It’s been almost three years since the accident and Serena’s death. Widower, Steve Grenville, and his seventeen-year-old daughter, Renée, have begun to live again as a family of two. The residents of the small town of Catalpa Creek have recovered from the Grenville’s tragedy and returned to the illusion of living in peace and security.
But change comes as it always does.
The promise of a new relationship for Steve develops. Renée fears losing her dad. And she’s afraid her mom will be forgotten. When the community-sponsored refugee family from Syria arrives, buried feelings of prejudice and fear surface in Catalpa Creek. Anger and violence erupt. The community is in turmoil. Strengthened by their faith, Steve and Renée live with courage through the tragedy and unexpected joy that life offers them.
To Begin Again
Janet's Notes
For those who love history, I have included in this novel my own grandmother’s true story presented as the story of Renée’s great great grandmother, Nana Sinclair. While researching her school history project, Renée discovers a tiny book with faded writing. It’s a diary, kept by her great-great-grandmother, Maggie (Nana) Sinclair, a British child immigrant. Connecting Nana’s life with immigrants today takes on an immediate relevance when a Syrian refugee family arrives in Catalpa Creek. Tension mounts. Prejudice and fear surface and turn to violence.
An intriguing story of laughter and tears, To Begin Again will nudge you to think deeply about acceptance and discrimination. How does faith or lack of it, affect your own response to events and people in today’s world?
Introducing many current issues, To Begin Again is an excellent book club choice. The discussion questions are right there in the back of the book.
Extra Info about Barnardo Children and my grandmother, Margaret Sinclair
My Grandmother, Margaret (Maggie) Sinclair and other children travelled to Canada on the S.S. Dominion 2.
The ship that came to be known as the Dominion (2) was launched in Belfast in 1893 as the Prussia and sailed for the German Hamburg-American line. In 1898, the Prussia was sold to the British Dominion Line and was renamed the SS Dominion (2). At this time she was refitted and reconfigured to provide accommodation for 200 First Class, 170 Second Class and 750 Third Class passengers. This rebuild took only a few months before she was ready to go on the Liverpool – Quebec – Montreal route on the Dominion’s Line’s principle service in May 1898. Other ports of entry included Halifax and Portland, Maine.
The Dominion (2) carried 6,876 British Home Children to Canada from various organizations including Dr. Barnardo’s. There was a steady stream in the numbers of children sailing on board the Dominion with the busiest years being 1903 (786 children), 1905 (562).
http://britishhomechild.com/the-dominions/
For information concerning travelling by ship, steerage class, at the turn of the century:https://www.gjenvick.com/Immigration/Steerage/FirstHandAccountOfSteerageConditions-1898.html