Buffie,
Margaret. Winter Shadows. Tundra Books 327p $11.95
978-1-77049-358-2 2012 ms/hs VG Historical
Fiction
Two young women, separated by time but
bound together by similar difficulties and circumstances, find each other
through a diary that has been hidden for 150 years. Both modern-day Cass and
nineteenth-century Beatrice struggle with “wicked” stepmothers who are making
their lives very difficult. When the story begins, Cass is still mourning the death of her mother and fighting the
interference of her new stepmother in her relationship with her father, as did Beatrice so
long before. When Cass discovers that
she can communicate with Beatrice through Beatrice’s diary, the girls form a bond and are able to offer
advice to one another that will make their lives more bearable. This coping mechanism will allow each girl to
progress to the best of her abilities and come to grips with the changes in their family
dynamics. The story is told in
alternating chapters and offers engaging, well-written historical fiction with
excellent characterizations and a well-paced plot. It also offers a unique look of nineteenth-century Canadian life
and the difficulties
of intermarriage between English and First Nation peoples.
Canada–Fiction,
Time travel–Fiction, Mixed marriages–Fiction
--Susan Ogintz
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