Mrs. Mike
by Benedict and Nancy Freedman
When sixteen year old Katherine Mary (Kathy) O’Fallon leaves Boston in the early 1900’s to travel to Calgary, Alberta, she begins the adventure of a lifetime. She lives briefly with her uncle hoping to improve her health, but she falls in love with Mike Flannigan, a sergeant in the Canadian Mounted Police. He is kind, courageous, and handsome. They marry and live in the wilderness of “the North” in very difficult and dangerous conditions—overwhelmingly cold in the winter and slushy wet in the summer with mosquitoes bent on driving them crazy.
From both Mike and the natives, Kathy learns hard lessons about survival in the wilderness. It is a time and place when women undergo difficult pregnancies and childbirths without medical intervention. Families are wiped out by plagues, fire, and hunger. Although Kathy was treated well, that was not the case for many women. Their status was low, especially if they were native or half-breeds. Their languages and customs were different from her own, but she cultivated friendships based on common suffering and aid.
Mrs. Mike is historical fiction, but it is based on the life of Katherine Mary Flannigan. Full of adventure, history, and romance, Mrs. Mike is well written with great descriptions of the hardships of travel and the beauty of the northern wilderness. The reader experiences the tragedies of life and death along with people who endure the cold and scarcity of necessities, but have the moral fortitude to share and help their neighbors.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction
Publication: 1947—Berkley Books
Memorable Lines:
These big things, these terrible things, are not the important ones. If they were, how could one go on living? No, it is the small, little things that make up a day, that bring fullness and happiness to a life.
I couldn’t stand so many people so close to me. I was overpowered by the noise, the perfume, the decorations, and by the glare of the electric lights. After the soft glow of candles, everything seemed harsh and artificially bright.
The heart is a resilient thing, capable of enduring great pain and still finding joy.
education pathways 
This sounds like an excellent book, Linda. It was truly a difficult time to live, especially for women. I like the sound of this one, thanks for sharing it. I see this is a trilogy, are you going to read more? My library his this one, so it is now on my Want to Read list (if I get more time).
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Although I enjoyed this one, I’m not inspired to read more. It was written much later than Mrs. Mike.
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It sounds like the MC’s endured many harsh realities of life where they lived.
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Sorry, I didn’t mean to hit the reply button.
I think it takes special individuals to thrive in the environment described. I really liked the quotes you mentioned. Great review, Linda.
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I agree. Once I get cold it is really hard to get warm again. In our current frigid temps I am drinking a lot of hot tea!
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I’m sitting in front of a space heater as I’m typing this. 😆
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Thanks, Laurie. I would have a hard time having a positive attitude. When I get cold, I want to know that I will get warm again.
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You and me both. 🤷🏽♀️
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Lovely quotes! Thanks for the suggestion.
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Thank you, Crystal. We have a feels like of -13℉ this morning so I understand the brrr factor.
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It was 11 this morning where I am in North Texas, not far from OK. Not sure what the “feels like” was, but I can confirm it felt sub zero. Now to face the wilderness.
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🥶
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I remember reading this book years ago and enjoying it very much. I’m putting it on my TBR list for a revisit based on your 5/5 rating, Linda. It must still be a worthwhile story!
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It is a good one, Nancy. Some people in my group were upset by the term ” ‘breed,” but it was different times and a different culture. Although I would never refer to someone (or even think of them) that way I don’t believe in rewriting an author’s work to update it. We need to recognize our past to be able to move past it. Enjoy if you reread.
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Another good book and it sounds like we will appreciate the time we live in once we read this book. Thank you!
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You are so right!
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