C Anne Barker

Welcome to Martin House C Anne Barker

Welcome to Martin House, a little bed and breakfast in Mark's Point, Newfoundland. Grab a cup of tea, put your feet up, and share your troubles. This is where community happens.

It's 1971, a time of transition in Newfoundland. Newly widowed Bessie Martin and her sister-in-law, Rose, pool their resources to open a bed and breakfast-the first of its kind in the area. During Martin House's first season, Bessie, Rose, and the residents of Mark's Point respond to a changing Newfoundland. Centralization and the shift from a resource-based economy have many impacts on the community-the loss of young people to more urban areas, the advent of new technology, and the erosion of identity. However, Mark's Point residents demonstrate that change can also bring new opportunities for business, education, and adaptation; where there is loss, there can also be gain. They help shape the future of modern-day Newfoundland by starting new businesses and developing community groups.

Welcome to Martin House displays the importance of good neighbours who are willing to work together to overcome adversity and resolve community issues. For generations, Newfoundlanders have survived and thrived amid tragedy, isolation, and harsh climates because of their strong faith, family ties, and open hearts. Welcome to Martin House is a positive, lively, and humorous portrait of rural Newfoundland and the hearty characters who inhabit it.