Susanna's Quill

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray is a private scholar, writing and
editing in Souris, Manitoba.

Julie Johnston’s fictionalized version of Susanna Moodie’s life
frames the life of the famous early Canadian pioneer primarily as
Moodie’s quest to become a successful writer. Drawing on historical
records and Moodie’s own writings, Johnston has blended both fact and
fiction to create a lively account of the writer’s life, from cultured
England to the backwoods of Canada.

Johnston highlights the young Susanna’s literary aspirations, as well
as her reluctance to leave her family and friends to follow her husband
to the new colony and a life of hardship and unknown perils. Home in
England, her writing and outspoken, impetuous nature earn her the
reproves of her respectable family, yet she finds that in the wilds of
Canada she has come to represent gentility and morality as she contends
with slovenly locals and opportunistic Yankees. Incorporating many of
the dramatic episodes reported in Moodie’s own journals, including the
prolonged stay of the repulsive Ramsey, and the burning of the Moodie
family’s Rice Lake home, Johnston has attempted to bring to life a
legendary figure.

Unfortunately, her heroine frequently seems to resemble more a colonial
Anne Shirley than the actual Susanna Moodie of Roughing It in the Bush.
While the many hardships faced by the Moodies are vividly portrayed,
Johnston fails to project either Moodie’s humour (even when relating
her own failings) or her great love of nature, which is evident in
Moodie’s texts. Nevertheless, Susanna’s Quill is an entertaining
introduction to a remarkable woman, and, hopefully, it will encourage
readers to explore Moodie’s own writings. Recommended.