Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor
Scholastic Canada, Dear Canada Series
On July 8th, 1892, a barn caught fire in St. John’s Newfoundland. The City had turned off the water supply to make repairs that day, and a nearby tank of water to put out fires was empty. The day was windy and the weather had been unusually hot for weeks. Flames quickly spread to nearby buildings and the wind began to blow burning debris toward the harbour. By the next morning, the entire downtown was destroyed and about one third of the population was homeless. There were only two deaths.
Flame and Ashes tells this story through the fictional diary of Triffie Winsor, the middle child of a wealthy merchant family that loses everything in the fire. Adventurous Triffie loves beautiful things. As her family moves into an abandoned warehouse on the untouched South Side of the harbour, she begins to understand how people who have little help those with even less.
Read part of Flame and Ashes on Scholastic’s website.
Awards
Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award, Bruneau Family Children’ Literature Award
Newfoundland Heritage and History Books Award, Children’s Book
Why I Wrote This Book
I love writing historical fiction and welcomed the chance to learn more about the city where I live by diving into historical documents about the fire and its aftermath during the summer of 1892. The fictional diary is a challenging format and Triffie’s character took some tweaking. Finally, I hit on a slightly spoiled but loyal and optimistic eleven year old. Triffie is opinionated, lively and very much aware that she will never be like the well-behaved girls around her. I put her into a carefully researched setting, she took off, and it was all I could do to keep up with her. Even though the characters face difficult circumstances, I wanted this book to be upbeat and cheerful. This story also gave me a chance to explore how losing material possessions could give someone a new set of values.
Here is Scholastic Canada’s discussion guide for Flame and Ashes.
Reviews for Flame and Ashes: The Great Fire Diary of Triffie Winsor
“I think this particular novel will appeal to girls of about 8 to 12 years old who enjoyed reading Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden. It is richly old fashioned in its language, and the events as described portray a fascinating time and place, and a way of life that is long gone.”
— Parry Sound Books
“Set in St. John’s, NL, in 1892, this fictional narrative provides a dramatic account of the horrific fire that destroyed almost two-thirds of the city. Triffie is the daughter of a wealthy merchant ... in her diary, Triffie describes the fire, as well as the aftermath in the days and weeks that followed. She creates a vivid picture of the event and its impact, and in the process, also manages to highlight the unique and irrepressible spirit of this place and its people.”
— Atlantic Books