Wildwood by Elinor Florence

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about Molly and her young daughter Bridget, who move from Phoenix to rural Alberta, Canada when Molly inherits a farm from her great aunt. Molly has just been laid off from her accounting job during the recent recession, and worries about four-year-old Bridget, who is extremely shy. The inheritance is contingent on Molly living on the farm for a year, including the long cold winter. Molly’s aunt left a journal about her life on the farm in 1924, as well as old photos, a cookbook, and other keepsakes. Molly and Bridget learn to live off the grid in the old farm house with a wood stove and a pump on the kitchen sink, driving a truck into town monthly to shop and use the internet. In the past, Mary Margaret and her husband are homesteaders, living in a large foursquare house built from a catalogue kit. There is a wonderful sense of place and very likable characters, although a romantic subplot isn’t well-developed. The author’s website has numerous photos that inspired the book, which is suggested for readers who enjoy character-focused novels or fiction set in rural North America. Enjoy!

Brenda