking decision to return their beloved daughter to the child's natural born mother, the ultimate act of love they are about to commit might mean that their daughter is forever gone from their unravelling lives. 

The Liars (2020) by Ida Linehan Young is the third book in a trilogy of historical fiction novels. As a sequel to the 2018 and 2019 paperbacks, the author picks up from the cliffhanger ending of The Promise (2019) and transitions readers through the narrative by utilizing familiar characters and settings we have grown to love. The storyline of mystery, intrigue and plot twists that Linehan Young expertly crafts in The Liars is the result of true events that occurred in the late 1800's in Newfoundland. Her ability to formulate a fictitious story by intertwining the results of her research with that of the plot details conceived in her mind is brilliant. While keeping the reader on the edge of their seat until the very end, Linehan Young highlights "some of the not-so-pleasant histories that make up the foundation of our beautiful province, Newfoundland and Labrador".

The Liars is another compelling read for those who enjoy history, suspense and wonderfully descriptive writing. The female characters are strong, simple but complex individuals, who reinforce the theme that there is no greater warrior than a mother protecting her child. Kudos to Ida Linehan Young in creating a work of art that will leave you wanting more! The Liars is a Flanker Press publication. 

Newfoundland author, Ida Linehan Young, reads the first chapter from The Liars.

The Promise ~A Novel~ By Ida Linehan Young

Outport life in late nineteenth century Newfoundland was difficult; poverty was rampant and many children, after losing their parents to the sea or to disease, found themselves left orphaned. Such was the case of Erith Lock who, at a young age, was left to be raised by a cruel and heartless woman who stepped up to care for her after losing her mother in childbirth and her father shortly thereafter. Erith was somewhat relieved to escape her loveless life when her stepmother had made arrangements for her to be sent from her home to travel to nearby Dog Cove to work as a housekeeper for her step uncle. Instead of being released from the clutches of her cold uncaring stepmother to start a new life Erith, at the tender age of sixteen, found herself fighting for survival after enduring an horrific act committed by the two men responsible for her safe passage. Scarred and broken, Erith returned to her home in North Harbour  and was forced to suffer even greater scorn. Little did she know that this life altering event would set her on a new path of purpose and love; a path full of promises. 

The Promise ~ A Novel~ is the second piece of historical fiction written by Ida Linehan Young. Written on the heels of Being Mary Ro (2018) and her earlier memoir No Turning Back: Surviving The Linehan Family Tragedy (2014) Linehan Young continues to delight her readers by taking them back to a time when Newfoundland was a self-governing colony of the British Empire, inhabited by those who risked life and limb to make a living from the cod fishery. For readers who have previously read Being Mary Ro, this novel is somewhat of a sequel, though not a requirement for enjoying The Promise. Characters from the first novel, Mary and Dr. Peter Nolan as well as Danol Cooper, play prominently in developing the plot of this narrative and contribute greatly to the development of Erith Lock. Linehan Young does a superb job at creating a strong noble female protagonist committed to making the world a better place than what was provided to her as a child. Though she is independent in thought and spirit her unfortunate past weighs heavily upon her. Several times throughout the novel Linehan Young allows the reader to experience the turmoil faced by Erith. In one chapter she eloquently writes;

"....Erith had been in a state of oblivion. She hadn't seen or spoken to anyone in weeks. She was adrift on an ocean, but it refused to take her. Instead, it taunted her. Wave after wave overtook her, stopped her breath, and salted her wounds, keeping them fresh, open and sore. There was no mercy. The vast sea of anguish wouldn't claim her, and there was no shore in sight."

Though the central idea of survival is quite evident throughout readers will be happy to know that hope is ever present; hope in the statement whispered to Erith by her step mother on her deathbed; hope that Danol will deliver on the promise of finding Erith's lost child; hope in Erith's vow to adopt three small children orphaned by their parents, and; hope that Erith will finally have a future complete with a loving husband and family of her own. The story and central idea are propelled forward through Linehan Young's skilled ability to move between the past and the present throughout the entire 281 pages. The flashbacks reveal plot details about events and characters and sets the reader up for a story that they will not want to put down. Just when all seems to be well in Erith's life and the reader feels optimistic that this story will end happily for everyone involved the author provides us with a glimpse into the future... a future where Erith's "past hadn't quieted, nor her future taken shape".  Though the ending of the book is a complete surprise, readers can be relieved that Linehan Young has a third book, The Liars, that will hopefully answer the questions we are left with. 

Ida Linehan Young's love for history and storytelling is quite evident in this powerful tale of self-preservation and hope. She skillfully delivers a top notch story with just the right amount of drama, mystery and suspense not to mention a knockout ending. The Promise ~A Novel~ is a Flanker Press publication.

Other books written by Ida Linehan Young can be found here. 

Operation Vanished by Helen C. Escott

RCMP Corporal Gail McNaughton has just returned to her native Newfoundland to take up a position in the Major Crimes Unit of the local police detachment. Given the challenging task of investigating unsolved crimes from the 1950's, she befriends Larry Morgan, the son of one of the murdered women who is also employed as an historical archivist with the provincial government. Using old newspapers and other historical resources, Morgan is able to generate a list of unsuspecting people who could be placed in the area at the time of  his mother's murder. Little did he know that this list of powerful people could be linked to the locations of three other murders that McNaughton has found on her desk. As McNaughton attempts to prove her theory that a serial killer has been at work, she uncovers secrets that have been hidden for decades. Operation Vanished is an edge-of-your-seat crime thriller that spans the physical geography of rural Newfoundland. More than just an investigative crime story, it is the tale of lives lost, lives found and new life rediscovered.

Operation Vanished is the second crime thriller novel for Helen C. Escott. Written with the same investigative expertise that she became known for in Operation Wormwood, this is truly a missing persons novel readers will not be able to put down. The readers interest is piqued from the very first line of the very first chapter.

                      "Every time I think of that day, I remember it in black and white."

As the narrative unfolds Escott expertly weaves the tale from a child abduction case to the cases of other young murdered mothers, teachers and nurses. Though the plot is propelled by a series of different crimes, as well as through different settings, Escott is able to skillfully craft a connected sequence of events while periodically inserting just enough information to help the reader get to know the main character, Corporal Gail McNaughton. The result is a well executed storyline that pays respectful homage to murdered and missing women and children.

Operation Vanished was written by Escott "to shine a spotlight on missing children and women" and to ensure they will "never be forgotten". Though it is a fictional investigation that highlights an era when women were barely considered "persons" under the law, the imbalance of power that exists between men and women, children and adults is still relevant today and very much a recurring central idea in this story. Escott develops the main idea through the creation of cracker jack investigator Corporal Gail McNaughton. As the story evolves MacNaughton's backstory reveals an individual with her own internal challenges ranging from crippling episodes of PTSD  to waging a battle against the abuse of power in the still male dominated profession of policing. Likewise, the victims of the heinous crimes are all presented as strong influential women who were successful in their own right but casualties of their era and of a psychopathic mind. 

Operation Vanished is a powerful page-turner that will resonate with any reader who enjoys a good murder mystery. Helen C. Escott doesn't just seek justice and remembrance for female victims of crime but makes a brilliant attempt to emancipate them from the bonds of yesteryear. Operation Vanished is a Flanker Press publication.