Prairie Willow

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is also the
author of The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek, and
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Hom

This is the story of the continuity of generations and the significance
of roots.

Emily is a young girl, perhaps 5, when she and her family reach their
homestead on the Canadian prairies, build a sod house, and plant wheat
and a kitchen garden. The following spring, when the little girl is
allowed to choose from a catalogue “the little extra” that the
family needs most, she selects a weeping willow. The tiny tree duly
arrives, and it and the two children grow up together. Emily’s young
brother is killed in the war, but Emily survives to have children and
grandchildren, who listen to her tales of early life on the homestead
and what the willow meant to her and her family. Deep-rooted, it has
survived and grown, like the family.

The language in Prairie Willow is simple but powerful. Most of the
book’s colorful and evocative paintings reflect both seasonal moods
and human feelings. Prairie Willow catches the essence of the pioneers,
their optimism and indomitable spirit. Highly recommended.