Finding Flora is the latest release from Canadian author Elinor Florence. Expected to be released on April 1, 2025, it takes readers to the Canadian prairies at the turn of the 20th century. Fresh from Scotland, Flora finds herself alone in a new country with a powerful desire to survive and thrive. She also has a secret. Can she succeed when she’s looking over her shoulder?
I want to thank Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Finding Flora. However, all opinions expressed here are solely mine.
Synopsis from Goodreads
In 1905, Scottish newcomer Flora Craigie jumps from a moving train to escape her abusive husband. Desperate to disappear, she claims a homestead near Alix, Alberta, determined to start a new life for herself. She finds that her nearest neighbours are also a Welsh widow with three children; two American women raising chickens; and a Métis woman who makes a living by breaking in wild horses.
While battling the harsh environment (and draconian local attitudes toward female farmers), the five women grapple with the differences of their backgrounds and the secrets each struggles to keep. When their homes are threatened with expropriation by the hostile federal Minister of the Interior, the women join forces to “fire the heather,” a Scottish term meaning raising a ruckus. And as the competition for land along the new Canadian Pacific railway line heats up, Flora’s violent husband closes in, and an unscrupulous land agent threatens the lives and livelihoods of the women just as they’re coming into their own.
Positives
- A well-written historical fiction.
- Features strong-willed female characters from various walks of life.
- Contains some real people.
Negatives
- Flora’s husband is barely in the book.
My Opinions
Finding Flora is a well-written historical fiction set in the early 1900s in the Canadian Prairie, a time and place often ignored. Florence did her research when writing about Flora and her neighbors. I didn’t realize until halfway through the book that it is set in a real town with a few real people. Upon learning this, I quickly read up on a few details. I love it when historical fiction books contain real people, no matter who they may be.
Homesteading was not easy for anyone, but especially not for women who wanted the independence that being landowners would bring. Finding Flora discusses those hardships. The ladies in the book had their share of struggles between nature and those around them who didn’t think they belonged. Together, they worked and survived the negatives around them. Along the way, the five women who had been strangers became close friends and cheered for each other throughout their journey.
The synopsis leads you to believe that Flora’s husband plays a significant role in several events. In total, he’s only around for about 30 pages. There are a few mentions of him along the way, but not many.
The book’s ending is satisfying, but also feels a bit contrived. Everyone gets what they deserve. I don’t want to go into more detail, because I don’t want to spoil anything.
Do you enjoy reading books featuring strong women? What about books set at the turn of the 20th century? Or reading well-researched historical fiction? Then you should read Finding Flora by Elinor Florence.
Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.
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