Customer Reviews

Souvenir of Canada 2

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This SECOND collection of imagery and musings from Famous Canadian Writer Douglas Coupland didn't always strike a chord with me. I'm from a different part of the country, with different history and experiences, of course.

Yet enough was oddly, eerily familiar to convince me that there are few young writers better qualified to comment on the State of Our Nation than Coupland. Not as enjoyable as his fiction, but something fun to tide us fans over while we wait!

I enjoyed this quirky collection, particularly Coupland's Canadian House installation art, more than the first. The images seemed fresher and his intelligent commentary was just as enjoyable. Keep 'em coming!

So, what constitutes 'Canadian culture' and elements of Canada? From notorious plastics which take twice as long to decompose to a special kind of screw and driver used only in Canada, there's a host of oddities uniquely Canadian which Douglas Coupland here sets out to capture visually and in text description. A hilarious, pointed set of true observations, all backed with color photos.

Quirky but real. As a Canadian from the same era I can totally relate to what he describes. A really great book to give to Americans to explain who we Canadian really are.

I consider myself a friend of Canada and Canadians and I'm fascinated with the differences and links between Canadians and Americans. Here, novelist Douglas Coupland throws in his two cents on the subject presenting two volumes of an encyclopedic list of places, events, and things both everyday and profound and their relevance to defining Canada and Canadians. Coupland is a funny and thoughtful observer and i learned a great deal from these books. There are two volumes: Souvenir of Canada and Souvenir of Canada 2.

Your may not agree with everything, particularly if you are a Canadian, and Coupland's is one perspective among many, but it is a perspective well worth spending some time with. If the subject interests you, you need to read these books.

What a delight! Since leaving the Buffalo area last year I've been getting my Canada fixes vicariously, and this book did the trick nicely this month. Familiar, yet alien, alien, yet familiar. The idea of the "Canada House" is brilliant (and a brilliant piece of environmental art, to boot). Pick this one up if for no other reason than it's a cool coffeetable book that will confuse your less travelled friends. . .