The Stone House by Mary Mueller

The Stone House is the story of a young Irish family in the mid 19th century as seen through the eyes of 14-year-old Christina Dobbins. The family is forced to flee Ireland because her hot-tempered father gets himself in trouble with Queen Victoria’s soldiers. They make their way to Canada West on a “coffin ship”, where one member of the family succumbs to typhus and is buried at sea. The family barely survives the first winter in the new land, and when tragedy strikes, they must fall back on their own courage and determination. We watch as Christina matures in confidence and grace to become a lovely young woman in the military town of Perth, Ontario. While entirely a work of fiction, the story rings true due to the author’s extensive research into conditions in Ireland and Canada West.