Hearts in the City

In this fascinating novel, Mark Creedon draws on a wealth of historical and genealogical research to tell the story of his parents Clare and Monica and their families during the tumultuous years of the first half of the twentieth century. Despite facing almost unimaginable challenges---among them the Spanish flu pandemic, two world wars, and the Great Depression---these seemingly ordinary people rose to extraordinary heights in creating lives marked by meaning and love. Readers will also find Creedon’s detailed and authentic depiction of Toronto and its surroundings during these years a window into a long-lost world similar to ours in so many ways, yet in others very different.Creedon has this to say about Hearts in the City:'Monumental events impacted all Canadians in the first half of the twentieth century. My parents and grandparents were directly affected by all of these events. This novel is based on their lives and authentic experiences. The reader experiences the obstacles they faced and how they were met and overcome.'Hearts in the City is more than a tale of struggle. It is also a story of romance. The book begins with Monica’s father on the front line in the First World War. It develops into her story of coming of age and young adulthood. Then it switches to the wedding of Clare’s parents. His story unfolds on a farm near Toronto and follows him to Toronto as a five-year-old when his father was dying from tuberculosis. Fifteen years later, he met Monica at a dance. Theirs was a romance that had to fight to survive, but did and then flourished.'Hearts in the City will introduce readers to characters they will come to love. They will cheer their victories and mourn their losses. It is an inspirational and motivational tale. Who can’t use such a story in these challenging times?'