Meadowlands

The experience of home . . . a sense of place

Meadowlands — home to the family of Morris and Harriet Scovil at the beginning of the 20th century; nine hundred acres of interval and forest land at Scovil Point on the St. John River across from Gagetown, New Brunswick; a farm that produced hay and horses; a place that nurtured the life of a remarkable family.

Virginia Bliss Bjerkelund has created a family chronicle with the flair of a novel. Meadowlands captures the heart and engages the imagination. It’s a strange and exhilarating experience to have no knowledge of a family and then, by reading a book, come to know its members and the trajectory of their lives in a way you will not likely forget.

In his reflections on literature that endures, Kenneth Rexroth writes:

The perils of the soul and … the great commonplaces of human life … do not have to be presented as especially grandiose. … There are quiet and idyllic classics, even inconspicuous ones.

(The Classics Revisited; 1965, 1986)

Meadowlands portrays the perils of the soul and the great commonplaces of human life in a way that will endure. The textures of family life, the ever present natural world, and the surrounding community will resonate with readers for generations to come.

Virginia Bliss Bjerkelund is a Maritimer, born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, educated in Fredericton, New Brunswick, followed by nearly 30 years of living in England where she married and brought up a daughter and son, now both retired. She returned to Fredericton, re-married, travelled widely, practiced Social Work, and is active in the cultural life of the city. Meadowlands is her first published book. Her next book, A Nurse For All Seasons, is now available.