No comments about Great Left Wingers: Stars of Hockey's Golden Age (Amazing Stories) (Amazing Stories).

No comments about Great Goaltenders: Stars of Hockey's Golden Age (Amazing Stories) (Amazing Stories).

No comments about Legendary NHL Coaches: Stars of Hockey's Golden Age (Amazing Stories).

No comments about Life Before Stratford: The Memoirs of Amelia Hall.

No comments about The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters.

1 comments about R. M. Patterson : A Life of Great Adventure.

1. In R. M. Patterson: A Life of Great Adventure, historian David Finch brings the famous river explorer back to life. Patterson died at 86 almost twenty years ago, but The Dangerous River, based on his explorations on the South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories, remains in print and his most popular work, as fresh today as its setting in the late 1920s. The Finch biography revisits the South Nahanni as well as Patterson's roots in England and his many years in the Canadian Rockies. It traces the events of "a life of great adventure," a theme suggested by Patterson's employer at the Bank of England as he wished Patterson well on his 1924 move to Canada to settle in the Peace River country of northwestern Alberta.

   Patterson was more than a river rat. He worked as a logger, a trapper, a prospector, before he began to explore the rivers of the region. He ran a sheep operation near Banff, a dude ranch in the footthills of the Rockies, an orchard on Vancouver Island. All five of Patterson's frequently-autobiographical books remain in print decades after they first appeared.

   In his exhaustive studies Finch dug into several archives, interviewed dozens of family members and friends, followed the rivers that Patterson explored, and hiked or rode horseback over Patterson's favorite trails. In this biography, Finch shares with his readers the essence of Patterson that he gleaned during a decade of research and writing. In this reader's mind, he brought Patterson back to life as well as any writer could.

   (I met Patterson in his latter years, corresponded with him, and interviewed him. Like Finch, I read all of his books, interviewed Patterson himself, his widow, only daughter, and older son. I had planned to write the biography myself, but Finch beat me to it. He did a fine job. --Verne Huser)

1 comments about My First Years in the Fur Trade: The Journals of 1802-1804 (Wisconsin).

1. While the introduction and footnotes were very well edited, I did struggle through the actual journals themselves. This could be attributed to Nelson's writing style, my unfamiliarity with Lake Superior geography and/or the plethora of French nomenclature (which can generate confusion for some). Overall, the journals are insightful of survival strategies and day to day existence in the fur trade years of 1802-04 in northern Wisconsin. Nelson, who was only fifteen when joining the XY Company, was a keen observer of Ojibwa Indian customs, the interrelationships between company men and his immediate surroundings. If the writing of the journals had more continuity, it would have been an enjoyable read.

No comments about Memoirs of a Very Civil Servant: Mackenzie King to Pierre Trudeau.

5 comments about Memoirs.

1. Although always a controversial man, P.E.T. embodied what it means to be a Canadian. Over his 16 years as Prime Minister he was directly involved in many major events which have shaped Canadian history. I write this the day after his passing, so in consequence I am probably a little biased. I grew up with Trudeau. The first 11 years of my life he was P.M. I could go on and on with the memories, as some have suggested he did with his Memoirs. However, that was the beauty of Trudeau. He was a brilliant man and loved life.

   In answer to the comment from the reader in Toronto that he glossed over many not so stellar performances on his part - have you ever read another auto-biography of a public figure which told the whole truth and nothing but? There are many sides to a story. I would challenge anyone to write about their lives and not smooth certain parts over abit!

   All in all Trudeau takes us through his tenure as P.M. in one of the most exciting periods in recent human history - 1968-1984. Anyone who is interested in world or Canadian affairs should read this book. And it's a must for every Canadian household.




2. This is as fine a memoir as one could expect from a man who kept his secret self so distant from others that one suspects he sometimes found the line difficult to cross himself. Trudeau was not only the most intelligent prime minister Canada ever had, but probably the most brilliant (intellectually speaking) statesman any nation ever had. However, his mind went to places that were not always to do with the ebb & flow of politics. It is unfortunate that this memoir does not tell us more about the man's secret self. I don't mean just gossip column things; I refer to his thoughts on life, literature, & art: topics on which anyone who knew him recognized his mastery. The book is brilliant too, but I suggest that it requires some reading between the lines to catch at what Monsieur Trudeau only hints. It's his truth from the inside, after all, so he shouldn't be expected to see himself "objectively" & account for the way he was seen by others. This can be uncomfortable sometimes. For example, when he was nearly defeated in the first election after "Trudeaumania" in 1972 because he attempted to be straight, true, & honest with the Canadian public, he roared back playing the "promise'em the world" consumate politician in 1974 to a majority government. I would have wished for more third person objectivity here. Still Trudeau was a giant mind & a giant will-power amongst mental idiots & usual politicoes during his tenure. I believe he has the right to do just what he did in this magnificent memoir: Speak from the heights & tell it as he alone saw it. Bravo! We'll not see his like again.



3. I found this to be very informative look on his life and career. I espically enjoyed the parts about Québec and the FLQ.

   Mr. Trudeau provided a personal touch here which he rarely did. As a Federalist you will apperciate these accounts.

   Excuse my bad french writing.

   Enjoy.

   J'ai trouvé ceci pour être le regard très instructif sur sa vie et sa carrière. J'apprécié les parties de Québec et le FLQ.

   M. Trudeau a fourni une touche personnelle ici qu'il a fait rarement. Comme un Fédéraliste vous ferez apperciate ces comptes.

   Excuser ma mauvaise écriture de français.

   Apprécier.




4. J'ai trouvé ceci pour être le regard très instructif sur sa vie et sa carrière. J'apprécié les parties de Québec et le FLQ.

   M. Trudeau a fourni une touche personnelle ici qu'il a fait rarement. Comme un Fédéraliste vous ferez apperciate ces comptes.

   Excuser ma mauvaise écriture de français.

   Apprécier!

   I found this to be very informative look on his life and career. I espically enjoyed the parts about Québec and the FLQ.

   Mr. Trudeau provided a personal touch here which he rarely did. As a Federalist you will apperciate these accounts.

   Excuse my bad french writing.

   Enjoy!




5. In retrospect history will judge Trudeau as an unmitigated disaster for Canada. Many mistook his arrogance and aloofness for intellectual stature. The only thing greater than the sycophantic love displayed by some Canadians for Trudeau was his absolute contempt for Canadian voters.

3 comments about Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery.

1. Where to begin? Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote one of my favorite books, "Anne of Green Gables". A book that inspired many lovely childhood dreams. The dreams became a reality when I went to Prince Edward Island in 1998 - Searching for Anne, Green Gables and all the magic of LM Montgomery!

   While on the Island I bought a number of books and visited many Anne related sites. All of this made me want more! The other books I read were well written and informative; but, this book about Maud by Alexandra Heilbron grabbed my attention from the very first page. I enjoyed her question and answer approach. This way we got the actual thoughts and feeling of the people she interviews. We did not get the authors (AH) thoughts and feelings on LMM. Once I started reading it was very hard to put down.

   I like the fact that Alexandra Heilbron actually went to the Island to do her interviews ; it provided such authenticity to her writing. To actually show pictures of the people she interviewed was something new. And, there were new LMM pictures , a delight to see; when so many other publications use the same photos over and over again.

   Towards the back of the book there are examples of some of Maud's ( she preferred being called "Maud") poetry. Charming. There are reviews of Maud's work written at the time of her books publication. There is even a published review that Maud did herself about writing and other authors! As I said, I found it hard to put this book down.

   It is obvious from the way the book was written that the author (AH) is well acquainted with her material, many small details add to the charm of the book. I like the physical size of it, too. Large, soft covered and easy to hold when reading.

   On a scale of 1 to 10; I give it a 9 1/2. Why not a 10? Because if I give it the highest mark, Ms. Heilbron might not write another LMM book. I sincerely hope she does, this one was a delight!




2. For all L.M. lovers this is good reading. I wish that the author had used a few more leading questions. Most of the questions seemed to be about how she dressed. This book gave a little insight into L.M.'s relationships with her children. A fascinating woman with such a sad life, I wish she were here to
   give her a little sympathy. She needed it.



3. Having read all L.M. Montgomery's books, including the autobiographical ones - the Journals and The Alpine Path - I jumped at the chance to find out more about her through people who have actually known her, so this book was a must for me.
   
   Well, I certainly found out some more about her, but it is not another piece of the puzzle, as Ms Heilbron promises in her introduction. What I found instead was that Lucy Maud mastered the trick of projecting a certain image of herself to perfection. For in spite of all the physical and other complaints she writes about, the occasional nastiness to some people, the peculiar relationship with her husband and so on, she still manages to project an image of herself in The Journals as a very capable, humorous, strong, erudite and above all carefully dressed LADY (in capitals). And if one reads the reports of her relatives and neighbours closely, apart from a few barely noticeable dissident notes that is exactly how they remember her! So she goes on fooling us all, including the author/editor of this book, and we still don't know the real L.M. Montgomery.
   
   I will be eternally grateful to Alexandra Heilbron for conceiving of the idea for this book and tracing down all those elderly people before it was too late. But asking the same questions over and over again - and often getting the same answers - becomes a little monotonous and the questions themselves sometimes seem rather irrelevant. Still, the book is a welcome addition to my L.M. Montgomery shelf.