The Brideship Wife by Leslie Howard

 This story of the brideship women is relatively unknown chapter of Canadian history. The idea was to give the women of different backgrounds including impoverished gentlewomen and serving class a chance to marry or live independently in the colony of British Columbia. Where there were supposedly more opportunities, which later turned out not necessarily true.

England, 1862. Charlotte, impoverished gentlewoman, at the age of twenty-one is not ready to get married and a position of a governess entails the exhausting boredom. She craves something more exciting. She inherits her father’s adventurous and independent spirit.

She is told about the Columbia Emigration Society, which sends ships of unmarried women to the colonies. “The idea is to give the women a chance to marry or live independently in the colony of British Columbia, where there are more opportunities.”

Even with her adventures spirit, she is hesitant at first as she doesn’t want to share the unknown land with unlawful men. But an unfavorable situation at home puts her straight on the ship to Americas.

While crossing the oceans on the ship she gets to assist a doctor in seeing patients. It gives her an enjoyment she hasn’t foreseen. And the suffering she witnesses on her daily rounds is heartbreaking and eye-opening.

Once in the New World, the bridesmaids learn that the better opportunities don’t include the serving class. The life here is actually not that much better than at home.

The historical background is what I’d consider a pretty light one. It of course involves limitations opposed on women of the time, Proclamation of 1860 – promise of free land if you’re married and promise to farm or ranch the land, exploitation of the natives, the epidemics that wiped out villages. However, whatever is presented, it doesn’t go into details or it’s very brief.

The heroine is pretty independent and takes the challenges on. She has her dreams and she takes steps towards those dreams. There is some light romance and friendships.

It is told with simple prose. What kept me interested in the story was how her new life would look like and how the life in the New World would be depicted.

I hoped what was left behind in England would be the past and new beginnings would happen in the New World, but there was unnecessary mulling on the ship over the past, which looked like it might follow her. And a bit of it did, but that part was brief and fine.

Release date: 5 May 2020

Source: Simon & Schuster