A compilation of letters originally written to her mother over the course of two and a half years, Catharine Parr Traill’s The Backwoods of Canada is an intimate and telling look at pioneer life in Upper Canada. Originally published in 1836, Traill’s memoir details her journey with genuine charm and good cheer, even during difficult times. Thanks to its remarkable observations on Canadian class and economy, Traill’s story remains an important and essential telling of Canadian history. HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

Catharine Parr Strickland Traill (1802-1899) emigrated from Great Britain to Upper Canada in 1832 with her husband Thomas Traill, a retired army officer. The Backwoods of Canada (1836), Catharine1s epistolary narrative based on her experiences in the country north of Peterborough in the years immediately following her arrival in North America, is an important record of nineteenth-century pioneering and a rich personal memoir of a woman. It has become a foundation work of Canadian Iiterature.

Catharine Parr Strickland Traill (1802-1899) emigrated from Great Britain to Upper Canada in 1832 with her husband Thomas Traill, a retired army officer. The Backwoods of Canada (1836), Catharine1s epistolary narrative based on her experiences in the country north of Peterborough in the years immediately following her arrival in North America, is an important record of nineteenth-century pioneering and a rich personal memoir of a woman. It has become a foundation work of Canadian Iiterature.

Experience a wonderful glimpse into the life of a remarkable woman. Alma was born in 1910 from humble beginnings in rural Davidson County, NC and raised one of nine children. Now, she shares with us in detail what rural life was like in backwoods North Carolina through vivid descriptions of daily customs, folklores and hardships. At age twelve Alma's family moved from the backwoods to Lexington. There, Alma's life changed dramatically when in her late teens she married and became the mother of eleven children. Resilience is the word that comes to mind when describing her character. In childhood, Alma's parent's instilled in her the value of family, church and community. During the chaotic years of raising her family she never forgot her upbringing. She worked hard; always putting her family first. In times of personal need, she sought strength from the church. Alma tells her story with a warmth and enthusiasm that will leave you laughing at times and at other times holding a tissue to your eyes.

Catharine Parr Traill and Susanna Moodie are icons of the Canadian imagination. Yet most of what we know of these two English gentlewomen who spent their adult lives struggling in Britain’s harsh and vigorous colony comes from their own self-consciously crafted writings and from other writers’ sometimes fanciful depictions of them. But what were the women behind the authorial voices really like? In Sisters in the Wilderness, award-winning author Charlotte Gray breathes life into two remarkable and fascinating characters and brings us a vivid picture of life in the backwoods of Upper Canada.