|
|
| Plot Summary of O Canada: Travels in an Unknown Country |
|---|
"The author travels across Canada from east to west with stops in almost a dozen cities. Beginning in the Atlantic territories of Newfoundland and New Brunswick, Morris talks of history and seafarers, shipwrecks and fishermen, attending a public celebration held in Memorial Stadium in St. John's. After a brief stay in St. Andrews stay, then it is on toward the population centers of Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto where the author points out the beauty of the country and its people. In Montreal she describes the ethic melting pot of old world refugees including Greeks, Jews, Lithuanians, and Italians that give the Boulevard St. Laurent its charm and vigor. Of course there is a tribute to Mont-Royal the hilltop from which the city derives its name. The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa draw her interest and along with the French Canadian separatist movement. She notes that far too often Canadians sell themselves and their beloved country short due in part to the huge shadow the United States casts upon its benevolent northern neighbor. She states her belief that Toronto can never be mistaken for a northern extension to America.
The majesty of the Canadian Rockies and the remote western wilderness is the next stop on Morris' travelogue. Visiting North American Native museums in Saskatoon, the ski resorts of Banff, and the mining and oil boomtown that became wealthy Edmonton touching on the struggle to blend traditional values and cultures with progress and modernization. She describes the odd assortment of buildings she finds in the Alberta capital, citing unusual architectural designs for the Convention Centre, Country Music Hall of Fame, and others. Her final destination is the resplendent Pacific Coast and Vancouver, paying homage to the Asian influence on the region and its culture. Only one small problem with the wonderful writing was the maddeningly frustrating habit of name-dropping the celebrities and politicians she hung out with along the way. O Canada recounts a significant and notable history of a nation."
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
|
|
|
| Review Analysis of O Canada: Travels in an Unknown Country |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Ethnic/Relig. of subject (inside)
- Canadian (eh!)
Ethnic/regional/gender
Yes
ethnic of society (outside)
- Canadian (eh!)
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Big/small town?
- Big city
Road trip
Yes
Travelogue?
Yes
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- long lived adults
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other people
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 10 (a tremendous amount)
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- Canada
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Book makes you feel?
- thoughtful
Commentary on society?
Yes
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
|
|
|
Click here for more information about this book
Jan Morris Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Fletcher
SCHOLARS:
| |
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Bribe your congressman!
Rudy Giuliani
Most recent discussions:
General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Online Dating Advice
George W. Bush
1:42:40 PM
Robert Segarra
10:52:16 AM
Erin Hunters
9:57:31 PM
Libba Bray
6:22:09 PM
Southampton Row
2:35:10 PM
Alicia Appleman-Jurman
5:38:00 AM
Teri Woods
1:48:18 AM
Warren Getler and Bob Brewer
4:00:04 PM
Robert Stanek
11:52:21 AM
Zana Muhsen
7:59:05 AM
Pamela Walls
10:14:59 PM
James Frey
4:58:39 PM
Deric Longden
4:06:00 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun
11:43:01 AM
Suzanne Weyn
11:39:16 AM
Serge Brussolo
8:30:17 AM
Wilson Rawls
9:03:54 PM
Margaret Peterson Haddix
8:58:55 PM
V.C. Andrews
7:48:29 PM
Debbie Macomber
11:49:13 AM
More message boards
|
