Books with author Elizabeth Madox Roberts

Our Little Canadian Cousin is essentially a children’s story written by Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald and published in 1904. However, as the author herself states, the book is far more than just that.Focusing on Canadian lifestyle and the main activities and interests of the Canadian people around the turn of the 20th century, the novel is a quaint and inspired little tale about what it truly meant to live in a beautiful land, where people were in harmony with nature, and the sparse population, the wide diversity of climate conditions and the distinct customs of the land had turned each and every moment into a genuine, exciting adventure.Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald was born in the famous Roberts household, where together with her four brothers, she enjoyed an imaginative childhood in which reading books and sharing stories was the main activity everyone engaged in. One of her brothers was none other than the famous poet Charles G.D. Roberts.Elizabeth Roberts was educated at the Collegiate School in Fredericton, and taught at the School for the Blind in Halifax. Her numerous poems, essays and stories were published in well-known literary periodicals like The Independent, The Century and Outing Magazine, and the publication that made her truly famous was her 1906 poetry book, Dream Verses and Others.In this novel, Roberts’ love and knowledge of nature, as well as her eloquent wording and elegant writing style makes for a truly delightful and enjoyable read. In it we find out the essence of Canadian home life, which is not just defined by brewing and baking traditional dishes, but also by the great outdoor life, through activities like skating, hunting and sleighing.