"Cathi Bond is a teller of stories, of emotions, of love and loss. 'Bessie' is just that–a family saga whose characters will stay with you long after you have put the book down."
- Christian Fennell, Montreal Publishing Company, Editor-in-chief, The Nelligan Review
APRIL 2024
BESSIE
A Woman of Good Standing Trilogy
"A novel that celebrates the indomitable spirit of women who held families together in the face of adversity, prepare to be swept away by Bessie. A fast-paced, beautifully written story that will evoke a myriad of emotions that will leave you cheering, contemplating, and moved to tears. With its compelling characters and gripping plot, Bessie is one book that will keep you enthralled from the first page to the last."
— San Francisco Book Review
A sweeping family saga beginning in The Great Depression, Bessie tells the story of a struggling nation and ends with the heart-breaking personal sacrifices made during the Second World War. At its center is Bessie Barnes, a mother of two, determined to be seen as a woman of good standing within her rural community.
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Bessie’s personal world is suddenly upended when Edward, a young historian she met at a dance when she was only 19, turns up on the family’s doorstep penniless - only to discover that he’s her absent brother-in-law. While trying to be a perfect wife, perfect mother, and a perfect neighbour, Bessie, pushed to her breaking point, comes to realize that ultimately, all that is required of her is to be true to her own heart.
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Bessie is the first book in Cathi Bond’s trilogy, A Woman of Good Standing.
A Woman of Good Standing trilogy takes us back to the last century, and follows the good and bad fortunes of three different women born from the same family: Bessie, Maddy, and Thea. Crossing three unique periods in history, we watch them, their struggles, become the best version of themselves, despite the turmoils and challenges shaping their eras.
montrealpublsihing.com
montrealpublsihing.com
This is one of those books that is difficult to put down once you start reading. The characters just grab you and won’t let go. A masterful, skillfully told story. You will want to buy extra copies for friends.
-Don Oravec,
former Executive Director at The Writers' Trust of Canada.
Praise & Reviews
Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and World War II, Cathi Bond weaves together the compelling tale of the Barnes family. Filled with desire and repression, joy and despair, anger and forgiveness, this sensitively told saga will draw you in and keep you engrossed until the equally heartbreaking and uplifting last page." -
- Elyse Friedman,
critically acclaimed author, screenwriter, poet and playwright.
"Cathi Bond weaves a narrative that will tug at your heartstrings as Edward's enduring love for Bessie unfolds amidst the struggles of a bygone era. A novel that celebrates the indomitable spirit of women who held families together in the face of adversity, prepare to be swept away by Bessie. A fast-paced, beautifully written story that will evoke a myriad of emotions that will leave you cheering, contemplating, and moved to tears. With its compelling characters and gripping plot, Bessie is one book that will keep you enthralled from the first page to the last."
— San Francisco Book Review
Cathi Bond is a talented writer who knows how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats. 'Bessie' is a triumph and a testament to her storytelling abilities.
-Reader
APPEARANCES
reading at Music and Books, Ayr, Ontario
interview with emily weedon - june 15, 2024
Reading at Music and Books in Ayr was a true joy. There were home baked cookies and I even had my own cushy chair in the front window. The crowd included neighbours, strangers and my Aunt Lil even showed up. The big kick was actually cold selling Bessie to people who had never heard of me before. I'll be ready to work at a car dealership soon. Stay posted. Next week it's Chapters Indigo in Toronto and then Lakehouse Books in Port Stanley. If it remains this hot, I'll be diving into Lake Ontario. Stay cool my friends. Cathi
RAMBLES ON BOOKS AND WRITING
interview with emily weedon - may 2, 2024
Emily Weedon, the hardest working writer I've ever met, kindly invited me to her house for an interview. I'm learning a lot from Emily about solo promotion. That girl is at a different bookstore all over Ontario nearly every day of the week reading from her new novel Autokrator. And Emily also writes a blog on top of everything else. Big boots to fill. Thanks for the lessons Emily.
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toronto queer noir- reading
The Black EAGLE - june 5
I read at one of Toronto's biggest leather bars. Hardly the place I'd ever think of reading from Bessie! So I decided to go with something darker from my new novel Maddy. I read last, a fearsome place to be, but it was as quiet as a cemetery while I read. And big claps ensued. The crowd was terrific and I look forward to going back there with Jeffrey Round and Hope Thompson, two prominent figures on the Toronto literary scene.
BOOK LAUNCH BESSIE
GLAD DAY BOOKSHOP
toronto
APRIL 22,2024
For some reason lately I've been thinking about the long dead comic, Henny Youngman, master on the one-liner, and on that note ... the launch of my book BESSIE at Glad Day Bookshop - a grand success, in large part because of the support from my core group of family, friends, and my sweetheart, Diana, along with the help of Michael Erickson at Glad Day Bookshop. Christian Fennell and Nathalie Guilbeault, my terrific publishers from Montreal Publishing Company, were on hand with a LOT of books driven to Toronto from Montreal. Christian and I had a tremendous amount of fun with the Q&A. And to be honest, I was a bit nervous, but once the questions started to come, nerves flew out the window and I just started talking. And it went very well, I think.
A wise bit of advice to other new writers: When preparing your launch, make sure you evaluate correctly the number of copies you think you will be selling––the tailgate of my vehicle is bulging and the books are VERY heavy. So, if you haven't bought one yet, shoot me an email and I'll even hand deliver!
Thanks again to all that came. I truly appreciate it.
