Susanna Moodie: Pioneer Author

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray teaches English literature at Brandon
University in Manitoba.

The eventful life, resilient character, and colourful writings of
Susanna Moodie (1803–1885) have inspired many writers over the years
to document her life and times in both fact and fiction. In this book,
Anne Cimon presents a fictionalized biography of a fascinating character
in Canadian literary history. Drawing on Moodie’s own words, in both
her letters and books, as well as on recent biographical research, Cimon
brings to life the vivid personality of a woman who was an early
pioneer, not only in the Canadian wilderness, but also in the Canadian
literary canon.

Writing for a young-adult audience, Cimon’s dramatic retelling of
Moodie’s life presents biographical facts in a manner that will engage
and interest teen readers. From her early happy childhood in the English
countryside to her primitive life as a settler in the rough Canadian
bush, Moodie comes to life as a person of great humour and strength who
faced many obstacles both in her personal life and in her career as a
writer, yet persevered in the face of hardship and opposition. Cimon’s
use of personal details and observations from Moodie’s writings
provides interesting and entertaining insights into Moodie’s character
and relationships. The narrative is interspersed with drawings and
pictures of Moodie, her family and friends, and the world in which she
lived. An appended timeline of Moodie’s life and times provides an
excellent historical resource. Highly recommended.