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In the Wake of Shattered Lives: A Vancouver 1918 Tale of Loss, Love, and Renewal
Paperback
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ISBN13: 9798199598316
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 1 2026
Pages: 366
Weight: 0.97
Height: 0.91 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 1 2026
Pages: 366
Weight: 0.97
Height: 0.91 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
History often records the actions of politicians, generals, industrialists, and revolutionaries. Yet, the true story of any era lies in the lives of ordinary families who must endure the consequences of extraordinary events. In the Wake of Shattered Lives is the story of one such family. Set in Vancouver between 1918 and 1922, this novel follows the fortunes and misfortunes of the Brennan family, an affluent Irish Catholic Canadian clan whose lives are transformed by war, grief, political upheaval, social change, and unexpected love. At the centre stands Patrick Brennan, a prosperous businessman, industrialist, and Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly, who struggles to maintain his family's standing while mourning the death of his beloved wife, Margaret. As he prepares for another election campaign, he finds himself increasingly at odds with his six adult children's convictions and ambitions.
Each member of the Brennan family carries their own burdens and aspirations. Liam serves overseas during the final months of the Great War only to come home to battle the Spanish Flu epidemic. Connor embraces trade unionism and socialist politics on Vancouver's waterfront, tackling racism head-on. Maggie, widowed young and rebellious, seeks to reclaim joy and independence through the theatre and the pursuit of love. Norah dedicates herself to women's rights and social justice, challenging a society determined to silence outspoken women, especially women who choose not to marry. Maeve pursues journalism and political activism while anxiously awaiting word from her fiancé in revolutionary Russia. At the heart of the novel stands Catherine, a war widow whose determination to protect herself from further heartbreak is tested by an unexpected romance, and whose role as the family peacemaker is sorely tested. Against the backdrop of the final months of the First World War and its aftermath, including the devastating Spanish influenza pandemic, labour unrest, political conflict, racism, and the growing movements for social reform, the Brennans confront a rapidly changing world. Their privileged position in Vancouver's prestigious Shaughnessy neighbourhood offers little protection from personal tragedy, public scandal, or the shifting tides of history as the adult children venture out into the world in their quest for modernism and independence, and to hold true to their beliefs, values, and ideals, even when they conflict with those of their father or the upper-class society into which they were born.
This is a story of family loyalty and family conflict, of ideals and ambitions, of love lost and love rediscovered. It explores the tensions between generations, between tradition and progress, between public respectability and private conviction, and between right versus left, conservatism and socialism. Above all, it is a story about resilience-the human capacity to endure loss, rebuild shattered lives, to adapt, and find hope in the uncertain years that follow catastrophes.
While the characters and events in this novel are fictional, they are inspired by the social, political, and cultural realities of early twentieth-century Vancouver. The struggles they face reflect those experienced by countless Vancouverites and Canadians who emerged from the shadow of war only to encounter new challenges in a rapidly changing society.
In the wake of grief, conflict, and upheaval, the Brennans discover what many families throughout history have learned: that even the most fractured lives can be renewed, and that hope often emerges where it is least expected. Welcome to the world of the Brennan family. Also by the author Martha Tecklenburg: Short Story collections The Voices That Sang, The Shape of Her Strength, The Map of Belonging, Beneath Our Shared Sky and Whispers of the Unrequited. She has also published the novel Life Rewoven.
This is a story of family loyalty and family conflict, of ideals and ambitions, of love lost and love rediscovered. It explores the tensions between generations, between tradition and progress, between public respectability and private conviction, and between right versus left, conservatism and socialism. Above all, it is a story about resilience-the human capacity to endure loss, rebuild shattered lives, to adapt, and find hope in the uncertain years that follow catastrophes.
While the characters and events in this novel are fictional, they are inspired by the social, political, and cultural realities of early twentieth-century Vancouver. The struggles they face reflect those experienced by countless Vancouverites and Canadians who emerged from the shadow of war only to encounter new challenges in a rapidly changing society.
In the wake of grief, conflict, and upheaval, the Brennans discover what many families throughout history have learned: that even the most fractured lives can be renewed, and that hope often emerges where it is least expected. Welcome to the world of the Brennan family. Also by the author Martha Tecklenburg: Short Story collections The Voices That Sang, The Shape of Her Strength, The Map of Belonging, Beneath Our Shared Sky and Whispers of the Unrequited. She has also published the novel Life Rewoven.
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Tecklenburg, Martha Marie
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