Fire the heather

Scottish newcomer Flora Craigie jumps from a moving train in 1905 to escape her abusive husband. Desperate to disappear, she claims a homestead on the beautiful but wild Alberta prairie, determined to create a new life for herself. She is astonished to find that her nearest neighbours are also female: a Welsh widow with three children; two American women raising chickens; and a Métis woman who supports herself by training wild horses.

While battling both the brutal environment and the local cynicism toward female farmers, the five women with their very different backgrounds struggle to find common ground. But when their homes are threatened with expropriation by a hostile government, they join forces to raise a ruckus.

Review Quote

“I was swept away to the wild and wide-open spaces of Alberta, circa 1905, by the magic of Elinor Florence’s writing. I cheered for Flora every step of the way in this epic tale as big as the prairie sky.”—Leslie Howard

Additional Book Details