News and Interviews

Lynne Golding Goes Behind the Scenes of Her Trilogy of Brampton Historical Novels

Date

March 22, 2021

Lynne Golding's historical trilogy, the Beneath the Alders series, delves into Brampton history as a lens to tell universal stories while still paying homage to the small town roots of what has become a large Ontario city.

From family secrets to love stories to the First World War and Spanish flu epidemic, the three novels encompass a sprawling historical epic, all centred around Jessie Stephens and her family.

Golding has recently completed the series, with the final book, The Mending (Blue Moon Publishers) out now. As a final send off to her project, 15 years in the making, she created a video to talk directly to readers about where her ideas came from and what the experience of writing the books was like.

The video functions as both a primer on Golding's series and a peek into her encyclopedic knowledge of and passion for Brampton history. For fans of historical fiction, it's a fabulous glimpse into both the writing process and a homegrown epic.

Buy the Book

The Mending

Lynne Golding, Blue Moon Publishers

As the world settled the treaty to the recently concluded war-to-end-all-wars, and as the Canadian government repatriated the brave members of her expeditionary force, Canadians sought two things above all else: an end to the beleaguered state suffered during the war, and a return to the innocence that preceded it.

In the final book of the Beneath the Alders trilogy, Jessie Stephens discovers that neither is entirely possible. Set between 1918 and 1931, Jessie comes of age on the heels of the Spanish flu epidemic, in a time where skirt hems rose, marriageable men were in short supply, and compliance with temperance laws fell. As modern medical, dental, and training programs strove to restore the lives of the war's injured, Jessie is a student at the University of Toronto, a mourner in the fields of France, a tourist in European capitals, a love struck guide in the hills of Caledon, and a devoted family member in her home town of Brampton. As she uncovers the secrets that have beset her since her earliest days, and others of more recent discovery, Jessie, her family, and her community begin to mend.