How do the three decks on board the Tynemouth illustrate the strictures of Victorian society? How do these start to break down over the course of the journey?
Charlotte begins to learn about the injustices around her through the people she interacts with, especially John, Sarah, and Dr. Carson. What do each of them teach her?
British imperialism is a key theme in the novel. What role do women play in Britain’s plans to expand its empire? Who ultimately benefits from colonization? Who suffers the most? How does the novel present inequality as synonymous with colonialism?
Charlotte is an avid reader. What do books offer her? How do they expand her worldview?
Charlotte mentions Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In what ways does The Brideship Wife echo the themes of that novel? In what ways does it depart?
Despite her growing feelings for him, Charlotte turns down John’s marriage proposal. What does British Columbia offer her that he can’t?
Consider the gift of the emerald necklace, which Miss Wiggins says symbolizes rebirth. What does it come to symbolize when Charlotte loses it? What does the loss mean for her journey toward self-realization?
At the beginning of the novel, we learn that Charlotte has no dowry, but this proves to be untrue. How does the dowry take on new and different meanings throughout the story? How do Harriet’s final actions subvert the patriarchal norms of the dowry?
Miss Wiggins doesn’t marry because of the birthmark on her face, and after the fire, Charlotte has a scar on her cheek. What do these marks represent for each of them? What does this mirroring suggest?
In the novel, British Columbia is a symbol of freedom for the emigrant women, but many old ways of thinking persist. Discuss how different ethnicities, such as black and Indigenous peoples, are marginalized. How are land ownership and wealth at the centre of this mistreatment? What issues still linger, unresolved, at the end of the novel? What does this say about colonialism?
By the end of the novel, Charlotte has regained much of what she lost, and it’s only then that she chooses marriage. Do you think her decision complicates this hard-won autonomy? Why or why not?
Discuss the significance of the title The Brideship Wife.
Enhance Your Book Club
Brideships are a little-known chapter of Canadian history. Learn more about this moment in time and the real women who came here on board the Tynemouth: https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/women/crinoline-cargo.
When Charlotte travels to Barkerville, she sees firsthand the changes made to the land because of the Cariboo gold rush, which went on from 1860 to 1863. To find out more about the gold rush, visit the Royal BC Museum learning portal here: https://learning.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/pathways/bcs-gold-rush/.
Governor James Douglas and his wife, Amelia (née Connolly), were real historical figures. Read more about Amelia here: http://www.metismuseum.ca/media/db/07419.
About the Author
Bopomo Pictures
Leslie Howard grew up in Penticton, British Columbia, where she developed a passion for the province’s history. A graduate of Ottawa’s Carleton University in economics and political science, she now divides her time between Vancouver and Penticton, where she and her husband grow cider apples. The Brideship Wife is her debut novel. Connect with her on Twitter @AuthorLeslieH or visit her at www.LeslieHoward.ca.
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Sources
The following publications provided factual information about the story’s time and place and the people involved.
BOOKS
Basque, Garnet. Gold Panner’s Manual. Victoria, BC: Heritage House Publishing, 2012.
Bridge, Kathryn, ed. New Perspectives on the Gold Rush. Victoria, BC: Royal BC Museum, 2015.
Downs, Art, ed. Cariboo Gold Rush: The Stampede that Made BC. Toronto: Heritage House Publishing, 2013.
Illing, Thora Kerr. Gold Rush Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Nellie Cashman. Victoria, BC: TouchWood Editions, 2016.
Johnson, Peter. Voyages of Hope: The Saga of the Bride-Ships. Victoria, BC: TouchWood Editions, 2002.
Kelm, Mary-Ellen. Colonizing Bodies: Aboriginal Health and Healing in British Columbia, 1900–50. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1998.
Perry, Adele. On the Edge of Empire: Gender, Race, and the Making of British Columbia. Toronto; Buffalo, NY: University of Toronto Press, 2001.
Van Kirk, Sylvia. Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur-Trade Society, 1670–1870. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1983.
Verney, Edmund Hope. Vancouver Island Letters of Edmund Hope Verney 1862–65. Edited by Allan Pritchard. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1996.
ARTICLES
Advertisement for the voyage of the Tynemouth Times of London, May 9, 1862.
Hopper, Tristin. “Everyone Was Dead: When Europeans First Came to B.C., They Stepped into the Aftermath of a Holocaust.” National Post, February 21, 2017. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/everyone-was-dead-when-europeans-first-came-to-b-c-they-confronted-the-aftermath-of-a-holocaust.
Indigenous Corporate Training, Inc. “The Impact of Smallpox on First Nations on the West Coast.” April 17, 2017. ictinc.ca/blog/the-impact-of-smallpox-on-first-nations-on-the-west-coast.
Museum of Health Care at Kingston. “Smallpox” in the online exhibit Vaccines and Immunization: Epidemics, Prevention, and Canadian Innovation. https://www.museumofhealthcare.ca/explore/exhibits/vaccinations/smallpox.html.
Notice of the arrival of the Tynemouth British Colonist, September 11, 1862.
Ostroff, Joshua. “How a Smallpox Epidemic Forged Modern British Columbia.” Maclean’s, August 1, 2017. https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/how-a-smallpox-epidemic-forged-modern-british-columbia/.
VIDEO
Sullivan, Sam. Revisiting B.C. History: The smallpox epidemic of 1862 Vancouver Is Awesome, May 10, 2018. https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2018/05/10/smallpox-bc-1862/.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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