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Something True
We do not all grow up with a clear idea of who we can become. It usually takes life experiences to figure it out.
Katharine is the youngest child in a prominent family on Cape Breton Island at the turn of the 20th century. While her older siblings move easily into adult roles, Katharine does not. She is shy and unable to figure out what to do with her life. She wants something that feels "true" to her, but has no idea what that is. All she knows is that becoming someone's wife—the most obvious choice in the early 1900s—holds no appeal.
Personal tragedies and the First World War magnify Katharine's need to find something meaningful. She wants to go overseas to help the Allied troops, but her father refuses. Katharine has to find the inner strength to simply insist.
Something True is an inspiring, coming-of-age novel that puts the reader into late 19th- and early 20th-century Cape Breton Island and into France in the midst of the First World War.
Katharine is the youngest child in a prominent family on Cape Breton Island at the turn of the 20th century. While her older siblings move easily into adult roles, Katharine does not. She is shy and unable to figure out what to do with her life. She wants something that feels "true" to her, but has no idea what that is. All she knows is that becoming someone's wife—the most obvious choice in the early 1900s—holds no appeal.
Personal tragedies and the First World War magnify Katharine's need to find something meaningful. She wants to go overseas to help the Allied troops, but her father refuses. Katharine has to find the inner strength to simply insist.
Something True is an inspiring, coming-of-age novel that puts the reader into late 19th- and early 20th-century Cape Breton Island and into France in the midst of the First World War.
256 pages, Paperback
Published March 11, 2018
4 people want to read
About the author
A.J.B. Johnston
23 books7 followersJohn (or Jay) is a Canadian historian and novelist. His website is ajbjohnston.com and he is on Facebook at HistoryandFiction (A J B Johnston, Writer).
Years as an historian at the Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island gave John the background to bring the 18th century alive in his series of Thomas Pichon Novels: Thomas, A Secret Life (2012), The Maze (2014) and Crossings (2015). There will be one more novel to complete the tale.
Published by Nimbus in 2020 was "Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns." It's the story of a legendary 1960s Nova Scotia rock 'n' roll band.
The author also worked with others to create a a 5-minute micro-doc that is a companion to the book. That video is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZC7S....
In 2021, Acorn Press published "Ancient Land, New Land: Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst NHS," co-authored with Jesse Francis.
Jay's latest book is "Into the Wind: A Novel of Acadian Resilience." Published by Acorn Press, it offers a fresh, 21st-century look at the Acadian Deportation, exploring it through the eyes of 14-year old Marie and 10-year old Charles.
"Something True" is a coming-of-age story of Katharine McLennan. It's set in late 19th-century and early 20th-century Cape Breton and in France during the First World War.
In recognition of John's body of work on the history of the French in Atlantic Canada, the French Republic made him a chevalier of the Ordre des palmes académiques.
In 2017, John was Writer-in-Residence at the Center for the Writing Arts in Fairhope, Alabama.
Years as an historian at the Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island gave John the background to bring the 18th century alive in his series of Thomas Pichon Novels: Thomas, A Secret Life (2012), The Maze (2014) and Crossings (2015). There will be one more novel to complete the tale.
Published by Nimbus in 2020 was "Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns." It's the story of a legendary 1960s Nova Scotia rock 'n' roll band.
The author also worked with others to create a a 5-minute micro-doc that is a companion to the book. That video is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZC7S....
In 2021, Acorn Press published "Ancient Land, New Land: Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst NHS," co-authored with Jesse Francis.
Jay's latest book is "Into the Wind: A Novel of Acadian Resilience." Published by Acorn Press, it offers a fresh, 21st-century look at the Acadian Deportation, exploring it through the eyes of 14-year old Marie and 10-year old Charles.
"Something True" is a coming-of-age story of Katharine McLennan. It's set in late 19th-century and early 20th-century Cape Breton and in France during the First World War.
In recognition of John's body of work on the history of the French in Atlantic Canada, the French Republic made him a chevalier of the Ordre des palmes académiques.
In 2017, John was Writer-in-Residence at the Center for the Writing Arts in Fairhope, Alabama.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 28, 2018
Disclosure: I know the author, having published with him in a past life; and I know something of the subject, Katharine McLennan. John has long been fascinated by Katharine's story. She was a key figure in the recognition and an inspiration for the restoration of the Fortress of Louisbourg, now a national historic site of Canada. She had carried on the research of her father, Senator J.S. McLennan.
John's fictional biography does touch on Katharine's life in Cape Breton – her family and her family's circle of friends – but in the main, the story is about her life independent from that. She served in the medical corps during the First World War, and it is her experiences during that time on which the author concentrates.
It's not easy to carry off such a project – a male historian, taking on the female voice of a historical figure – the temptation must be great to stick to the facts. But Johnston got great experience in writing the Thomas Pichon novels (CBU Press 2012, 2014, 2016) and carries it off fairly well in "Something True," a pleasant and easy read.
John's fictional biography does touch on Katharine's life in Cape Breton – her family and her family's circle of friends – but in the main, the story is about her life independent from that. She served in the medical corps during the First World War, and it is her experiences during that time on which the author concentrates.
It's not easy to carry off such a project – a male historian, taking on the female voice of a historical figure – the temptation must be great to stick to the facts. But Johnston got great experience in writing the Thomas Pichon novels (CBU Press 2012, 2014, 2016) and carries it off fairly well in "Something True," a pleasant and easy read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review