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Trouble and Strife
Sometimes the smallest voices make the deepest impact.
Josephine Hadley, a 1930s Canadian housewife, fills her days looking after her children, her indifferent husband and a stream of Depression-era visitors. Her contribution to her guests is a bowl of stew and an open heart.
Her small world, however, is soon shattered by a tragic event which forces her to become the breadwinner. Can she run a business without sacrificing herself? And is it possible to act on a long-buried desire without remorse?
Johanne Levesque’s first novel, Trouble and Strife, is a poignant and heartbreaking look at a woman’s life in a fast-changing time. With intimate details and a deft poetic touch, Levesque has captured the spirit of an age where war and economic hardship altered the workplace, home and women’s lives forever.
Josephine Hadley, a 1930s Canadian housewife, fills her days looking after her children, her indifferent husband and a stream of Depression-era visitors. Her contribution to her guests is a bowl of stew and an open heart.
Her small world, however, is soon shattered by a tragic event which forces her to become the breadwinner. Can she run a business without sacrificing herself? And is it possible to act on a long-buried desire without remorse?
Johanne Levesque’s first novel, Trouble and Strife, is a poignant and heartbreaking look at a woman’s life in a fast-changing time. With intimate details and a deft poetic touch, Levesque has captured the spirit of an age where war and economic hardship altered the workplace, home and women’s lives forever.
197 pages, Hardcover
Published March 30, 2018
About the author
Johanne Levesque
3 books11 followersJohanne Levesque graduated from York University with a BA in Psychology. She has completed seven marathons across the United States and Canada. She has been a team lead in the transportation, banking, pension, legal and education sectors. Johanne has been able to make a difference in the lives of nearly two dozen African children by supporting an orphanage in Tanga, Tanzania. She travels to Tanga once a year at the beginning of the school year to make sure all the orphans will be able to afford the fees for tuition, uniforms and school supplies as she believes that education is the key to their success.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 15, 2018
4-star review
I liked this book. It was interesting to read about life and struggle at the time of great depression. I could also relate with the main character, as a few years ago, I found myself in a similar situation. I had to take over the control over the family business, get into areas which were totally alien to me, to make decision for the sake of business and livelihood of my family.
But the decisions that the heroine of the story had made, were not the right one.
She was torn between her feelings and a need for love and strong man shoulder and her duty and obligation towards her sick husband. Even when her husband died, she bore the guilt on her shoulders and made a choice to sacrifice her happiness.
(I would like to thank author for the opportunity to read and review this story. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.)
I liked this book. It was interesting to read about life and struggle at the time of great depression. I could also relate with the main character, as a few years ago, I found myself in a similar situation. I had to take over the control over the family business, get into areas which were totally alien to me, to make decision for the sake of business and livelihood of my family.
But the decisions that the heroine of the story had made, were not the right one.
She was torn between her feelings and a need for love and strong man shoulder and her duty and obligation towards her sick husband. Even when her husband died, she bore the guilt on her shoulders and made a choice to sacrifice her happiness.
(I would like to thank author for the opportunity to read and review this story. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.)
October 10, 2018
Johanne Levesque follows the Canadian Hadley family from 1930 to 1939 during difficult depression-era times in a first-person, diary-like format. Josephine is a housewife whose life changes after family medical and financial problems create challenges. We see how she and her four children adapt over the years. Historical events are woven into the story, and Josephine's letters to her mother are used to help inform readers of family events. The characters are developed through their narrative and behaviors. I especially liked Johanne's support group, a bridge club of interesting, gutsy women.
November 22, 2018
This is a story of 1930s depression era Toronto that brings back to me, many memories of things my mother told us of that time ... she was a young woman starting out in Toronto then. Levesque's characters are realistic and the story ties in actual world events of the era. The family she portrays in Trouble and Strife experiences the highs and lows that many families did during that era. I enjoyed the read very much.
April 30, 2018
Never be dissuaded when you have faith, hope and love.
I was totally enthralled. ..the hope. ..the anguish...the love...the romance...the memories....the loyalty....the conflicts of emotion...It was captivating and very succinct in its themes and always with the right amount of suspense.
I was totally enthralled. ..the hope. ..the anguish...the love...the romance...the memories....the loyalty....the conflicts of emotion...It was captivating and very succinct in its themes and always with the right amount of suspense.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews