Anthony Robinson

FLORRIE - A journey Anthony Robinson

In 1912, a young woman from Bolton Lancashire loses her fiance to a mill fire. They had planned to emigrate to America and after some thought, she decides to do so on her own. She books passage on the Titanic, where a former English teacher helps her to improve her English. She is one of the few in third (steerage) class to survive the sinking, and on the rescue ship, she is hired as a governess by a wealthy family in Chicago. After six successful years of employment, she marries. and emigrates with her husband to the Canadian prairies, where rich farmland is cheap and plentiful. They survive the 'flu epidemic of 1918-1919 and prosper there until 1929, when, just before the depression hits, they move to British Columbia. They eke out a living on a hardscrabble piece of land until the depression ends, then move to the city of Vancouver. The rest of the story is about their five children and in particular, the contrast between their two daughters.