Hewson, John. Beothuk Vocabularies: A Comparative Study. St. John’s: Newfoundland Museum, 1978.
Howley, James P. The Beothucks or Red Indians: The Aboriginal Inhabitants of Newfoundland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1915. Reprint, Toronto: Coles Publishing Co., 1974. (Includes a Beothuk vocabulary by Reverend John Clinch.)
Mary March Museum.
Notes from the Newfoundland Museum.
prompts for book club discussion
1. Do you feel that the prologue brings a mysterious element to Maiden from the Sea?
2. Do you see the author’s choice of races as historically significant?
3. Discuss the implication of the author using the Great Auk and the Beothuk in this novel.
4. What do you see as symbolism in Genevieve’s journey?
5. How do dream scenes tie in with what is happening in Genevieve’s life?
6. How does surrealism play a part in this novel? Realism?
7. What do you see as the significance of the horse?
8. Each of us is a unique creation. Yet, we are all recycled from those who came before us, nature making itself new in the ever-connected chain of human existence. We each carry physical characteristics of our forebears. Is it possible that we carry snippets of memories that existed before?
9. Do you think genetic memory plays into this story?
10. Would you say that the mind is the most complex and unexplored territory of any part of the human body?
11. Discuss the implications of humans carrying genetic memory, and how trauma may be a trigger in releasing images from the lives of forebears.
12. Do you suppose some phobias have their origins in genetic memory?
13. Do you feel that the mental disorder component to this novel is real?
14. The author says: “The mind is life’s most seasoned traveller.” How does this concept fit into your perspective of yourself as a thinker?
15. Why do you feel people romanticize about the past and its people: to a time they would like to have lived, and as a person they may want to have been?
16. Who do you see as the real character in this novel: Elizabeth or Genevieve?
17. How does the writer use one story to tell another?
18. Would you say the author and the main character in the novel bear a common fantasy: imagination unrestricted by reality?
19. Discuss what the last sentence in the novel implies.
20. How do you see the story progressing from there? Where would its intrigue take you?
also by nellie p. strowbridge
Catherine Snow
An exotic drama in which one man’s mysterious disappearance brings a dark end to three other people. What would it take to destroy an Irish girl who had survived famine and war in Ireland, and a hazardous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, to become a servant-wife on an island where God’s truth and the Devil’s tale are entwined as tight as the strands of a rope? This novel is based on the true story of the last woman hanged in Britain’s oldest colony, the only woman in the colony to have a gruesome sentence—the ultimate desecration—carried out on her body. A novel in which truth lies suspended between fact and fiction. A haunting mystery.
Fiction: Historical • Paperback, 359 pages
$19.95 • ISBN 978-1-897317-46-4
Catherine Snow
“The story is a gripping one and a very clear picture of what life in the early 1800s in Newfoundland was like for a woman.”
the northeast avalon times
“The balance between fiction and reality provide the reader with an opportunity to empathize with Catherine and her family while obtaining an account of what is known historically.”
atlantic books today
“Catherine Snow is well written and doesn’t get bogged down by history. The story of this woman’s life and how it seemed to be determined by events out of her control is never lost. Strowbridge writes interesting characters—particularly the female ones.”
the chronicle herald
“An exotic tale of a woman’s tragedy and how the actions of others can result in disaster, Strowbridge gives a true description of Newfoundland in the 19th century, as well as explicit detail into the last moments of a woman’s life.”
current
“A fascinating novel.”
new glasgow news
“There are many—his writer included—who now consider Newfoundland to be the epicentre of the country’s narrative voice and a key component of our national identity. Some say it is a sense of community, others point to the area’s inspiring landscape, while others cite the province’s Celtic storytelling roots. All three of those elements come to play in Catherine Snow, the fictionalized account of one young Irish girl’s tryst with tragedy.”
the chronicle herald
also by nellie p. strowbridge
The Newfoundland Tongue
You think you’ve heard everything about Newfoundland and Labrador, but . . . Have you had a meal of padre? Have you ever seen a shalandi? Have you heard of basket soup? Would you find the term dry dough offensive? You’ve tried figgy duff, but have you eaten cod sounds? Work your tongue through conversational one-liners and much more! This book is a tribute to Newfoundland’s unique culture and way of life. It explores the province’s history and folklore, placing a particular emphasis on traditional language, speech, expressions, and dialect. Read, and experience Newfoundland’s Old English and Irish roots as they come to the fore!
History: General • Paperback, 267 pages
$19.95 • ISBN 978-1-897317-23-5
The Newfoundland Tongue
“The vitality of the narrative will make The Newfoundland Tongue a delightful work to dip into or pore over for tourist and ‘livyer’ alike.”
atlantic books today
“Mixing reminiscences with long lists, Strowbridge shows a wry, self-deprecating wit and covers a great deal of ground, from customs and superstitions to weather and medicine.”
canadian geographic
“Nellie Strowbridge writes with freshness, humour and passion.”
the compass
“The Newfoundland Tongue is a lively and interesting read.”
the telegram
“The Newfoundland Tongue is a real treasure.”
the newfoundland herald
also by nellie p. strowbridge
Far From Home
Clarissa, eleven, has been orphaned by a disease that has kept her far from home for as long as she can remember. Despite the many inmates in Dr. Grenfell’s Children’s Home on Newfoundland’s northern tip, she lives a lonely life. Will Clarissa get to go home? If so, what will she discover about her past that will help her understand why she spent her childhood at the orphanage? The story begins in 1924 at St. Anthony, with flashbacks to earlier times. Shortlisted for the 2006 Newfoundland and Labrador Historic Sites Heritage and History Award.
Fiction: Historical • Pennywell Books • Paperback, 224 pages
$16.95 • ISBN 978-1-894463-61-4
Far From Home
“This book is involving, informative and refreshingly unsentimental regarding children who are often cruel to each other and certainly always merciless towards starfish and sculpins.”
the telegram
“The whole book is studded with wonderful, fresh, rich words and phrases that stimulate, enrich and enlighten your understanding of life in the 1920s on this island.”
the northeast avalon times
Contents
dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the author
sources researched
prompts for book club discussion
also by nellie p. strowbridge
also by nellie p. strowbridge
also by nellie p. strowbridge
Maiden from the Sea Page 16