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The Rural Voice, 1993-01, Page 34HAUGHHOLM BOOKS NEWJohn Deere Jew DEERE Two Cylinder Buyer's nR,crureK rxura Guide John Deere tractors from 1912 - 1990. Model by model history :19.95 • Many other books & decals available 1 mile east of Brucefield on Huron Cty. Rd. 3 519-522-0248 (Allan Haugh) Open. Mon - Fri. 8-12 a.m & 1-5 p.m. Sat., Sun & evenings by appointment See us at the Canadian International Fann Equipment Show, January 19-2Z Toronto. READY TO LAY PULLETS BABY CH CKS /, BABCOCK WHITE & BROWN EGG LAYERS FISHER POULTRY FARM INC. AYTON ONT. NOG 1C0 519-665-7711 The "Pellet Pro" • The new alternative fuel stove • Burns cont or wood pellets • High Efficiency • Thermostat Controlled • Requires No Chimney • Gets up to 55,000 BTU of Environmentally Friendly Heat — SALES REPRESENTATIVES — Don Fluney Welding R. R. 6, SHELBURNE, Ont. LON 1S9 Tel. 925-5793 Fax 925-6224 30 THE RURAL VOICE Book review Region's history alive in continuing saga BY GERRY McDONNELL Beulah Homan's book continues the story told in A Place Called the Ridge and Daybreak at the Ridge which told us about a couple of gene- rations of the Sandy family who pio- neered and prospered in the Gloucest- er (Goderich) area of southwestern Ontario. After travelling from Eng- land in the nineteenth century they be- came business people, wealthy enough to afford servants and trips to New York and back to the mother country seemingly whenever they wished. In this volume we are concerned with Gilbert, his wife Catherine, their children and the period from 1914 to 1927. The Sandys experience real dif- ficulties in this period as did the rest of the world. Their son, Adam, enlists in the Army and is sent to England and France during the First World War. He suffers wounds twice and eventually dies leaving behind a fian- cee he had met while in the army hos- pital. She marries his cousin Edwin in England and continues the interweav- ing with the Sandy family. Adam's death ends, before it has begun, the achievements of a brilliant painter. The War is followed by the great influenza epidemic which strikes at the whole community as well as the fancily and leaves behind great devastation and suffering in the form of bereavement. The deaths include Clarissa, another child of Gilbert and Catherine. Perhaps more than in the first two volumes we encounter the problems of the greater world and the involvement of the Sandys in the larger community. Adam's sister, Andrea, marries a minister who progresses from a charge in Lucknow to Toronto to Ottawa. Along the way there is a family of 10 Children. It is during the trips to Lucknow for christenings that we leam a good deal about the problems of car tires during the 1920s. Toni, another child of Gibert and Catherine, pursues singing lessons as her mother had but does not look for a great career travelling the world. It is during a trip that she meets her husband, Guy, however. Gil goes away to pursue a career in the development of tires for cars so none of the children becomes owner of the family sawmill business and there is a takeover by another busi- ness. Animosity is soon overcome, however, as the new owner marries into the family and promises to expand that enterprise and make it even more profitable. His family is also in the lumber business and this means even more connections. The circle in which the family moves locally is still circumscribed by circumstance and station in life when we are talking about Gloucester and environs and even in the larger world. Only people similar to the Sandys are ever described and developed in detail. Other people exist only in outline if at all. There is a good deal of melodrama in the story but it is, nevertheless, interesting to read a story set in this area and one which flows along smoothly. Even if the community or scene being described is not the one the reader thinks it is, a sense of community and the familiar is evoked. We can all dream about the days when servants were more common and even the family of a small businessman could afford them. This is a realistc story for servants were common as everyone had a relative or knew someone who had gone into service. Loyalty to an employee was common even though we hear far more about tyrannical employers and the exploita- tion of the working class. As well, we see the conditions of the past in an area with which we are familiar. The trip from Goderich to Lucknow can be imagined along with the relief of the Sandys that it was completed without a single tire problem. This book is recommended as a good historical read about the commu- nity which many of us know and love.0 Summer at the Ridge by Beulah Homan, published by Natural Heri- tage/Natural History Inc., Toronto. Jerry McDonnell is a school librarian at Wingham and a frequent book reviewer.