Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson (Untold Lives Series)

Product Information

Described in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography as an “explorer, coureur de bois, one of the originators of the Hudson’s Bay Company”, Pierre-Esprit Radisson was all that, and much more.

At the same time, he would likely sell, barter, and steal his way to fortune, fame, and public approbation.

Our vision is to be the destination for compelling and entertaining audio content that inspires parents, strengthens families and brings communities together. I wish I could say the same for Hilary Mantel’s novel, since I loved the two earlier books in the Cromwell trilogy, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. A guest among First Nations communities, French fur traders, and royal courts; witness to London’s Great Plague and Great Fire; and unwitting agent of the Jesuits’ corporate espionage, Radisson double-crossed the English, French, Dutch, and his adoptive Mohawk family alike, found himself marooned by pirates in Spain, and lived through shipwreck on the reefs of Venezuela. It is important at this stage to watch out for aphids (black fly), these often occur in profuse colonies in the growing tips of the plants.

Howells, who previously sat on the jury in 2014, described this year’s selection process as “slightly more brisk” than her last Taylor jurying experience. What an extraordinary, complex, and important life Pierre-Esprit Radisson lead through the early story of this country.

a Life with the Mohawks (1639-1654) -- Back to the Iroquois (1654-1658) -- Pierre and Médard go west (1658-1660) -- Radisson in London and Moosonee (1600-1675) -- Radisson in the Caribbean (1675-1677) -- True and absolute lords and proprietors (1681-1685) -- Decayed gentleman (1688-1710). He was a true freelancer, which took him from an impoverish peasant upbringing to the royal courts of King Charles I and King Louis XIV, experiencing the Great Plague and Great Fire of London. Having arrived in New France in 1651 as a peasant teenager, Radisson was taken prisoner by Iroquois. They have also enjoyed the protection of the surrounding crops; carrots growing alongside them have also made good progress. After being recaptured, he defected from a raiding party to the Dutch and crossed the Atlantic to Holland―thus beginning a lifetime of seized opportunities and frustrated ambitions.