Interested in local history? Curious to explore new and old books alike? Wanting to dive into social, political and environmental topics of the past and present? Looking for a chance to have dynamic conversations with like-minded locals? Then the Stories of Canmore Book Club is for you!
As we look to commemorate Remembrance Day in November, we are featuring our first fiction book, If the World is Yours by R.M. Clark, a charming tale awash in Banff history that takes you deep into the lives of the toffs and townsfolk who resided in Alberta”s Rocky Mountains when the Great War broke out. The author, who is based both in the UK and in the Bow Valley, will be joining us.
R.M. Clark always loved wild landscapes. She grew up surrounded by the hauntingly beautiful glens of Scotland and eventually settled in the powerful and mysterious mountains of Alberta. I’ve always cherished the aspiration to write a novel with a connection to my beloved province, and my inspiration came on a snowy evening when I took shelter in the grande dame of the Canadian Rockies, the Banff Springs Hotel. The Gothic Revival architecture; the astounding view over the valley; the history of the two worlds meeting: servants and guests; British and backcountry. I wandered the great halls of that magnificent building and, in a fortunate stroke of serendipity, came upon my characters frozen in time.
To learn more about the Bow Valley and Alberta during the First World War, we have a number of of other publications in the Canmore Museum Book Shop:
- The Frontier of Patriotism: Alberta and the First World War edited by Adriana Davies and Jeff Koshen
- Park Prisoners by Bill Waiser