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Title: Souvenir of Canada
ISBN: 1550549170
Author:
Douglas Coupland
Publicate Date: 2004-03-19
Publish: 2004-03-19
List Price: $26.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $5.95
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $5.00
Amazon Merchant Price: $17.79
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Coupland's odd humor and appreciation for his country blend well
You don't read Coupland for content, and you certainly don't read him to understand where he is coming from. Coupland is best read as a collection of highly eclectic - and in this case, almost loving - insights of a country he knows well. Like his previous book on Canada and the one on Vancouver, all of these stand as weird, human, insightful snippets of Canadian life. Its like a large relish tray - good snippets, but not all to your personal taste.
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2: a great little book
My familiarity with coupland prior to Souvenir of Canada primarily stemmed from Generation X and his City of Glass (his loveletter to Vancouver). Unlike his novel, Souvenir is utterly sentimental--even when seemingly critical. Not being Canadian, yet quite interested in Canadiana, I found Souvenir to be interesting on several levels, and I found myself not only enriching my knowledge of Canada, but also reflecting more deeply on the area in which I grew up--not so much America as a whole, which is a point inferred in the book as well. It's style makes it vastly readable: a series of photographs with relatively short passages with varying degrees of topic digression, yet all quite appropriate. I have often found myself picking Souvenir (and Souvenir 2) up again and again, thumbing through and randomly reading sections. I don't know what it is, but Coupland seems to have the knack for inviting the reader into a world and being a great host while you're there.
I might only add here that recently Coupland loosely turned his Souvenir books into a film of the same name, made somewhat in the same style. The film was great but does not include everything in both the books.
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3: Clearly Canadian (though we're not alike!)
This 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!
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4: My opinion of this book is biased by my love of Canadians...
I was fortunate to have found this book a couple of years ago when I was in Vancouver,BC, and I was nothing but thrilled to see 1) a new Coupland book, 2) a book about Canada, and 3) a picture book for adults. And since I've had it I have found myself reading it several times.
Coupland fans who didn't like the "non-fiction journal" style of "Polaroids from the Dead" may not enjoy this book. But Coupland fans who vist his website for art as well as literature, or try to make gallery shows when Coupland's work is being displayed, will absolutely cherish this book.
Coupland spends anywhere from a couple of paragraphs to a couple pages talking about Canadaian facets like Cigs, Hockey, the Maple Leaf, Poutine, and the Trans Canadian Highway.
This is a must have for die hard Coupland fans, Canadians, US citizens who have spent any amount of time near the border, and everyone else in the know.
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5: Like most souvenirs - neat but often misplaced.
I read this book in two sittings. The photograph compositions where clever and did evoke familiarity - good and bad - about Canadian images and icons. Coupland's ramblings though, are insights that I believe all Canadians feel or have felt at least once in their lives. Ironically I think this book would have the greatest resonance with non-Canadians, although judging by the few American reviews posted, this suggestion may prove to be a stretch.
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