The first three chapters of SARA are set in the Village of Tryon......and it is in Tryon where Sara was born.
Special thanks to Jack Sorensen, the owner of Really-O Handcrafts and Tryon Museum, for his decision to offer SARA for sale in his shop.
I know the Island residents will love Sara because she is one of them.
The time is 1916. Sara is a 10 year old girl living in the Village of Tryon, Prince Edward Island. Roy is a 10 year old boy living in Springhill, Nova Scotia.Through their eyes we see, feel and experience their childhood challenges. We follow them through adolescence and their turbulent teen years.We celebrate their courtship and suffer their lost innocence in the marriage ritual. They take us through the Great Depression and share with us the frustrations, dreams and challenges they face in adulthood. The Great Depression breaks up the family. Roy travels to Toronto leaving Sara behind until he is able to bring the family together again.SARA, a Canadian Saga is a story that appeals to all ages. Sara and Roy hold up a mirror and ask the reader to recognize truth about the human condition for many Canadian families through difficult economic times.We witness love that does not come neatly wrapped and experience the quiet, sometimes desperate, drama of lives unfolding.Here is some feedback from readers of SARA.
"Your well-written book brought memories of actual places and people to me. I was a child growing up on Prince Edward Island in the dirty thirties." K. Austin
"I've read your book already and loved the story. It reminded me of the stories my parents and grandparents used to relate about the 20's and 30's, Your story will sell very well with the older audience and educate the younger ones. They were not easy days for anyone." Judy Donovan-McDonald.
"I received SARA on Tuesday and cóuldn't wait to read it. I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the story especially the streets in Toronto. It brought back a lot of memories. It is good for the soul to remember the past. Could that be why we call them the good old days? Looking forward to a sequel. Maureen Jones-Motchan.
"I truly enjoyed reading SARA. At times I laughed and at other times I felt tears welling up. It was such a good story, well written and I loved it." Eleanor Lambert.
I just finished reading "Sara."
I took the book to work with me where I was teaching a grade 7 class. The children were directed to write about a time when they or someone they knew, demonstrated perseverance. I held up the book and used "Sara" as an example of a woman who demonstrated perseverance. I also spoke to the fact that the author demonstrated this quality in her determination to have her story published. You would not believe the response from these kids - many wanted to know if they could get it at Chapters. This story is uniquely Canadian and should be marketed to adolescents as part of their Canadian heritage. "Sara" is a narrative that figures in the histories of Canadian families everywhere. I will be passing this on to my son!
The line that cracked me up and drew me in for good:
"Their mother set the steaming bowls of vegetables in the centre of the large, old, wooden table that no amount of wax and polish could dignify." (p. 11)
I won't over-analyze why this struck me as hilarious, it just did. What sad, sad state Rebecca was in over her table. This table is a silent witness to generations of love, hope, fear, strife, courage, ignorance and finally, understanding. What a beautiful metaphor for an old scratched up, banged around history that none of us can escape and our fear of endlessly repeating it.
Thank-you for inviting us to the table.
Karen.
This is just a taste of the amazing feedback I have received from some readers of SARA. Cover design by Yuneekpix.com
Cover design for each of my publications is by Yuneekpix.com
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