Review by Choice Review
All too often Quebec scholars (and not a few in the rest of Canada) have interpreted history almost entirely within the prism of the "national question," the struggle between French and English in Quebec and Canada. Bernier and Sal'ee are to be congratulated, therefore, for deliberately and consciously moving outside that framework to seek different explanations for the events of the period from 1760 to 1850. They believe that they have found these explanations in social and class relationships that transcend language divisions, and they may be right. It is, however, more than a little difficult to be certain for their prose is less than lucid and, although they claim to have researched massively in primary sources, their sparse notes and their bibliography provide no evidence of this work. There is also far too much effort and space expended in describing their struggles and telling readers exactly what they are saying, about to say, or have said. The result is a long essay masquerading as a book. J. L. Granatstein; York University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
