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Amazon.ca Canadian Essential
Charismatic, bicultural, and intellectual, Pierre Trudeau was the towering figure of the Canadian 20th century. For a complete picture of his legacy one can look to his influential early political essays and to the excellent biographies by Richard Gwyn as well as Christina McCall and Stephen Clarkson, but the first place to turn is Trudeau's own account, in his 1993 Memoirs.
Amazon.ca
Will Canada ever see another leader like Pierre Elliott Trudeau? Unlikely. Trudeau was very much a product of his time and place. At the time of his rise in the ranks of the Liberal party, the country was in dire need of a leader with a vision. Too, the political machine wasn't yet so well ordered and set in its ways that there was no room for a maverick like the Montreal-born politician. Memoirs is Trudeau's quite readable account of his life from his humble beginnings in "a neighbourhood of modest means" until his retirement from the prime minister's office in 1984, with a brief chapter touching on his life after politics. Those hoping for gossipy details about bedroom dalliances with classical guitarist Liona Boyd or the party years of wife Margaret will come away disappointed. Of his marriage, Trudeau writes only, "1970 was also the year I fell in love with a beautiful girl, Margaret Sinclair. ... The romance took the press by surprise, which is how we wanted it." The divorce is also barely touched upon. Instead, Trudeau spills much ink on his triumphs, failures, and machinations while in office. Occasionally this results in some breast-beating that is almost charming in its shamelessness, especially in captions for some of the book's many photographs. In text accompanying a picture with several high-ranking Russians, he quotes Andrei Gromyko, from the Russian foreign secretary's own memoirs. "'Nevertheless, in international affairs, he [Trudeau] stood head and shoulders above statesmen of other NATO countries who are blinded by their hostility to socialism and either cannot or will not recognize the situation as it is.'" At times, such as his invoking of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis, Trudeau is understandably quite defensive. He is almost always gracious, however, and has few unkind things to say about anyone, even staunch opponents like René Lévesque. He does get in a jab at Ronald Reagan, though, who at an economic summit meeting relates a story about his days as president of Actors' Equity that has little to do with matters at hand.
Memoirs is not an exceptionally well-written piece of work, and large chunks of it might be dull to those uninterested in, say, the political manoeuvrings behind the Charter of Rights and the Charlottetown Accord. But what makes the book fascinating isn't the prose but the life revealed. World traveller, enthusiastic kayaker, cunning politician, and charismatic leader—it's no wonder "Trudeaumania" swept Canada when he first ran for office. --Shawn Conner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The dao that can be said is not the dao...",
By
This review is from: Memoirs (Paperback)
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 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 memoire 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 & giant will amongst mental idiots & usual politicoes during his tenure. I believe he has the right to do just what he did in this magnificent memoire: Speak from the heights & tell it as he alone saw it. Bravo! We'll not see his like again.
1.0 out of 5 stars
A dreadful, shallow mess,
By
This review is from: Memoirs (Hardcover)
Obviously ghost-written, the book treats the reader like a simpleton. It is an awful failure of a book. It's too bad Trudeau was too lazy to write a proper autobiography.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Memoirs of Pierre Elliott Trudeau,
By Patrizia (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Memoirs (Hardcover)
I found this book to be very interesting. It gave me great insight to the life of Trudeau. You will understand just what this great man brought to our great country. "What a wonderful man". It is a must read. Hope it will be enjoyed as much as I enjoyed it.
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