Lisa, Book 1: Overland to Cariboo

Alana Trumpy is a graduate student in English at the University of
Toronto.

In 1862, gold was discovered in William’s Creek, B.C., and thousands
of people travelled the Cariboo Wagon Road seeking their fortunes. Lisa,
a 10-year-old orphan, along with her aunt, uncle, and cousins, were part
of an expedition that headed out from Fort Garry (now Winnipeg) in
Manitoba for the B.C. goldfields. Overland to Cariboo recounts all the
hardships they endured and the dangers they faced as they pushed
westward across the prairies and through the Rockies.

The story is filled with interesting historical details (e.g., some
pioneers became “seasick” when riding on wagons through waving
prairie grass) and description (e.g., traditional methods of purifying
water), but the novel shines brightest when it draws from little-known
elements of 19th-century Canadian life. The narrative, though, is
somewhat flat, and the characters are not particularly interesting. It
is unlikely that readers who begin this book will stay with it until the
end. Not recommended.