[POLL TALLY] Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman - 5 Stars

[Theresa]

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Kathy comes from Boston to visit her uncle in Alberta, Canada to recover from pleurisy. There she falls in love with and marries a Canadian Mountie, Mike. They are stationed deep in the frontier where Kathy grows strong and falls in love with the land, its people and animals. It is a story of beauty, loss, joy, resilience, community, family and love richly told.

It has been many decades since I first read about Mrs. Mike and her Canadian Mountie. I had forgotten many side characters, events and tragedies, but remembered quite sharply high points. I loved it then, and I still do. Kathy and Mike are strong fully developed characters with flaws. The story is full of adventure and hardship and the pioneer spirit. However, my timing in revisiting a book in which more than one epidemic decimates the community and Mrs. Mike, is suspect with COVID raging unchecked across the US. I had some uncomfortable moments there where what was described was just too real.

This is frequently categorized as Young Adult, and I certainly discovered it as a teenager. More appropriately, this is a classic of historical fiction that can be read by just about any age. The authors do not hold back on the tragedy, do not shy from the emotional journeys the characters make. But the love also shines through.

I listened to the audio read by Kirsten Potter who I thought truly excellent.