Finding Flora by Elinor Florence

A rollicking historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Alberta about a young woman on the run from her abusive husband who uses a legal loophole to claim a homestead in the Wild West.

In 1905, Scottish newcomer Flora Craigie jumps from a moving train to escape her abusive husband. Desperate to disappear, she claims a homestead near Alix, Alberta, determined to start a new life for herself. She finds that her nearest neighbours are also a Welsh widow with three children; two American women raising chickens; and a Métis woman who makes a living by breaking in wild horses.

While battling the harsh environment (and draconian local attitudes toward female farmers), the five women grapple with the differences of their backgrounds and the secrets each struggles to keep. When their homes are threatened with expropriation by the hostile federal Minister of the Interior, the women join forces to “fire the heather,” a Scottish term meaning raising a ruckus. And as the competition for land along the new Canadian Pacific railway line heats up, Flora’s violent husband closes in, and an unscrupulous land agent threatens the lives and livelihoods of the women just as they’re coming into their own.

Paperback, 384 pages

Published April 1, 2025

 by Simon & Schuster

4/5

This is my second time reading Elinor Florence, after loving Wildwood, I went back to this 2025 release and found the same signature that draws me to her work -  strong women doing things their generation said they couldn't.

Finding Flora is set in 1905 northern Alberta, the historical detail is rich and fascinating. Flora is a young Scottish immigrant carrying a secret, while trying to build a new life on the Alberta prairie under circumstances that were anything but simple for a woman of that era. Land ownership came with strict government restrictions, hostile neighbours who were determined to make life difficult and yet Flora remains determined, resilient and watchful.

What she doesn't anticipate are the connections that form around her,  the relationships she didn't know she needed.

Elinor Florence has a gift for bringing her stories to life through women who feel utterly real and Finding Flora is no exception. I loved the Canadian historical setting and the things that went into building this great country.

This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge #23

Wildwood by Elinor Florence

A single mother, an abandoned farmhouse, and an epic battle with the northern wilderness. Rediscover the Canadian classic by the #1 bestselling author of Finding Flora.

Broke and desperate, Molly Bannister accepts the ironclad condition laid down in her great-aunt’s will: to receive her inheritance, Molly must spend one year in an abandoned, off-the-grid farmhouse in the remote backwoods of northern Alberta. If she does, she will be able to sell the farm and fund her four-year-old daughter’s badly needed medical treatment.

With grim determination, Molly teaches herself basic homesteading skills. But her greatest perils come from the brutal wilderness itself, from blizzards to grizzly bears. Will she and her child survive the savage winter? Will she outsmart the idealist young farmer who would thwart her plan to sell the farm? Not only their financial future, but their very lives are at stake. Only the journal written by Molly's courageous great-aunt, the land’s original homesteader, inspires her to struggle on.

Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication April 28, 2026

 by Simon & Schuster Canada

4/5 stars

This was my first time reading this author, I was impressed with the atmospheric writing and strong sense of place. 

Wildwood is a well-written survival story that blends the harsh realities of wilderness living with a personal journey of resilience and determination.

Molly Bannister is a interesting character, her desperation to secure a future for her daughter makes her situation feel urgent and real from the very beginning. Inheriting an old, off the grid farmhouse with the stimulation of having to live in it for a year in order to claim ownership is a lot of pressure for someone who hasn't even seen snow before.  Let alone all the other realities of  country living.  Watching her learn to navigate in the unforgiving northern Alberta wilderness was both gripping and at times stressful in the best way. The elements themselves, between blizzards, isolation and the constant threat of wildlife felt like characters in their own right.

One of my favourite aspects was the dual timeline through her great-aunt’s journal. It added depth and a strong sense of history, showing the parallels between two women shaped by the same land.

All in all this was an immersive and atmospheric read, it's a story about survival, motherhood and perseverance. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author’s backlist.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster CA for a print arc in exchange for a honest review.