Volkswagen Blues

by Jacques Poulin and Jacques Puolin

Book Overview

In this classic road novel, Jacques Poulin tells the story of a man in search of his brother. The geographical journey -- through Detroit, into Chicago, on to St. Louis, along the Oregon Trail and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1896951422
• ISBN13: 9781896951423
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Cormorant Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.6" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Romance and Travel

This book is a rather pleasant and easygoing book about an unmarried couple who travel from Canada through the United States, including the Oregon trail. The most interesting part of the book is the relationship between the man and the woman. The writing style is simple and straightforward, and the story manages to keep one entertained throughout.Translator's Kiss

Short Listed for CBC Canada Reads 2005

A 40-year-old French-Canadian writer from Montreal set out to find his long lost brother, whom he had not seen for 20 years. The only trace he had was a 15-year-old postcard from a small town in Quebec. At the beginning of his quest, he picked up a hitchhiker, a young Métis girl. Together, driving an old Volkswagen minivan, they traced the footsteps of the French explorers from the St. Lawrence to St. Louis, Missouri and then headed west along the Oregon Trail. This turned out to be a journey of self-discovery as well as a history lesson for the writer where he learned about the plight of the Native Americans through the eyes of a Métis. With translated work, one has to wonder how much of the style of the writer actually came through in the translation. Regardless, this English version was a really nice, easy read where I was drawn into the narrator's quest very quickly: Where did the brother go? What happened to him and what became of him? However, it was very clear soon into the book that the process of how one reaches a goal is often as, if not more, rewarding as achieving the goal itself. This book was short-listed as one of five books in CBC's Canada Reads program in 2005. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in exploring Canadian literature or who just wants a good read.

un bon roman québécois

[scroll down for English] Je viens de finir ce formidable roman et il m'a fallu écrire quelque chose pour dire tout le monde (une traduction anglaise existe) qu'il faut le trouver et le savoure. L'histoire commence à Gaspé et elle continue vers Québec-ville, Toronto, et aux États-Unis, sur le piste d'Oregon. Le personnage principal est Jack et il se trouve avec une fille qui s'appelle La Grande Sauterelle, à cause de ses bras qui sont longues et maigres. Leur discussion reste toujours fraîche et l'objectif de trouver son frère à lui, Théo, garde la mystère de l'histoire. Je croyais aussi que c'était intéressant et un peu bizarre que l'écrivain Poulin ne traduit pas la dialogue des personnages anglophones après Jack et La Grand Sauterelle ont traversé la frontière américaine, il y avait beaucoup de phrases anglaises non-traduites. Je le recommande à tout. I just finished this really good book and I had to write a review to get the word out somehow to people to run out to the store and get this book. I would especially recommend it to Canadians, anglo and francophone (go find the translation), for a good example of Canadian literature to be read and enjoyed. The story begins in the québécois town Gaspé along the St Lawrence River and continues to the United States to the Oregen Trail, all the while the main character, Jack, who is searching for his brother Théo, has great conversation with a young woman who is riding with him who calls herself La Grande Sauterelle (the big grasshopper). Another great book from Canada has been written, I recommend it to all.

Dream along

This book was the first Poulin I have read. Eventually I read all of them, but this one is his best. Read it slowly, dream along, savour every page. I found some of his other books a bit hard to crack, but not this one. This is something everyone can (and should) enjoy. Beautiful.

Ce roman roule

Je suis professeur de littérature francophone à l'université de Veracruz, et celui-ci est un livre qui s'adapte à mes propos pédagogiques et littéraires. C'est un parcours par l'Amérique du nord et par l'histoire. Si vous aimez les romans contemporains bien écrits, je vous le recomande. Génial, structure, personnages, intrigue, narration, parallélisme entre présent et passé.