Roughing it in the Bush (New Canadian Library)

Rating:
Summary: Journey with an early Canadian immigrant
Review: For a great first hand account of the early Canadian immigrant experience read this book. The author is authentic and self depreciating in a subtle way. The places and people are real, and more important the thoughts of the author are the thoughts of the time but reveal a mind not different from our own. Bye the way, I find history books boring but loved this piece of our history.

Rating:
Summary: Roughing It In The Bush - Amazing
Review: I absolutely loved this book because Mrs. Moodie has an incredible ability to paint pictures and emotions in your mind and heart. The day to day history is vivid and exciting. I found it interesting to read first hand about the many places in the Kawarthas and Cobourg regions as they existed at the dawn of their settlement. Observing the interaction between the Americans and early Canadian immigrants was also valuable. A very eloquent book.

Rating:
Summary: yuck - unlikeable, racist author
Review: I came away from this with a very bad taste in my mouth. I don't find Mrs. Moodie very likeable at all. Her racism toward the Irish is really offensive, even judging her by the standards of her own day. The rest of the book is so-so -- some of the frontier experiences are interesting, but I found her personality so unlikeable that I cheered when her house caught fire.

Rating:
Summary: This is a story of courage by early pioneers to Canada.
Review: Like the Lewis & Clark Expedition, early Canadian settlers had less understanding about what they were getting into than the men who stood on the moon. Susanna Moodie's story of her life in the Canadian bush in the middle years of the nineteenth century illustrate how precarious was their circumstances, how unselfishly some shared their labor and their good fortune and how utterly selfish and even dangerous was the behaviour of others. The story illustrates again how at base, there ar two types of people, those who take and those who give. As you read her story you will be amazed how this gentlewoman, accustomed to Victorian drawing rooms, lived, even prospered a little, bore and raised children in a one room windowless and doorless log cabin in all weathers and enduring visits from wild Indians, wolves and bears. Of her totally unsuitable husband she is endlessly understanding and forgiving, yet the reader will find him or herself continually driven to giving him a swift kick in the pants for his apparent total lack of sensitivity to his wife, while at the same time being viewed as an upstanding citizen.

Rating:
Summary: Roughing it in the bush
Review: Like the Lewis & Clark Expedition, early Canadian settlers had less understanding about what they were getting into than the men who stood on the moon. Susanna Moodie's story of her life in the Canadian bush in the middle years of the nineteenth century illustrate how precarious was their circumstances, how unselfishly some shared their labor and their good fortune and how utterly selfish and even dangerous was the behaviour of others. The story illustrates again how at base, there ar two types of people, those who take and those who give. As you read her story you will be amazed how this gentlewoman, accustomed to Victorian drawing rooms, lived, even prospered a little, bore and raised children in a one room windowless and doorless log cabin in all weathers and enduring visits from wild Indians, wolves and bears. Of her totally unsuitable husband she is endlessly understanding and forgiving, yet the reader will find him or herself continually driven to giving him a swift kick in the pants for his apparent total lack of sensitivity to his wife, while at the same time being viewed as an upstanding citizen.

Rating:
Summary: A Journey into the a Timeless Mind
Review: Moodie puts her readers into her own thoughts, allowing you to see just how difficult it was for her to survive in Canada in the 1800's. Her character and personality lends itself well to her writing, allowing you to laugh when she laughs, anger when she is angry, and cry when she cries (maybe less the crying, it wasn't THAT wrenching). I would recommend reading it along with an audio version of the book. I've never done it before, but i actually liked it! Another review stated that the book got boring, and it really can be if you are too involved and are looking for a really gripping read. So to listen and follow along at your own leisure was rather relaxing. It added to the humour of some of the chapters, particularly the "borrowing and lending" scenario! Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: A Journey into the a Timeless Mind
Review: Moodie puts her readers into her own thoughts, allowing you to see just how difficult it was for her to survive in Canada in the 1800's. Her character and personality lends itself well to her writing, allowing you to laugh when she laughs, anger when she is angry, and cry when she cries (maybe less the crying, it wasn't THAT wrenching). I would recommend reading it along with an audio version of the book. I've never done it before, but i actually liked it! Another review stated that the book got boring, and it really can be if you are too involved and are looking for a really gripping read. So to listen and follow along at your own leisure was rather relaxing. It added to the humour of some of the chapters, particularly the "borrowing and lending" scenario! Enjoy!