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King John of Canada

door Scott Gardiner

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342709,403 (3.63)33
A hilarious political satire in the tradition of Mordecai Richler. This is a funny, biting political satire set in the not-too-distant future. A series of minority governments, and endless Quebec referendums (designed to lose narrowly, to keep the money coming) have left Canada almost ungovernable. When the Governor General resigns in disgrace and the House of Windsor implodes in London, a media baron launches the idea of a Canadian king or queen elected by lottery. It starts as a joke -- except that the lucky winner, King John, a bright and charismatic guy from Toronto, knows exactly what people want. Soon Quebec is gone, while Toronto's surprise bid to leave Canada is averted by shifting his official residence, the new seat of power, to the Toronto waterfront. Many good things happen, and the politicians go along for the ride. And the blockades of Native lands are ended for good, after John is heroically wounded keeping the peace at risk to his life. His popularity soars and Canadian morale soars with it. Soon the rest of the world is taking notice of this model leader. In the United States, the blue states look enviously northward. Then Canada's king, ignoring assassination threats, goes on a formal visit to Washington. . .… (meer)
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This book is lucky it has such an interesting plot, otherwise I might have given up on it a third of the way through. The narrator is chronologically situated at the end of the story, so his retelling of the events feels rather distant, especially when he talks about his and the titular monarch's experiences in university. It therefore took me rather a long time to get really involved with the characters and go along for the satirical political ride.

Fans of Canadian politics will likely enjoy this book or certainly have a strong reaction at least; the usual touchstones of Quebec, regionalism, the armed forces and the Canadian identity are extensively played with here, often very amusingly. Some of it seems a bit more wish fulfillment as opposed to "this could actually happen", but this is fiction, after all, and that's one of the best parts of writing fiction: having characters do or say things you wish you could do. (That's certainly the only reason I write, which is also the reason I don't write for publication... a little wish fulfillment goes a long way.)

To sum up, read this if you like amusing novels about Canadian politics, but read it when you won't be distracted and when you're receptive to "what could be". Also if you're an English history buff, don't let the connotations of the title "King John" spoil the book. I will admit that's the first thing I think of when I see those two words together, like "Ugh, Lackland." This King John is a bit more competent and a lot more loyalty-inspiring. ( )
  rabbitprincess | Feb 27, 2011 |
What if Canada had its very own, home-grown monarch? This is the premise upon which Scott Gardiner has written King John of Canada. And, now that Canada has its very own king, chosen by national lottery, issues like Quebec separation, western Alienation and Aboriginal affairs turn out very differently. It is written as a memoir, narrated by the King's faithful adviser, Blue.

This is a wonderfully funny book. It's intelligent and topical and should appeal to anyone interested in Canadian politics and the Canadian psyche.

I loved Mr. Gardiner's earlier book, The Dominion of Wyley McFadden, and this second novel as well. ( )
2 stem LynnB | Aug 23, 2008 |
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A hilarious political satire in the tradition of Mordecai Richler. This is a funny, biting political satire set in the not-too-distant future. A series of minority governments, and endless Quebec referendums (designed to lose narrowly, to keep the money coming) have left Canada almost ungovernable. When the Governor General resigns in disgrace and the House of Windsor implodes in London, a media baron launches the idea of a Canadian king or queen elected by lottery. It starts as a joke -- except that the lucky winner, King John, a bright and charismatic guy from Toronto, knows exactly what people want. Soon Quebec is gone, while Toronto's surprise bid to leave Canada is averted by shifting his official residence, the new seat of power, to the Toronto waterfront. Many good things happen, and the politicians go along for the ride. And the blockades of Native lands are ended for good, after John is heroically wounded keeping the peace at risk to his life. His popularity soars and Canadian morale soars with it. Soon the rest of the world is taking notice of this model leader. In the United States, the blue states look enviously northward. Then Canada's king, ignoring assassination threats, goes on a formal visit to Washington. . .

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