Historical novel set in 19th century New Brunswick fuels the imagination

CBC New Brunswick's final Books & Backroadsbook club took place at the scenic Campobello Public Library in Welshpool.

Built in 1898, it is thesecond oldest public library in Canada, and offered a scenic backdrop to discuss Beth Powning's historical novel,The Sea Captain's Wife.

The novel, which is mostly set in the 19th century, tells the story of Azuba Galloway, a young woman who dreams of seeing the world. She marries a sea captain withhopes of accompanying him on his journeys. However, when she becomes pregnant, her husband becomes more cautious and moves her to a remote village to keep her safe.

The women who met to discuss Powning's book found lots to talk about, including the characters, particularly Azuba.

"Azuba is the one I identified with the most," said Holly Matthews. "She wanted to do one thing. She changed her mind. She jumped back and forth, and it just seemed real."

Matthews felt that Azuba's indecision was very relatable.

"I thought, 'Oh good, somebody who can be all over the place and be conflicted about how they feel about different things.'"

Meredith Browne also noticed Azuba's vacillation.

"She worked really hard to get on board [the ship] with her husband," she said. "And then, you know, she was all over the map in terms of, 'I'm happy I'm here I'm not happy I'm here. I'm never doing this again I can't wait to be on the boat again.'"

"Women weren't supposed to be having adventures then," said Stephanie Anthony.

"We were supposed to be tied to the home and the children,and the thought of embarking on a sea adventure, especially on a ship full of men, must have been so scandalous back then."

Modern relationship, historical setting

The relationship between Azuba and her husband Nathanial also struck a chord with Matthews, who said even though the story takes place more than a century ago, "it was like anyone's relationship."

"You do have times when you are annoyed with the other person, and you don't like them, or you see them differently than you want them to be. But underlying that, you know you love themand you accept them, and you just adjust," she said.

Information Morning - Saint John14:27Books & Backroads Campobello

In Welshpool, overlooking the waters of Friars Bay, sits the Campobello Public Library It's the second oldest library in Canada. The building that houses the library and the local museum was built in 1898. Its also the home of the last edition of this summers Books & Backroads.

Browne described the language in the novelas "evocative" and said it felt very much like the 1860s.

"She described her husband's clothing as having a 'cidery tinge,' and that just sounded so lovely. I mean, I don't know anyone who smells like that.

"Also talking about the floating mail cask, where they would put the mail in the cask and wait. And mail was so important in those days. We're so used to instant communication. Can you imagine waiting three months or more for a letter to come back with your news, your family news?" she said. "Yeah, I love that."

Revealingmaritimehistory

Matthews also enjoyed reading a story set in New Brunswick's seafaring past.

"I found myself looking different things up and I thought, 'Oh, this is a real place. This is a real something that they really did,'"she said. "It kind of piqued my curiosity and made me learn some things that I didn't know about before."

After readingThe Sea Captain's Wife, Matthews said she would love to read more historical fiction centred around "seafaring days."

Readers of all stripes would enjoy novel

Powning's novel also led the book club members to reflect on their own experiences.

"I think many women, especially living in coastal towns, can identify and appreciate sending your loved one off to an unknown whatever and wondering if or when they're going to come home," said Anthony.

"These days we have all the radars and the cell phones and back then you didn't know from one day to the next if they were still alive or if you were going to get a message saying they had died weeks ago.

"To a much smaller extent, that is the life of the fishing communities around here."

"It had a little bit of everything," said Anthony. The characters "could have been descendants of yours that grew up in the same areas that we're living in now. It felt very familiar.

"It was an adventure. Reading it was an adventure."

More Books and Backroads:

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• Ugpi'Ganjig book club drawn into mystery and self-discovery in novella set in N.B.
  
• St. Stephen author imagines a not-too-distant future in debut sci-fi novel
  
• Local landmarks in novel set along Petitcodiac River pull young readers in