Books - Sweet Ride (Anne Barry, Windy Wood Publishing)

Anne Barry's Sweet Ride is a wonderful story about four women who set off in 1943 on bicycles through rural Nova Scotia. Their goal: To see a live performance of Don Messer's Jubilee in Charlottetown, P.E.I.!

The writing is rich with detail of the places and conversations, and the stops and sights the women enjoyed along the way. Memorable for me, was reading about the four women seeking shelter from the rain in a barn only to be joined by a brigade of soldiers on exercise as they trained for overseas duty. The fact that this trip took place during wartime adds a second rich storyline to the expedition!

Anne Barry was inspired to write Sweet Ride after she found the journal her mother had kept during the "vacation". Adding to the text are photos of the journal itself, places the women stayed and landmarks from that period in history.

I had the chance to meet Anne and her enthusiasm for (writing about) this trip could only be exceeded by the women's excitement in doing it.

If you ever thought about taking a bicycle trip, this book reminds us of how little you really need and how wonderful and worthwhile it is. 

Oh, and these are signed copies!! Thank you Anne!