Such Miracles and Mischiefs
Trudy J Morgan-Cole
Breakwater Books

Pirates, plantations and partnerships that have survived decades; secrets and seashores and seemingly insurmountable challenges on the shores of the New Found Land, circa the early 1600s. 

Trudy Morgan-Cole’s latest novel, the second in her Cupids Trilogy, Such Miracles and Mischiefs, is a wonderful read, presenting Newfoundland history as we’ve not seen it before, focusing on women’s colonial experiences. 

From early in her story, Morgan-Cole establishes the reasonable fear of pirates as a constant reality for her characters: “Kathryn stood, put aside her sewing, and took her son from Bess’s arms, holding him close as if the warmth of his little body were a shield. Pirates? Fire? The warm day grew cold around her.” 

The story begins when pirates attack the Guy family’s plantation near Cupids.Nancy Ellis needs all her ingenuity to survive in the hands of lawless men. Meanwhile, her employer and friend, Kathryn Guy, must rebuild a home on the harsh shores of the New Found Land.

I will be certainly purchasing copies for family this Christmas, to honour my grandmother, who held dear her roots on the West Coast of that New Found Land and the Mi’kmaw, Acadian and Irish that made up her bloodline. I felt a certain sense of pride in reading about Newfoundland and how it was in the early days. A geographical event, this novel is a special opportunity and one that Newfoundlanders will be particularly proud of.