Flora Craigie starts off this action-packed story with a bang by leaping from a moving train in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night. After years working a dead-end job in her native Scotland, she has made an ill-fated bid for a better life by marrying a man she has barely met and emigrating to Canada with him. It is the dawn of the twentieth century and he has spun her a yarn about opportunity in the newly forming western provinces, showing her a picture of a lovely stone house that will be hers if she is his. When reality proves very different and he shows a violent side, Flora impulsively makes her escape.

Through a series of lucky coincidences, Flora manages to qualify for the chance to develop a homestead. Her nearest neighbors are several other plucky women seeking to carve lives out of the wild prairie, and through hardship and shared struggle they build the nucleus of a community. Nearby townsfolk and male homesteaders are not so ready to accept them, however, and the women have to battle their way through human conflicts while battling the elements. And Flora, of course, has a secret to protect and the rejected husband to fear.

This is a traditional western with a modern twist. There are the expected heroes and antagonists, tests of character and fortitude in an unforgiving landscape, but the focus on women making their own way in a challenging environment feels fresh. The varied characters come to life on the page, as do the beauty and hazards of the wild land they inhabit. Elinor Florence maintains a nice balance between the action and her heroine’s inner journey, so the pace never feels either slow or rushed. I liked the old-fashioned approach to storytelling that didn’t require me to follow anyone into the bedroom or revel in graphic violence.

I was offered access to an ARC in the hope of an honest review, for which I thank the author and publisher.

I couldn’t put down Finding Flora by Elinor Florence. The author did extensive research to develop a gripping, credible story about women homesteaders in Alberta in the late 1800s when single women weren’t allowed to own land. The story brings to life the daily challenges women, or any settlers, faced. Whether their farms burned, weather destroyed crops, men tried to evict them, or children took sick, the brave women portrayed in the book banded together to help each other survive.

This book helped me appreciate the historic role that women and other homesteaders played building communities across the beautiful and sometimes cruel Canadian wilderness. Each character was believable. Although they all had prejudices and misgivings about one another at first, they had to overcome them to stay alive. They collaborated and provided companionship to one another to create farms that produced wheat, chickens, eggs, vegetables, apples, and other crops.

Through these women’s daily lives, Florence captured the condemning social mores they experienced. Men threatened to oust them. They believed women were incapable of farming. Women needed to be married. The writer also demonstrated through the characters’ actions and dialogue the prejudice against First Nation peoples and “half breeds.”

The author’s research, personal history, and bright imagination came together to create a compelling, exciting novel that kept me turning the pages. I didn’t want to finish the book, but I couldn’t wait to learn what happened to Flora.

Received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Finished 10-09-24. Rated 5 stars and on my favorite shelf. No spoilers in this review.

Very much loved this historical fiction novel set in the North-West territories of Canada in 1905. Scottish Flora Craigie and her newly wed husband have immigrated to Canada and are heading west by railway. Unfortunately his abusive and brutal behavior comes to light. Flora fears for her life and escapes.

Loved how Flora is portrayed. She's determined to homestead and make a life for herself. This turns out to be much more difficult then she could ever imagine. But with the help of her neighbors and courage on her part she is able to be an independent homeowner.

Flora and her 3 female neighbors must put up not just with the harsh weather conditions but also the prejudice of being female. This was a time when most people assumed that women should marry, have children and let men govern their lives. Of course through out history there have been many females who've overcome these roadblocks but it has never been easy.

Flora's neighbors are a widow with 3 young children; 2 single American ladies who raise chickens and a Metis woman who trains wild horses. Per the author's notes at the end these ladies and Flora are fictional but based on those females who actually did homestead and contributed so much to Canadian history. Also liked that she included real historical figures into the story.

I loved the story and how the author gave us these character's backgrounds without a lot of "info dumping". Her descriptions of daily life, the beautiful but harsh Canadian Prarie, and realistic clothing styles of that time were fascinating.

A very fast, enjoyable read while also learning some history I was unaware of. Highly recommend to those who like historical fiction.

Beautifully Written

Finding Flora is a beautifully written story about a Scottish newcomer to Canada who flees her violent husband and beats the odds to claim a homestead on the Alberta prairies in the early 1900s. I love the way Elinor Florence sets the harsh realities of homesteading against the splendour of the land. Complicating the story are 1900s gender and societal expectations, combined with ambitious politicians and corruption.

The research behind Finding Flora is evident in Elinor Florence’s use of language and the descriptive details that bring the early 1900s on the prairies into sharp focus. Finding Flora is as educational as it is gripping. A wonderfully immersive read that I would highly recommend.

Hooked from the very first page! 5 Stars!
When young Flora Craigie jumps from a moving train in the dead of night to escape her abusive husband, the plot takes off with an explosion.
This historical fiction about a small group of courageous women homesteaders on the Canadian prairie in the early 1900s will grab your attention from the opening pages and not let go.
Flora, determined to carve a new life for herself on the untamed Alberta prairie, applies for a Homestead Application. Her new neighbors are a small band of equally determined females, all striving to establish their own homes. This is a story of female empowerment at its finest.
Nature is brutal to their survival, and many in the nearby town do not want them there at all. Throw in an antagonist bent on ruining their lives and Flora's despicable husband searching to reclaim her, and you have a story that will grip your heart and leave you cheering for the women.
Written in beautiful prose describing the unspoiled Canadian wild prairies, the author viscerally transports the reader into the story's fast-paced action and satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.

Historical fiction lovers everywhere will enjoy this ode to our women pioneers. The extensive research was obvious and I enjoyed all the details of exactly how homesteading worked and how people lived and survived the often harsh conditions in the early 1900s in the Canadian west. The story starts off with a bang (quite literally!) and held my interest throughout. I liked how Flora evolved as a person from the beginning until the end. Finding Flora gives a realistic picture of how women were regarded and treated in that era, which might be an eye opener to many young women today. Fascinating to find out which characters were real people in the Author's Note. Incidentally, I also loved the cover. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.