Girl in a Blue Bonnet is a rare book. Transcending generations, it's an uplifting, entertaining story of faith and courage told from the vantage point of family by the protagonist's granddaughter-in-law, Dot Scott.
Beginning in 19th century Britain and spanning nearly a hundred years, the book brings to life the story of Daisy Quarterman Scott. Born in 1878, Daisy was the youngest of 11 children and one of only four to survive past early childhood. The book begins when Daisy is eight weeks old.
Scott quickly draws us into the squalour and poverty of Britain in the latter part of the 1800s. Her descriptive skills are such that you can feel the thick pea-soup fog Daisy's father encounters on the last day of his life. And through the author's empathy with her characters, they quickly find a place is our hearts.
Scott tells the story of a young mischievous girl whose highjinks get her in to all sorts of hot water. All that changes when Daisy realizes the potential she has to make a difference in the world. And so, at the end of 1896 at the tender age of 18, Daisy, as a cadet with the Salvation Army, sets sail for South Africa.
At least one person applauds Daisy's decision. In the course of the physical tests she undergoes for the trip, the doctor discovers a patch on the young woman's lung. Staying in England would likely have meant deteriorating health for her.One can only begin to imagine the trepidation Daisy's family must have felt saying goodbye to the brave teen. Nowadays, with the luxury of instantaneous technology, we can hear from world travellers immediately. Then, even the fastest post would take months. Once in South Africa, Daisy willingly went where sent. Again Scott's superior use of description takes us there - from the halls to the docks filled with rats to the parts of the country torn apart by the Boer War. Part geography lesson and part history lesson, the book brings to life that era in South Africa. We shudder when Daisy ends up in the thick of the war. The knowledge the author has of her homeland and her attention to detail in bringing that lore to life are obvious.
The book is also a love story - the love of Daisy for her birth family, her faith family, the Salvation Army, and later for her own family is an important theme throughout the book. When she died at age 94 in 1972, Daisy Scott left an amazing legacy. If you relish reading books that leave you inspired and uplifted, this is the book for you. Appropriate for any adult member of your family, this book would be a wonderful gift for a young person beginning to make their mark in life. You can meet the author at Coast Books in Gibsons on Thursday, Feb. 28, from 2 to 4 p.m. We can only hope that Scott, now a resident of Gibsons, has more of these wonderful tales to share with us. The book is available at Coast Books and Talewind Books in Sechelt.
