Why a Booktrail?
1812 onwards: The war is over and now those from both sides worry about the future of Canada
The Loyalist Legacy: 3
What you need to know before your trail
After the crushing end of the War of 1812, William and Catherine Garner find their allotted two hundred acres in Nissouri Township by following the Thames River into the wild heart of Upper Canada. On their valuable land straddling the river, dense forest, wild beasts, displaced Natives, and pesky neighbors daily challenge them.
The political atmosphere laced with greed and corruption threatens to undermine all of the new settlers’ hopes and plans. William knows he cannot take his family back to Niagara but he longs to check on his parents from whom he has heard nothing for two years. Leaving Catherine and their children, he hurries back along the Governor’s Road toward the turn-off to Fort Erie, hoping to return home in time for spring planting.
The Loyalists begin to disagree on how to deal with the injustices of the powerful “Family Compact” and start to wonder just how loyal to Britain they want to remain.
Travel Guide
The locations come alive in Elaine’s writing:
Map of Upper Canada (c) Elaine Cougler
River Thames
“Sunlight swept across the expanse of the lowlands on either side of their river making a golden path right up to their porch. thames the river was called, named by Governor Simcoe after the main shipping channel in London far across the ocean”
Niagara Jail
“The last time he had been in Niagara, the jail was in a different building, one that had burned in the horrific fire of December, 1813 when the Americans occupying Fort George ordered the burning of the town”
Burlington Bay
“The early morning mis shuddered over the grey waters of Burlington Bay as the darkness receded and daylight came.”
“The wooden walls of the head-of-the-lake British camp where she had John had spent the last part of the war were now gone but she felt just as uneasy and every bit as trapped”
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer
For anyone who wants to experience a little part of British and Canadian history, you really can’t go wrong with Elaine’s coulgers books on the human side to the wars and struggles. The everyday struggles of young families and their loved ones is an eye opener as Elaine puts you right at the heart of both sides – those who fight and those left behind. Both sides of the political divide to. I’ve been to many of the places in the three novels as I love history and was intrigued to visit these old Canadian and British forts. Quite something! And now instead of guidebooks and photographs I have these books to remind me of that time and to experience it through fresh eyes.
Canadian/British American history is a wide and potentially unwieldy topic to write about but Elaine tells a story and weaves in emotions, struggles and the thoughts of the ordinary people and her passion for the subject flies off the page. I’ve now read all three and will be sure to read anymore she writes. I always feel so much more intelligent afterwards!
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: The Loyalist Legacy 3
Author/Guide: Elaine Cougler Destination:Niagara, Canada Departure Time: 1812 onwards
Facebook: /ElaineCouglerAuthor Web: ecougler.wordpress.com
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