St Pierre and Miquelon

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

This photoessay gives the impression there’s nothing much to
photograph on St. Pierre and Miquelon. Following a short introduction in
which it is pointed out that these islands off the coast of Newfoundland
appear to be French because they are part of France, the reader/viewer
is presented with what appears to be every photo in the tourist
bureau’s files.

Hansen has a good reputation as a photographer and has several books to
his credit. This collection doesn’t live up to that promise. While
there are a half-dozen or so great photos in the work, they’re
overwhelmed by the large quantity of average and routine shots. The
impression is that we’re being asked to look at a point-and-click
photo of every building, every boat, every monument, and possibly every
lace curtain on the islands. It’s a lot like being asked to admire a
friend’s vacation photos. The photos suffer from a lack of page
design: quantity, not quality, seems to have been the rule in both photo
selection and design.

This is one of those rather aimless books that attempt to appeal to
everyone and so risk reaching no one.