Author Margaret Kell Virany finds a romantic love story from the twenties buried in letters, journals, diaries and photos left by her parents. A spark ignited in World War I develops into a lasting love in the snowy expanses and frozen lakes of the northern Manitoba bush inhabited by the Swampy Cree. They were an unlikely pair. She was a city councilor's daughter from Portsmouth, England (pop. 190,000) and he was a farmer's son from Cookstown, Ontario, Canada (pop. 550 not counting the pigs, sheep, horses and cows). They met in 1917 when her father, a Sunday school teacher, invited some colonial servicemen home for tea. The courtship is conducted on onion skin stationery over 5,000 miles between fog and bog. The writing recounts serving with the Canadian Navy in the North Sea, flying from London to Paris in 1927, crossing the Atlantic, canoeing up the fur trade route, and trekking in winter on a cariole toboggan to get to the hospital for a baby to be born. Day-to-day life of aboriginals is observed, and the positive role of missionaries in that era. More than just a northern adventure story, it is the hard journey of two souls seeking to create a better world after the trauma of the war. The love story is presented by the author but written in Kathleen and Jack's own words. A vivid portrayal of the idealism, optimism, earnestness and romanticism of a young couple. He, returned from fighting in The Great War (1914-1918) and she, an English city girl, willing to become a minister's wife in Canada's northern forests. I loved it. J. De Lacy This unusual love story is a tribute to innocent, pure love. Jack went through hardship...to set an example to get (the Crees') trust...His school started with one kid and built up to 21...Kathleen was in medical school till her fiancé died...It's romantic how Jack waited for her letters...his actions were passionate and emotional...Love across the globe takes determination and loyalty. How they marry and she (endures) the journey are written and presented beautifully...you cannot twist the story in any way for it would take away the authenticity. Official OnlineBookClub.org review Virany tells her mother Kathleen's story in superb writing style. War brides moved thousands of miles away - joining their husband, a man they barely knew. Jack worked and lived on the remote reservation of Oxford House, Manitoba, in Canada's northern wilderness, close to Hudson Bay. After the author's parents died, she found diaries, photographs and love letters that let us peek into a fascinating social history, describing challenges and details of pioneer life...I read this book with great pleasure, almost non-stop. It is a real page turner! Doris Maria Heilmann This book on the author's parents and their short sojourn in Northern Canada 90 years ago breathes life into a picture of native relations, missionary fever, and northern living. I found the story to be captivating and enjoyable - the story line is clear and focused, and it is written with a sense of excitement and involvement that captures the reader's attention. The fact that the author is writing a brief history of her own parents in rough living conditions and with a different set of cultures show how much the background of our north has changed in less than a century. /Robert Brown It is a beautiful love story, quick read and meaningful pictures that really capture your heart. I'm not familiar with the Canadian landscape, but this makes me want to research more! Stephanie Brown Aquino In this book I have kept much of the material from my family memoir, A Book of Kells: Growing Up in an Ego Void, without its autobiographical trappings. In Kathleen's Cariole Ride I've just helped my parents tell their story of love, transatlantic courtship and daring adventure in their own words. I was overwhelmed by what they kept and felt they wanted me to pass along their life story. Cover photo: Big Lad pulls Kathleen over to the Hudson Bay Post in Oxford House for a cup of tea while Cree children hitch a ride at the back of the cariole. For photos of Tommy, the real hero of this story, see the beginning of chapter 4, Courting an English Girl While Living in the Bush, and chapter 10, The Cariole Ride. Margaret Kell Virany has a BA in English Language & Literature from the University of Toronto where she learned journalism and met her husband on the student newspaper.  As grandparents, they sail, ski, canoe, travel, garden and enjoy their family. She and Thomas live in the Aylmer sector of Gatineau, Québec, across the river from Ottawa.