In the year 1907, all of Brampton is present at the sod-turning ceremony for the Carnegie Library. At the end of the event, the crowd rises as one to walk to the Presbyterian Church for a consecration service... Everyone except Jessie Stephens and her family. Her father will not allow them to enter the Presbyterian Church.
No one will tell young Jessie the reason, but she learns that it has something to do with her grandfather Jesse Brady, who built it. As she seeks to solve that mystery over many years, Jessie slowly begins to learn the history of the town in which she lives. Her tales of everyday life in small town Ontario combine to craft a vivid portrait of a life and a family that are, upon closer inspection, anything but ordinary.
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[As far as first memories go, mine is extremely apt] ***(Blue Moon Publishers, 30 October 2018, ebook, 400 pages, ARC from publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed)
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I'm sorry to say this book didn't really do it for me. It was incredibly dull and insipid. I waded through hundreds of pages of Jessie's observations on the comings and goings in Brampton in the early 1900's. Jessie is 4-6 during these events. Nothing much goes on. The Innocent has plenty of detail in it and some of it is very beautiful. Unfortunately, that's about it. The book is rather flat I'm sorry to say. The book is an easy read but offered little to hold my interest. I found it so dull.
