Sara, a Canadian Saga is my first novel; the first of my babies to be out there in the big published world. She was very well received by her reading friends here in Elliot Lake and enjoyed a wonderful book launch.
In this book we witness love that does not come neatly wrapped and we experience the quiet, sometimes desperate, drama of lives unfolding.
This story of a family, challenged greatly in the days of the Great Depression, has since received what I would call mixed reviews -- most very positive with 5 stars and some where a reader found there to be too many lows and not enough highs in the life of Sara, Roy and their family.
But the fact remains; that is how the lives of these and many more families played out -- too many lows and not enough highs. Poverty, worry, and anxiety were the rule of the day. Though primarily a work of fiction Sara is based on seeds of truth and is, indeed, a very real story.
Sara, a Canadian Saga is free today in the Kindle Store on all Amazon sites. This book is also available in paperback format through Amazon or directly from the CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/4461846
The time is 1916. Sara is a 10 year old girl in rural Prince Edward Island. Roy is a 10 year old boy in mining town, 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 wedding ritual. They take us through the Great Depression and share with us the frustrations, dreams and challenges they face in adulthood. As parents they introduce us to their children. This story appeals to all ages because 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. I say again, we witness love that does not come neatly wrapped and experience the quiet, sometimes desperate, drama of lives unfolding.
Sara, a Canadian Saga is my first novel. Based on the harsh reality of life during the days of the Great Depression we follow one family. The story starts in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. The struggling economy is the deciding factor for Roy who makes the move to Toronto leaving Sara and their then two children behind in Prince Edward Island. Once he secures employment Sara and the children join him. More children follow and the Canadian Dream is more elusive than ever
It is my pleasure to share with you an excerpt from Sara, a Canadian Saga
Pg 65: "He tried to force all thoughts of his mother's death from his mind but it wasn't easy. Roy joined the small army of strong, young, Maritime men and rode the rails out west to work on the harvest.
As he stared out the window his eyes fastened on the overhead electric wires that lined the narrow track. He stared, fascinated, as his eyes played tricks on him. He watched the wires forming a tunnel ever widening, narrowing, and then suddenly widening again. He knew it was a silly game he was playing but it had a hypnotic effect on him and helped to keep his mind off things he would rather not think about such as the sight of his father shrinking in his vision as the train pulled out of the Springhill Station.
Soon all thoughts of home were out of his mind. The young fellow in the seat beside him took a mouth organ out of his pocket and started to play Turkey In The Straw. And the next thing Roy knew another fellow was playing a fiddle. Roy stomped his feet and clapped his hands with the best of them. He only wished he had his cornet with him.
The party abruptly ended when he reached the west. The train pulled into a shabby Saskatchewan station. Roy grabbed his suitcase, jumped off the train onto the back of an old truck. He sat with the group of men to which he had been assigned. He was impressed with the thousands of acres of wonderful wheat ready for the sickle that lined both sides of the old, rutted road upon which they travelled.
As they pulled into the workers' camp Roy felt disappointed to say the least. "Is this where we're gonna be stayin' then?"
His boss was a big, burly man with a small sense of humor. "You're here to work, boy!" he answered sharply. "The only time you'll be here is to sleep and if you got your eyes closed what difference does it make what the place looks like? What's your name, boy?"
"Roy Gordon, sir."
"There, that's more like it!" He put a small penciled check mark on one of the sheets fastened to a clip board that he held in his hand. "Okay, Roy, check out cabin number six. Stow your stuff and be back here in a half hour. We gotta make hay while the sun shines!" he snorted before moving on to the next young man in line.
"Make hay while the sun shines!" Roy muttered under his breath. "A real funny man. So funny I forgot to laugh!"
He wandered through the sorry looking camp. He came to a stick with an old piece of cardboard nailed to it. The sign clearly marked with a big "6" stuck up out of the ground. "I'd hardly call this a cabin!" he remarked to the old man standing just outside the door of the little sod hut.
Spitting a lump of something out of his mouth onto the dirt, just missing the toe of Roy's work boots, the old man answered. "Call it what you want, boy, but you might as well call it home 'cause that's what it's gonna be to ya for the next few weeks."
Roy entered the hut. Very little sunshine could penetrate the one tiny window on the wall at the back of the hut opposite the door. It was dark inside and the place stunk like dirty socks.
Turning to the old man he guessed was supposed to be his room mate he glumly stated, "I'd suffocate if I hadda spend one night in this godforsaken hovel."
"It's the best you're gonna get in these parts, boy!"
"Then I'll sleep outside," he stated. He left his suitcase in the hut, returned to the truck prepared to work but that night and every night thereafter he grabbed a blanket from the cot. He made his bed on the prairie behind the camp. "
Cover Design by Susan Ruby K.
Thanks for visiting my author's page at http://www.amazon.com/author/audreyaustin
I hope you will enjoy reading Sara, a Canadian Saga and thank you for your positive review
on Amazon and/or Goodreads.
Kindle edition is free today on all Amazon sites.
Currently #19 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Life
Kindle edition is free today on all Amazon sites.
Currently #19 in Kindle Store > Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Life
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