Reviews (15)

Well written, funny, useful
The author has a nice turn of phrase, and a lovely sense of humor.But better yet, I found that it made my trip more enjoyable by putting a few things in context.I certainly wouldn't have recognized the poetry on my B&B door as coming from a beloved Quebecois poet without reading this book; or understood why TV sitcom writers enjoy enough prestige to have a little local shrine of newspaper articles dedicated to them.

Very Interesting Look at Quebec
I really enjoyed reading this book and I feel I've learned quite a bit about Quebec. It's a very fascinating province that I hope to visit one of these days. The author weaves a very complex subject into a layman's quilt about the various facets of Quebecois society. The chapters on language and the societal ills since the Quite Revolution in the 60's are most interesting.
Even Better Than Being There
In my youth Quebec was a vast country of farms still plowed by horses.There were so many religious that priests and nuns did missionary duty in the States.Francophones were indifferent to British rule.Then, seemingly overnight, this quaint civilization collapsed.Pastures became golf courses.Couples bore their children out of wedlock.Francophones took charge of their culture and country.In 1995 their ballots came within a fraction of a percentage point of independence.The 60s and 70s saw this "quiet revolution" that knocked down doors already tottering in decrepitude.What an immense change in so short a time!
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Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Literature: Texts    6. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    7. Travel / Canada   

Reviews (2)

Canadian Summer
Canadian Summer is about the Mitchells' first, well, Canadian Summer. They rent a cabin, go exploring, fall off a boat, go exploring, meet the Jolicoers, go exploring, meet Mr. Magic, go exploring, get lost, go exploring, lose their dog, go exploring, help Peter with his wounded leg, go exploring, stop a forest fire, go exploring, throw a party, go exploring, get a new house, go exploring, and did I forget to mention that they went exploring?

Count Your Blessings
Canadian Summer is a book that makes you count your blessings.Hilda VanStockum has become our family's favorite author.Her writing is magical.She draws you into the story so you feel as if you are a part of it. Read more

Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Canada    3. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    4. Classics    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Family - General    7. Family life    8. Fiction    9. Moving, Household    10. Travel   

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Travel    3. Travel - United States    4. United States - West - Pacific (General)    5. California    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (7)

Even though sleep called I had trouble closing this fine well told adventure!
This book was an inspiration for me to buy a kayak and as an humble beginner to get out on the water at the age of 61.The author has the spiritual soul necessary to write such a magical accounting of her travels thru a land of kind people with smiling children. I know that writing is a time consuming task Ms. Jason...but could we have another episode please? I feel sure you will go back to this beautiful region again.Dan Chesser (Chess to my friends) Winston, OR ...In the 1000 valleys of the Umpqua River drainage.

A Brave Woman
I read "Kabloona" several years ago and have reread it again twice. Jason not only could write well and make me experience her trip vicariously, she also had the ability to spur me into new and different experiences of my own. Although I have not braved the Arctic as she did, I have conquered my own little fears and challenges. My mother used to wonder why cancer only got the most wonderful, caring, creative people. My mother was right. Jason may not have lived to write book number two, but her energy and her passion have been a road map to women in at least two countries. Thanks for the trip, Victoria!

A vicarious adventure to be sure
Victoria Jason makes you feel like you are paddling the kayak.You experience the wind on your cheeks, the cold spray on your face, the pull of the current and strength of the waves on your boat.But even more powerful are the emotions which you share as you glide through the pages like gliding through the water.You sense her anxiety and vulnerability, her regrets and her doubts.She is independent and totally in control of her own destiny in a land where danger lurks in the water, on the land, and in the weather.She misses her family, thinking of her grandkids often.But she also experiences a sense of accomplishment since she is singularly in control.She is one with nature and gains inner peace and tranquility.In the few times she interacts with others, she is met with caring and sincerity, developing friendships and getting to know them better and deeper than one would in a "normal" setting.Unlike her short-time paddling companion, Don Starkell, who seemed to approach the trip as a task--as he against the elements--she embraces the elements and forms a synergy.She doesn't oppose the land, water, weather, or situations, she lets them work for her with finesse.And even when face to face with a grizzly and having a shotgun which could have been a more certain outcome, she chose a flare gun at the grizzly's feet.Maybe she's a paddling grandmother, but she's also an inspiration to all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Canada    3. General    4. Kayaking    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Sports & Recreation / Kayaking    8. Travel / Polar Regions    9. 1945-    10. Description and travel    11. Jason, Victoria,    12. Journeys    13. Northwest Passage    14. Polar Regions    15. Sea kayaking    16. Travel   

Subjects:  1. Canada - Quebec    2. Guidebooks    3. Montrâeal (Quâebec)    4. Quâebec (Quâebec)    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. Quebec    9. Travel & holiday guides    10. Travel / Canada / Quebec (QC)   

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. Travel Guides - U.S.    4. United States - Midwest - General    5. United States - Pacific - Alaska    6. United States - West - Pacific (General)    7. Travel / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)   

Subjects:  1. North America    2. Skiing - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Winter Sports    7. 21st century    8. Canada    9. Skiing    10. USA   

Subjects:  1. Canada - Western Provinces    2. Europe - Benelux Countries (BelgiumNetherlandsLuxembourg)    3. Europe - General    4. Europe - Italy    5. North America    6. Reference - General    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Travel Guides    10. Non-Classifiable    11. Travel / Europe / General   

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Mexico    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - General    6. Caravan & camp-site guides    7. North America    8. Travel / United States / General   

Reviews (1)

Makes you want to explore canada.
Given the fact that I intend to travel to Canada in 2007, I have found this book an excellent starting point. It details quite a lot of information about where you can stay, what you can do and where you can eat in pretty much every city within canada, including those smaller places. I believe that it's a great starting point for those you that wish to research the place's you want to visit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Midwest - General    6. Travel / Canada   

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Canada - Atlantic Provinces    3. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    4. Travel    5. Travel - General    6. Travel / General   

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Consumer Guides    3. Reference    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Travel / General   

Reviews (14)

Mesmerizing Tale of the Eskimos
The audio CD is outstanding...indeed the best I have ever listened to. For one thing, the narrator is marvelous in recreating both the 1930's world of France and Frozen Canada. I can't think of any other book or audio that so successfully transported me into an alien culture. Considering that there are quite a few films and books about Eskimos, why buy this one written 70 years ago?Answer: the literary quality of this work surpasses the prose of the last quarter century.When you listen to the narrator weave his tale, it mirrors the experience of hearing a tobacco chewing explorer slowly recounting his adventures in the wild. The story dives deep into the interior life of the author as much as it details an ethnographic examination of (primitive) Inuit life.The myths and values of the Eskimos contrast sharply with the borgeouis morals of a gentleman of Paris. For example, in Eskimo culture, there is little concept of private property...that's why an Eskimo man will let you borrow his wife or a snow knife.Language in the arctic is far more concrete.A polar bear is HE WHO HAS NO SHADOW.Far away, in the cold Arctic, author Grontran De Poncins learns what it means to be human, a man preeminently. This is a romance, a classic reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe. If you buy the audio CD, you will not be disappointed.

Good descriptions, bad insights
I would recommend potential readers of this book see the Amazon review by "Rugby007" of another book by Poncins called "From a Chinese City : In the Heart of Peacetime Vietnam" which provides insights into this author and his background.
A Magical Book
This is a magical book which I first read when I was young.It inspired in me dreams of adventure which I did not follow, but which became a part of my inner life.Now that I am old, I am reading Kabloona again so that I can remember that I once was young. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Description And Travel    2. Arctic regions    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Canada    5. Description and travel    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. Ethnic Cultures - Native Americans    8. Inuit    9. Netsilik Eskimos    10. Primitive Society    11. Social life and customs    12. Travel    13. Biography & Autobiography / General    14. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (10)

Frommer's Cruises and Ports of Call
Cruise section is more up to date than ports of call. Very useful.

A Great Overview - Start Here then Get Details Elsewhere
This massive book (691 pages) manages to touch on just about every major cruise ship and port of call that there is in cruising. You get a little taste of everything.
Lots of Good Information
As a person looking to take a cruise for the first time I found most of the info I was looking for in this book. It contains very detailed descriptions, especially of the various cruise lines and the type of activities, food and service that they offer. Of course, the opinions expressed are of the authors only and your taste may vary considerly. But overall they give a fairly objective assessment of the wide range of cruising experiences offered. Recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Caribbean & West Indies    2. Cruise ships    3. Guidebooks    4. Ocean travel    5. Special Interest - General    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Travel Guides    9. Voyages And Travels    10. Caribbean islands    11. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    12. Travel / Caribbean & West Indies   

Reviews (5)

Great read
Much has been accomplished in this book.Dave Halsey not only traveled from one end of Canada to the other, but he lived with the Indians for a few months during 40-below degree winter season.He shares his experiences in both the hot and frigid, both the rapid and inch-by-inch travel.He has also been through inspiring and mind-blowing experiences.Plus, this book is wonderful for nature admirers and outdoor campers & hikers alike.

Last Romantic American Frontiersman
I have read David Halsey's Magnetic North repeated times for it's pure display of passion and adventure.Halsey was a man both before and beyond his time.He knew the importance of keeping his expedition a journey by primitive means, it was important to himself.His passing is a tragic tale, but not unlike many other great explorers and adventure writers of the 19th and 20th century.Within the pages of his account, there is more than a story.There is a compassionate soul bound to the wilderness, paddling his way through waters that had not been traversed by a white man, and a grievous attempt to return to modern society.I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever dared to dream, not of greatness, but of a life lived in the wild to satisfy a yearning heart.

Very riveting
A great book. It wasn't long enough is the only complaint, and that's if you force me to complain.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1956-1983    2. 20th Century Description And Travel    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Canada    5. Description and travel    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. Halsey, David,    8. Hiking    9. Travel    10. Travel - General    11. Halsey, David    12. Journeys   

Reviews (1)

Comprehensive and up to date
My wife and I travel to Atlantic Canada every summer. We have used a variety of guidebooks including this one, which is definitely our favorite. The authors have obviously spent a lot of time in the region, and as a result they have come up with a good range of places to see, things to do, and where to stay and eat.Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlantic Provinces    2. Canada    3. Canada - Atlantic Provinces    4. Canada - History    5. Guidebooks    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Travel Guides    9. Travel & holiday guides    10. Travel / Canada / Atlantic Provinces (NB, NF, NS, PE)   

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Canoeing    3. Sports & Recreation    4. Sports & Recreation / Canoeing    5. Travel    6. Travel / Canada    7. Wilderness areas   

Reviews (1)

Makes It Sound So Easy
The first portion of the book gives alot helpful information that is necessay for anyone thinking of hiking in the Canadian Rockies--from the gear needed for the hike to the precautions that need to be taken withhazards related to hiking.The author does an excellent job of linkingeach hike in a particular area to the next one, so that a hiker couldpossibly continue on right into the next degree of difficulty--if one wereso inclined, or had enough time and preparation. Each hike is covered invery good detail, including: distance one way, degree of difficulty,elevation change, highest elevation reached on the hike, and location ofthe tailhead. Many beautiful colored and black & white photos were alsoincluded. The one thing that I thought was a little bit lacking was thedetail of the maps. Several hikes in each area were included on the samemap, and sometimes it got somewhat cluttered looking on the map.Overall Iwould highly recommend this book to anyone who was just a beginner or tothose who wanted to strike out on the next degree of difficulty--all theway up to scaling some of the taller peaks in the Lake Louise area. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alberta    2. Banff    3. Canada    4. Guidebooks    5. Hiking    6. Louise, Lake, Region    7. Louise, Lake, Region (Alta.)    8. Sports & Recreation    9. Sports & Recreation / Hiking    10. Trails    11. Travel    12. Travel - World/Canada    13. Travel / Canada   

Reviews (2)

Highly Recommended
I used this book to take a six-day bike tour from Burlington, VT to Montreal, Quebec, and I had a great trip.The author's directions are so accurate that I was able to ride all the way to Montreal without consulting a map!The author recommended hotels that are conveniently located for cyclists and chose roads and bike paths that were scenic and generally had light traffic.This book is a valuable resource for any bicycle tourist!

An enthusiastically recommended regional guide
Part of the outstanding "Backcountry Guide" series from The Countryman Press, 25 Bicycle Tours In The Lake Champlain Region: Scenic Tours In Vermont, New York, And Quebec offers wonderfully satisfying bike hikes through New York's Adirondacks, Vermont's Green Mountains, and the scenery and charms of Quebec's historic towns and villages. Including a wide range of lodging and dining options, cyclists can explore the southern tip of the lake in Whitehall, New York, to the quaint college town of Middlebury, Vermont. The various tours range from scenic and flat 10 mile loops to adventurous 82-mile rides through the easter Adirondacks. Whether for an afternoon's pleasant exercise or a weekend of high cycling adventure, 25 Bicycle Tours In The Lake Champlain Region is an enthusiastically recommended regional guide.
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Subjects:  1. Bicycle touring    2. Canada - Ontario    3. Champlain, Lake, Region    4. Cycling - General    5. Guidebooks    6. Travel    7. Travel - United States    8. United States - Mid Atlantic - New York City    9. United States - Northeast - Middle Atlantic (General)    10. United States - Northeast - New England (General)    11. New York    12. Quebec    13. Travel & holiday guides    14. Vermont   

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Canada    3. History    4. Motorboat racing    5. Records    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Aircraft: general interest    9. Travel / Canada