Historical fiction is something I often struggle with...I want to know what is true and what isn't! But I enjoyed this story about Charlotte Taylor, one of the early pioneers in New Brunswick. The story really brings home just how strong and resilient these pioneers had to be. Reading it in 2021, it also brought home to me the injustices done the the aboriginal population; at times, I felt Charlotte herself was looking through my lens, which may not have been the norm at the time, but then Charlotte is certainly portrayed as someone ahead of her time in many ways. ( )

The nine lives of Charlotte Taylor
This is a historical fiction account of one of the early settlers of the Miramichi area of New Brunswick in Canada. In 1775 Charlotte Taylor leaves her comfortable home in Sussex with her black lover and sails for the West Indies. Upon arrival in Jamaica, after 8 weeks at sea, Pad, her companion dies of Yellow Fever. This is not a place for a white woman on her own and she is rescued by Commodore George Walker who transports her by ship to Nova Scotia where she is welcomed by the local Micmac community. She gives birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth and survives the fierce winter with help from the Micmac. From them she learns many survival skills, herbs and medicines, cooking and folklore. They become lifelong friends and assists them in return when they are in need.
Over the years she marries and is widowed with John Blake, William Wishart and Philip Hierlihy and has 9 more children. She accumulates many lots of ocean front land along the Miramichi River and as a widow she has to fight to retain them in her name and for her children. Onslaughts of of patriot settlers from the American colonies and then Loyalists threaten the security and safety of her holdings . Eventually, the region becomes part of New Brunswick, before it joins the Canadian confederation in 1867. She died on April 25, 1841.
This book is a tribute to a pioneer who faced insurmountable odds on her own and survived because of her determination, intelligence, courage, foresight, hard work, collaboration and love her children and the territory she adopted. She is someone we would all have liked to have known and admired for her fierce spirit, independence and kindness.
I couldn’t put this book down and highly recommend it. ( )

What kind of story would you expect a journalist, documentary filmmaker and human rights activist to write as their first foray into fiction writing? For Armstrong, the answer was simple: Write a fictionalized account of a strong-willed, resilient and independent-thinking woman straight from Armstrong's own family tree. As many book reviewers tend to note, a good historical novelist has to not only present the facts and tell a story, but also has to be able to communicate the feel of former times, transporting the reader to that earlier place and time. Armstrong does a fabulous job bringing to life the harsh, frontier world of 18th century New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The story captures an interesting period in Canadian - and American - history: The return of Acadians previously ex-pulsed from the area by the British; the conflicting points of view of the Loyalist and the pre-Loyalist settlers and the plight of the native Indian populations as their traditional hunting lands were being taken away from them. While the historical information is well researched, Armstrong does tend to skim over certain events that I wish she had provided more details about. That being said, it is Charlotte's multi-dimensional character, her tenacity, her resourcefulness and her determination to adapt to the harsh environment and make a living that made this such a wonderful read for me.

Overall, a wonderfully written story about the first female settler on the Mirimichi and a great read for anyone with an interest in 18th century Canadian Maritimes history. ( )

Armstrong takes us on an adventure ride through the pioneering life of Charlotte Taylor. The beginning is swashbuckling, excessive perhaps, but as Charlotte arrives in Canada, the tale take a perfect rhythm of adventure, discovery and learning. Armstrong balances a description of the times while pulling from history and teaching readers about the Micmac, Acadians, Loyalists and later settlers, the politics that ensued and the insecurities it created. The hardships and joys are not overly dramatised; the story flows well and all the characters ebb in and out in a fluid fashion while retaining the attention on Taylor.

There a few weaknesses - the sections that Armstrong invented are admittedly the weakest (Jamaica in particular) - too colourful and melodramatic to be taken seriously. She also can't help but infuse a modernist look at the over-development of land and displacement of Native Americans. I'm not sure a settler would have these concerns given the magnitude of the land and the incredibly harsh conditions for survival.

Overall an entertaining and instructive read. ( )

I liked this book. I would have prefered that it be longer and consequently more character development for other people and her family. It's always interesting to read about the early days of Canada and the historical development of our fair country. ( )