- Hardcover: 408 pages
- Publisher: McClelland & Stewart; 1 edition (Mar 8 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0771081650
- ISBN-13: 978-0771081651
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 3.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 703 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#375,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( T ) > Trudeau, Pierre
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Most Canadians remember Pierre Trudeau as a man of seemingly endless contradictions. In Pierre, his friend and Montreal neighbour Nancy Southam does nothing to disabuse us of that impression. Pierre Trudeau was a truly complex person, but this complexity is what makes him, and this book, so fascinating. The short reflections that comprise the chapters of the book describe an irreverent man of faith, an elegant bohemian, and a liberal who was at times authoritarian. As one of his great loves, Barbra Streisand, describes him: "Pierre Trudeau was a graceful balance of contradictions." Southam's book is full of new stories and fresh insights, and readers gain a deeper appreciation for the man on every page. Trudeau's famous wit and his legendary irreverence are everywhere, but in addition to the better known parts of his public persona, readers of Pierre are introduced to a private aspect of the man that did not reveal itself on television or in the House of Commons. We meet a man who was comfortable in his own skin, everyone's favourite dinner companion, and a leader whose political instincts often ran the opposite of convention. The contributors Southam chose are mostly very well known--in one case anonymous--but some of the most revealing insights come from people out of the public eye, like Tom Johnson, Trudeau's assistant, whose story of a wild canoe trip in British Columbia brings us next to a man we have not seen before. Planning this book, and arranging the reminiscences into a cogent and thoroughly entertaining whole, took a great deal of talent and creativity. Southam has made a great contribution to Canadian political biography. --William Newbigging
Review
“[Southam’s] observations on Trudeau . . . are intimate, arresting, funny and deeply affecting. They and so many others here reveal a humanity and vulnerability which only those closest to him could see behind the cerebral, ascetic, stoic public man.”
— Andrew Cohen, Globe and Mail
“Lavishly illustrated and easy to peruse, Pierre is grist for the mill for readers who revere Canada’s most controversial, yet celebrated politician.”
— London Free Press
“Arrogant, shy, charming, rude, kind, thoughtless — all the contradictory traits of Canada’s best-known 20th century prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, show up in this collection of anecdotes by friends and colleagues. . . . Love him or hate him, Trudeau was a one-off, and Southam’s book shows him in all his vaunted complexity.”
— Toronto Sun --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
— Andrew Cohen, Globe and Mail
“Lavishly illustrated and easy to peruse, Pierre is grist for the mill for readers who revere Canada’s most controversial, yet celebrated politician.”
— London Free Press
“Arrogant, shy, charming, rude, kind, thoughtless — all the contradictory traits of Canada’s best-known 20th century prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, show up in this collection of anecdotes by friends and colleagues. . . . Love him or hate him, Trudeau was a one-off, and Southam’s book shows him in all his vaunted complexity.”
— Toronto Sun --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book - Really Enjoyed This,
By A Customer
This review is from: Pierre:: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew (Hardcover)
I especially enjoyed the anecdotes about the canoe trips. Pierre was so different and his love for the Arctic should be an inspiration to us all.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful portrait of an amazing person,
By Eclecta - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew (Paperback)
This book is a memorable, entertaining, and moving compilation of memories of Canada's most intriguing and charismatic prime minister. Southam, a close personal friend of Trudeau, asked former colleagues, staff, lovers, friends, and fellow heads of state to write about the man that they knew. The result is a portrait of an amazingly gifted, shy, feisty, complex man with an insatiable love and curiosity for the world, and a deep love and closeness with his children.Whether you're Canadian or not, I promise you that you will enjoy reading this fascinating compilation of stories and thoughts about one of the most accomplished and intriguing people of the 20th century.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful,
By Dan - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
.A little pricey but a faceted portrait of a great man--mostly admirers but some foes who still respected him. The compiler collected vignettes written by many people. My favorite was Margot Kidder's. I didn't understand Leonard Cohen's contribution. The only small quibble is some of the history may be puzzling to Americans. What was the patriation of the Constitution and why was Canada so divided about it, for example. But unmistakably through all that emerges a grand painting. The book is illustrated--my favorite is a cartoon of his back, sailing away in a canoe. Ms. Southam, well done. 0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Trudeau left us with the bill,
By dogstogo - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Pierre:: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew (Hardcover)
This offers largely the same puffy Trudeau hagiography that you'll find in the biographies of the man. Quoting Conrad Black's chapter on Trudeau, Mark Steyn of the Telegraph Group says:'Fortunately, Conrad Black is on hand to keep things in proportion. In 'Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk About the Trudeau They Knew', Black concludes his appreciation thus: "I always found him a delightful conversationalist and a gracious host, though perhaps slow to reach for the bill in a restaurant, even when we were there on his invitation." Too true. He left us with the bill, in every sense.' |
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