From her move to Saskatchewan from Quebec in the early 1900s, to raising a family through the ’30s, Marie Anne Lacaille lived her life with style, humour and an ability to create spectacular meals.
She would have described herself as an ordinary woman, but to her granddaughter and her family, she was an inspiration, the source of her family’s strength, and an incredible cook.
The Work of Her Hands is Plynn Gutman’s effort to capture her grandmother’s stories and to recreate a way of life that has all but vanished from our memories.
Above all, Gutman values the story.
“When we share our stories from the heart of experience or the mind of imagination, we inform ourselves and often help others as we express our humanity in all its beauty and angst.”
This story of the hardest years in the history of Saskatchewan may be one we think we know — but personalized through the experiences and recipes of Marie Anne Lacaille we will come to know intimately.
Meet author and granddaughter Plynn Gutman as she presents her tribute The Work of Her Hands at the Laughing Oyster Bookshop in Courtenay on May 3 at 2 p.m. For information, call 250-334 2511.
— Laughing Oyster Bookshop
