Garden In the Wilderness

This novel, based on the true story of the author's ancestors, describes in compelling detail life in a pioneer settlement in Nova Scotia in 1795. Susan Kirke, born in an English mansion, marries her father's gardener John Dean and ends up in the New World with her eight children in a log cabin.

The Deans arrive in Upper Musquodoboit at the onset of winter. Susan's early life of leisure left her ill-equipped to deal with the challenge of producing everything her family needs to survive, but her neighbours and children are captivated by her tales of her former life. John Dean, having worked all his life as a pleasure gardener for the idle rich in the Old World, turns his skills to cutting down trees and planting crops with the help of his sons. In the end, they discover how difficult it is to create a garden in this wilderness.