This delightful collection of colourful anecdotes from Fay Pettapiece’s upbringing and married life in urban and rural British Columbia brings on both laughter and tears — but more of the former than the latter. The Years Between is a fascinating reflection of British Columbia’s history, as told from the perspective of an only child whose father’s sundry jobs hauled the family from one challenge to the next around the province, and whose grandmother lived a pioneer type of life in Bella Coola.
The author recounts hilarious stories of naively trying to breed a variety of animals for profit, all through trial-and-error; of using her smarts and determination to excel at various jobs, as well as her career as a dietitian; of the adventures she and her family experienced in a series of boats they owned over the years, each determinedly referred to as the ‘never-again.’
There are also more serious historic tales of injustices to Indigenous Peoples, of politics and pollution in Victoria, and of the ravages of pulmonary fibrosis that took her husband too soon.
All the stories combine to make this book a thoroughly enjoyable read.
สารบัญ
Preface
1 My Childhood
- City Life
- Country Life
- Life Improves
2 Reaching Maturity
- Different Forms of Education
3 New Chapters
- A New Family Life
- Animals – Domestic … and Not
- A Dietitian’s Work
- Life in Victoria
4 Travel Tales
- Papua New Guinea
5 Challenges on the Homefront
- Battles for the Community and for Life
- And Life Goes On
เกี่ยวกับผู้แต่ง
Fay Pettapiece may not be a pioneer herself, but some periods of her upbringing, starting in the 1930s in British Columbia, Canada, gave her glimpses into the kind of life that her grandmother and other new Canadians led. Fay, a mother, grandmother and now a widow, lives in Victoria, B.C. She started writing colourful anecdotes about her eclectic upbringing and family life in urban and rural British Columbia and has compiled them into this entertaining and educational book.