Book Review – For Elise – Oriole A. Vane Veldhuis

Facts:

Book: For Elise: Unveiling the Forgotten Woman on the Criddle Homestead
Author: Oriole A. Vane Veldhuis
Genre: Creative Non-Fiction
Year of Release: 2012
Read 498-page paperback edition in April 2020

Book Description:

In this creative non-fiction book, Oriole Vane Veldhuis tells the story of her great grandmother Elise, who moved away from Germany to England with her fiance, and then moved as a homesteader from England to Manitoba, southeast of Brandon.

However, the story is much more complex than that. Her fiance, Percy Criddle, did not end up marrying her, although he had children with her while promising her of a future wedding. In the end, he had more children with the woman he ended up marrying, Alice.

Elise was told to take the last name Vane, along with her children. The Vane children were told to always refer to their father as Mr. Criddle. And thus the blended family lived together, homesteading in Manitoba. While Percy chose not to listen to Canadian homesteaders around him, and focus on his own lofty pursuits and pleasures, it led to many years of very rough farming years for the family.

The Vane children worked hard, giving all the money to Mr. Criddle. Elise worked as a servant, never leaving the homestead except to sign papers or support Mr. Criddle’s desires. What kept her going was a goal to make life better for her children, her faith in God, and the letters she exchanged with her brothers and friends back in Europe.

This creative non-fiction tells the story of a homesteading family in the 1880s through 1900s, from a woman’s perspective and experience.

Book Review:

This story was truly an incredible one to read. The author has done incredible research in preparing this creative non-fiction, and has embedded many quotes and letters from the characters themselves into the tale, giving them voice. The bibliography and footnotes demonstrates just how much care was taken to add truth to the story. Interestingly, other characters in this story have other works published, including Mr. Criddle’s many diary entries. The author has used this information, along with newly uncovered research, to tell a story from the female perspective, which is so often not done when looking at history. It is a valuable one to focus on here.

The material is definitely something that is interesting and keeps a reader’s interest. The family structure is not a traditional one that would be found often on the Manitoba landscape at this time. Elise was not just a typical servant; but she was not a “mistress” which she has been misunderstood to be in prior historical records and accounts. Instead, she had her children earlier than Mr. Criddle’s wife Alice did, and Mr. Criddle kept Alice hidden from Elise while he continued to promise her a wedding, until she found out the truth at the dock in Liverpool. As a woman in the 1800s, she did not have the resources or tools in society to deal with Mr. Criddle as the “man of his household.”

The author has done an incredible job bringing the story to life. It is difficult subject matter to read at times, with so much hardship coming on Elise, and her children, throughout. Mr. Criddle was clearly a difficult man to deal with, someone who didn’t build an emotional connection with his own children by Elise, and someone who used crude nicknames like “The Dutchman” to refer to Elise, and insulted her whenever he could, despite her hard work. She was a servant 7 days a week to a huge household of children, and to Mr. and Mrs. Criddle. When she received Christmas gifts from her brothers back home, Mr. Criddle took them for himself. All the while, Elise had to hide the truth from her brothers, not able to tell them that Mr. Criddle had actually married another woman, and she was left at the home to serve them.

Vane Veldhuis has done an amazing job bringing a strong, stoic, emotional voice in Elise. We see her struggles, her feelings of sadness and frustration, but also her faith in God and pride in her children, which keep her going. The author brings Elise to life and allows the world to understand the story of a woman on the Canadian prairies in the late 1800s.

She has successes, but they come at a price, as we see the many years of toil and work have an effect on her physical health. We see the cruel comments Mr. Criddle says about her physical appearance, in front of everyone in the household, and his appalling personality is based on entries from his own diary. When we see it through Elise’s eyes, it becomes that much more clear just how emotionally and physically abusive he was.

At times, the book did feel a little long, and some editing may have been helpful to streamline a few parts. That being said, the book was a page-turner, as Elise was a character we cared about as a reader, and although hard to read her many struggles, seeing how she kept pressing on for her kids, and thinking about her faith and her happy childhood memories with her parents and siblings, gave us a window into her strength.

To understand a very new and unique story, from a woman’s perspective, of homesteading on the Canadian prairies, this historical book is highly recommended. Elise is a great character who stays with you long after the book is complete.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars