The Road to Nowhere

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta, co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities: British
Views of Canada, 1880–1914, author of The Salvation Army and the
Public, and the editor of “Improved by Cultiv

Cyril Goodyear, former Newfoundland Ranger, RCMP officer, provincial
court judge, and associate attorney general, has certainly had enough
experiences to make one expect his “memories” to be interesting,
even entertaining. And some, when he takes time to relate rather than
opine, are indeed valuable, especially when they offer new insights into
the era of the Newfoundland Rangers (1935–50), those law officers who
were both police and government agents. Their courage, in the face of an
inhospitable climate, poor travel conditions, and small pay, has not yet
been adequately celebrated. Goodyear goes some way toward remedying that
lack with his own memories of their work. Unfortunately, incoherence,
diffusiveness, an inconsistent narrative voice, and an overindulgence in
puerile philosophy and unnecessary pontification detract from the few
moments of serious reflection and worthwhile description.