Canada, by Jove

Canada by Jove is a historical fiction novel about a handsome and daring young Englishman, Bert White, who accompanies his brother, Ernie, on a journey across the ocean to Canada in 1910. They leave England with only a few pence in their pockets, but with their pleasing personalities, musical talents and imaginations, they arrive in Montreal with enough cash to enjoy a few weeks of leisure before looking for employment.

This novel takes the reader on a journey through the towns and cities of 1900s Canada from the East Coast to the West Coast. Readers experience the hardships that early settlers had to endure, and except for the town of Glory, all the cities and towns mentioned in this book are, or were, real.

Bert is willing to try his hand at any job that comes his way but he soon discovers that being a cowboy isn’t as romantic as he had imagined and a hobo’s life isn’t enviable.

In Calgary Bert meets Nell, a pretty young girl who has come from Nova Scotia to stay with her sister and brother-in-law. They marry and after their fourth child is born, they set out on a journey by car for Vancouver—a four month journey in an older model touring car, loaded down with all their belongings and tenting gear, through mountains and canyons on dirt, trail-like roads. The dangers they encounter on this trip are frightening but the scenery and the towns they visit make it all worth while.
Join this extra-ordinary couple as they build a life and raise a family at a time when the Canadian west was in its infancy.