Birth Road
by Michelle Wamboldt
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Pub Date 30 Apr 2022 | Archive Date 25 Mar 2022
Nimbus Publishing | Vagrant Press
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Description
A bold and evocative work of historical fiction by a debut author that travels from rural Nova Scotia to Boston and back again, told in startling vignettes.
My mother was not one to dwell on the past. "Digging up old memories is like eating cherries," she said. "Some people choose the sweet ones every time, and then there are the others, those who always choose the sour."
I don't agree with my mother. I have always liked the sweet and the sour. You really can't appreciate one without the other. Memories are like that, too.
Told in startling vignettes and with bold, impeccable prose, Birth Road is a story of love, lost innocence, and the secrets that so often haunt small places.
Set in early twentieth-century Nova Scotia, our story follows the naive but curious Helen, as she recalls the relationships and significant moments that have led to the birth of her child. Born in the grip of poverty to a cruel mother and a gentle but absent father, Helen's life follows a surprising path as she is moved from one place to another, constantly leaving the people she cares about behind. The love she has for her best friend Madge and her husband Edgar are tested as her journey is overshadowed by rumours and secrecy. Her loving Aunt Gertie, whose voice is like the summer rain, guides her with humour and wisdom as she grows into a woman.
Throughout it all, Helen takes in the world around her, but with an innocence that lets it break her heart over and over again. Why is Madge's family so sad? Why does her brother hate their mother? Why have the details of her parents' marriage been kept a secret? As Helen grows, she slowly unravels family secrets, and finds the life she's been building is one she never expected. Moving from the woodlands of rural Nova Scotia to the city streets of Boston and back again, Birth Road is the powerful story of a woman desperate to live life on her own terms.
Advance Praise
“Michelle Wamboldt is a natural-born storyteller. A true writer. Birth Road is a story of growth and discovery, beautifully written, expertly told. I felt as though I were in the hands of a seasoned writer. I've no doubt that with this book, CanLit has found its latest shining star.”
–Donna Morrissey, bestselling author of The Fortunate Brother
“Michelle Wamboldt’s impressive debut is a suspenseful, engrossing, and meticulously researched portrait of a woman seeking connection to a world that keeps getting pulled out from under her. The narrator, Helen, is based on the author’s own grandmother, but with a heart full of resentment, broken dreams, poetry, and eternal hope, she’s as easily mine or yours.”
–Sarah Mian, award-winning author of When the Saints
“Silent heroes rarely seek the attention they deserve. As the ghosts of love and loss linger quietly and turbulently on the pages of this beautiful and important novel, Wamboldt’s compassion and keen insight runs deeply into her troubled-wounded souls. She knows when to pick them up and when it is time to let them fall. And in the quiet moments, when poetry is read aloud a shade above a whisper, and late summer daisies sway in the breeze, one realizes that life can still hand you a bouquet.”
–Beatrice MacNeil, bestselling author of Where the Wild Horses Gallop
“Written with remarkable talent and poise, Birth Road is about the secrets we carry, the human nature to long for something more, and ultimately, it is about love. Michelle Wamboldt is a skillful and engaging writer. She created characters who are compelling and dynamic, and a story that stayed with me long after I read the last page. I didn’t want it to end, and yet I couldn’t put it down. Birth Road is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, it is an astonishing debut from a talented writer. A truly wonderful book.”
–Joanne Gallant, author of A Womb in the Shape of a Heart
“Michelle Wamboldt has a mystery writer’s uncanny knack for revealing just enough information, at just the right time….The result is a compelling page turner from a narrator we long to see find love and acceptance from the same people controlling her life with secrets. Every setback hurts, and every success thrills.”
–Chris Benjamin, author of Boy With a Problem
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781774710401 |
| PRICE | CA$22.95 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 240 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
@history_girl_reading L, Reviewer
A beautiful story. I'm a sucker for a map in a book, so I loved the start before I'd even read a word. I enjoyed the style of the book, and - as another reviewer has pointed out - the fact there wasn't a forced happy ending, but still one which was satisfying.
I loved this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and themes surrounding motherhood.
Thank you to NetGally and Nimbus Publishing for the advanced copy.
Vicki Q, Bookseller
Birth Road is historical fiction based on a true story. It is the story of the author’s grandmother Helen and covers the years from 1921 to 1946. It covers Helen’s struggles through poverty of the depression and then a husband that goes off to fight in WWII. The chapters are short but worked extremely well in the telling of Helen’s story.
Michelle Wamboldt did a masterful job in the retelling of her grandmother’s story. She gives you just enough to keep you wanting for more with each chapter.
Thank you to #netgalley and #nimbuspublishing for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.
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Adapted by Robin Bright, Illustrations by Lauren Adams, Rebecca Galloway, Michelle McIver & Tony Mitchell
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