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mary_juleyre's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
veechronicles's review against another edition
2.0
crazy to think that moodie thought the irish were the scum of the earth, and indigenous people were so much worse than the irish so she tried not to mention them
zoevantwist's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
2.0
It’s not horrible. It is an important book with good information but it’s not really readable. I didn’t really care what happened and especially disliked the chapters that the husband wrote.
dashadashahi's review against another edition
4.0
I was initially made aware of this book after Valerie Korinek mentioned Moodie's book as the inspiration for the title of her book "Roughing it in the Suburbs." As such, when I came across the book at the thrift store I decided to pick up and read it. I think Moodie provides an interesting perspective on early homesteading in Canada. Specifically, the perspective of a British emigrant allowed Moodie to explore themes related to feelings of nationalism and identity which are connected to Canadian-ness or British-ness. Moreover, the poems that start and end each chapter capture and summarize the emotions connected to the homesteading experience. Many other themes are captured within Moodie's personal experience in Canada such as religion, race, gender, and politics. As a student of Canadian history, I enjoyed this book because of these themes that undercut Moodie's experiences and can be connected to larger themes on Canada's development as a nation.
ciaralo's review against another edition
2.0
Only read the chapters required for my Can Lit class but man, those were tough to get through.
courtofchapters's review against another edition
2.0
Alright.
After finishing this *excruciatingly* long book and spending way too many hours (ones that I will never get back) writing an essay on it’s worth in the present world, I think I can now recite my thoughts on this book in my sleep.
Let me just quote my thesis real quick for you to make this much easier for my worn-out brain: *clears throat*
“Despite the historical value, Susanna Moodie’s memoir is not worth reading due to the whiny expression, embedded racism, and outdated prejudices woven into the story that does not satisfy the tastes of the modern reader.”
The book’s content is basically just one complaint after the other. Moodie is entitled and constantly basking in her dismay and own self-pity, making it so freaking hard to sympathize with her. For a book acclaimed for its representation of Canadian history during a particular period, it sure spreads more negativity than cultural knowledge which does nothing other than give me a headache.
Moodie also had very strong biases and prejudices in terms of race, class, and gender and while this is understandable (not justified) due to the time period this takes place in, it still isn’t pleasant to read about. She even goes out of her ways several times to critique views that don’t match her own in a forceful manner. And yes while she had her own plethora of struggles to deal with…literally so did everyone else yet she chose to go forth and be narcissistic about them at times. It was just…wholly unpleasant to get through.
All this to say, I am not trying to disvalue an experience of a settler in Canada or to erase them from Canada’s intellectual and cultural history. There are just other more shorter and engaging ways to learn about the emigration experience in eighteenth century Canada without reading 600 pages of outdated negativity. I acknowledge the influence Moodie has had on Canadian literacy and still consider her significant in terms of that, but simply do not believe this book is worth the read.
After finishing this *excruciatingly* long book and spending way too many hours (ones that I will never get back) writing an essay on it’s worth in the present world, I think I can now recite my thoughts on this book in my sleep.
Let me just quote my thesis real quick for you to make this much easier for my worn-out brain: *clears throat*
“Despite the historical value, Susanna Moodie’s memoir is not worth reading due to the whiny expression, embedded racism, and outdated prejudices woven into the story that does not satisfy the tastes of the modern reader.”
The book’s content is basically just one complaint after the other. Moodie is entitled and constantly basking in her dismay and own self-pity, making it so freaking hard to sympathize with her. For a book acclaimed for its representation of Canadian history during a particular period, it sure spreads more negativity than cultural knowledge which does nothing other than give me a headache.
Moodie also had very strong biases and prejudices in terms of race, class, and gender and while this is understandable (not justified) due to the time period this takes place in, it still isn’t pleasant to read about. She even goes out of her ways several times to critique views that don’t match her own in a forceful manner. And yes while she had her own plethora of struggles to deal with…literally so did everyone else yet she chose to go forth and be narcissistic about them at times. It was just…wholly unpleasant to get through.
All this to say, I am not trying to disvalue an experience of a settler in Canada or to erase them from Canada’s intellectual and cultural history. There are just other more shorter and engaging ways to learn about the emigration experience in eighteenth century Canada without reading 600 pages of outdated negativity. I acknowledge the influence Moodie has had on Canadian literacy and still consider her significant in terms of that, but simply do not believe this book is worth the read.
kelownagurl's review against another edition
4.0
I love 'olden days' stuff, and my ancestors were living in the same area, around the same time. Kinda cool.
Edited to add: I don't know if this is the one I read, or if it was Life in the Backwoods. They were both the same book on Kobo. :)
Edited to add: I don't know if this is the one I read, or if it was Life in the Backwoods. They were both the same book on Kobo. :)