Bessie Marchant (1862–1941)

When Katherine Radford's father is injured in a sledding accident while delivering goods from his backwoods Keewatin store, the college-educated young woman, who had hoped to become a school-teacher, instead finds herself taking over her father's business, and becoming the head of the family. Dismayed when Duke Radford confides in her that he once did wrong by Oswald Selincourt, the very man who has just purchased the local fishing fleet, Katherine agrees to attempt to make restitution if the opportunity should arise. Her bold actions in saving Jervis Ferrars, factotum to Mr. Selincourt, from drowning in a flooded river, begin a trend of life-saving incidents, as she also rescues Mr. Selincourt himself from sinking into a muskeg, and Mr. Selincourt's daughter Mary, from a coastal ledge on which she has become trapped. But when Katherine comes to believe that Mary Selincourt is in love with Mr. Ferrars, whom she too loves, she wonders if a further sacrifice will be required, to clear her father's moral debt...

Originally published in 1911, A Countess from Canada is one of numerous titles from British author Bessie Marchant, sometimes styled the 'female Henty,' in which courageous young women encounter adventure and prove themselves heroines in various wild locales. Although the narrative developments here are quite formulaic - the many rescues effected by the eponymous heroine, the secretly noble identity of the hero - the descriptions of Katherine's day-to-day life running a backwoods store were quite interesting, and provided entertaining fare. I enjoyed reading about her dog-sledding deliveries in particular. There was some socially outdated material, in the discussion of the possibility of female bravery - apparently women are only capable of being brave when they forget themselves, and act selflessly - as well as the depictions of the native people, who are described as cunning thieves who are not to be trusted. Fans of vintage fare for girls will find some themes of interest to them here, but more general readers will probably not be that interested.… (más)