The Ghost of Catharine Parr Traill follows Laura Elliott’s journey of discovery into the life and lessons of wellbeing from this nineteenth century pioneer, author and botanist. The journey began when Laura moved into Catharine’s final home, Westove, in Lakefield, Ontario in 2019. The challenges of the global pandemic that faced Laura and her family in 2020 turned this into a passion project. What could our generation learn from Catharine’s grit, resilience and calm in the face of so many struggles? What do the encounters between indigenous peoples and settlers, as captured in Koren Smoke’s interpretive artwork, have to offer to the truth and reconciliation process? Laura draws the reader into this timeless ancestral inquiry into individual and societal wellbeing.

Laura Elliott's profile page

Koren Smoke's profile page

Cathy Lin's profile page

Laura Elliott is a Vice Principal with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and a lecturer at Trent University in the Faculty of Education. She holds a PhD in Kinesiology and Physical Education from the University of Toronto and an M.A in Social Justice Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She is a mother, an amateur but enthusiastic Nordic skier, and a self-proclaimed expert at maple syrup production. She blogs at lauraleighelliott.com.

Elliott offers a unique and fascinating interpretation of the life and enduring lessons of Catharine Parr Traill. Through meticulous research and deeply personal contemplation, the experiences and beliefs of the 19th century Canadian literary icon illuminate 21st century research regarding happiness and well-being.

John Boyko, Author of The Devil’s Trick: How Canada Fought the Vietnam War

Laura Elliott’s The Ghost of Catharine Parr Traill is a readworthy contribution to understanding relationships that have existed between Indigenous peoples and newcomers to their lands. My hope is that some who read this book will experience the same sort of epiphany as CPT when she entrusted her child to sit in a separate canoe after seeing the loving nature of Michi Saagiig mothers.

Maurice Switzer, Citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation and former communications director for the Anishinabek Nation

Laura Elliott takes us on a journey through the struggles and joys of Catharine Parr Traill, a 19th century botanist and writer, in order to paddle through multiple meanings and routes to well-being. This poignant research into pioneer life in ‘backwoods’ Ontario includes a critical exploration of encounters between indigenous peoples and settlers on the traditional lands of the Michi Saagiig. The author strives to foster dialogue about the past and present in the spirit of reconciliation, and seeks to offer lessons to a world emerging from pandemic isolation. Well-being, we learn, is both complex and relational; it thrives in the personal pursuit of self-care, balance, mindful expression of gratitude and appreciation of nature — and — in establishing respectful human connections within and across cultures.

Margaret MacNeill, Associate Professor Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and the Collaborative Specialization in Women’s Health: University of Toronto

The Ghost of Catharine Parr Traill provides a refreshing and engaging connection between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries–between the pioneering strengths of Catharine Parr Traill and contemporary wellness thinking.

Michael Peterman, Professor Emeritus at Trent University, Author of Sisters in Two Worlds

A totally delightful and informative book. The writing is succinct and well organized. The reference section at the back is invaluable. The front and back back covers are especially well done. A neat piece of art. – Jan Greenough, Birchtown, Nova Scotia, March 12, 2024