René Lévesque: Portrait of a Man Alone

Ian A. Andrews is a high-school social sciences teacher and editor of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association’s Focus.

René Lévesque, a leading participant in the Quebec and Canadian
political scenes from

the days of Maurice Duplessis to the mid-1980s, is portrayed in this
novelization as a passionate and solitary figure who was committed to
Quebec nationalism and the goal of sovereignty—provided that the
people of Quebec were in agreement. The book gives readers a
behind-the-scenes look at how political decisions are made, how support
is courted and received, how deals are made, and how ideals are
sometimes bent in the service of political expediency. Particularly
interesting is Fournier’s portrayal of Jacques Parizeau and the policy
disputes that characterized his relationship with Lévesque. While
Parizeau and other Parti Québécois supporters accorded Lévesque
near-mythical status in the aftermath of his death, this novel shows the
human Lévesque, warts and all. The cover photo of the balding,
wrinkle-browed, chain-smoking Lévesque prepares the reader for a
realistic portrait of one of the most colorful characters in Canadian
history.