As in his popular earlier book Beyond the River and the Bay, the bulk of the story is told by a character of Ross' invention, Ian Alexander Bell Robertson. Robertson, an Edinburgh gentleman born at the end of the Scottish enlightenment, acquired a deep sympathy for the displaced crofters and agricultural labourers of the Scottish Highlands. He lived in Quebec City between 1840 to 1842 to prepare a study of the Canadas intended either as a guide for the immigrant or, as Ross feels more likely, a record of the colonies at the moment they united and embarked on a promising future together. While Ross himself sets the work in historical context and explains the use of a fictitious author, it is Robertson, a keen observer, who describes in detail numerous aspects of Canadian life in 1841: transportation, communications, social institutions and customs, life on the new farms, and the relationship between the French and English residents of the colonies -- a relationship which in many ways resembles that of today. Throughout the book, Ross has interspersed snippets of information and illustration to supplement Robertson's writings. Scrupulously researched and easily accessible, Full of Hope and Promise will interest anyone wishing to know more about everyday life in Upper and Lower Canada at the time of the 1841 Union.

ERIC ROSS was born in Moncton, N.B., and studied history at the University of New Brunswick and geography at Edinburgh University. He taught at the University of Victoria, was a visiting professor at Université Laval and at Edinburgh University, head of the department of geography at Bishop's University, and is at present head of the department of geography at Mount Allison University.

Eric Ross' profile page

"evocative ... a vivid geographical portrayal ... Gently woven together descriptions, rich in detail, give a fresh impression of life in the Canadas in 1841 ... this is where Ross' craftsmanship as a writer is so important ... [his] approach and methodology are highly distinctive ... [his] scholarship is comprehensive, careful, and impeccable ... Readers will gain a full, new perception of what life was like in the Canadas." John Warkentin, Department of Geography, York University. "Ross has put together a rich description of the Canadas at a critical time in their history. [His] writing is direct, illuminating, and evocative. The major dualisms of the time, French versus English societies on the one hand, and Old versus New World societies on the other, are masterfully presented. The selection and liberal use of contemporary illustrations is a major contribution." R.L. Gentilcore, Department of Geography, McMaster University.