"Originally published in 1852, Roughing It in the Bush by Susanna Moodie, with contributions from her husband John Wedderburn Dunbar Moodie, is a vibrant, humorous, and wry description of their arrival and life in the young country of Canada after their immigration in 1832, and settlement in the rugged backwoods of what is now Ontario-unimaginably difficult, but also breathtakingly beautiful by turns.
It is filled with hope and passion for the future that Canada may grow to fulfill, a song of hope for what may be built out of multi-cultural immigration.
This edition is the complete text of the original publication, including poems by Susanna, her brother, and her husband (J.W.D.M); and four chapters contributed by John W. D. Moodie."
"Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of "The Minstrel Boy" and "The Last Rose of Summer". Moore is often considered Ireland's National Bard and is to Ireland what Robert Burns is to Scotland. - Summary by Wikipedia"
"Roughing It In the Bush' is Susanna Moodie's account of how she coped with the harshness of life in the woods of Upper Canada, as an Englishwoman homesteading abroad. Her narrative was constructed partly as a response to the glowing falsehoods European land-agents were circulating about life in the New World. Her chronicle is frank and humorous, and was a popular sensation at the time of its publication in 1852. (Summary by Moira Fogarty)"
"As a middle class Englishwoman Moodie did not particularly enjoy "the bush", as she called it. She and her husband moved to Belleville in 1840, which she referred to as "the clearings". Here she described urban life, including religion, art, and education, especially as compared to relative lack of these things in "the bush". She studied the Family Compact and became sympathetic to the moderate reformers led by Robert Baldwin, while remaining critical of radical reformers such as William Lyon Mackenzie. This caused problems for her husband, who shared her views, but, as sheriff of Belleville, had to work with members and supporters of the Family Compact. (Summary from Wikipedia)"
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