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Angus & Me #1
The Best Laid Plans
A burnt-out political aide quits just before an election — but is forced to run a hopeless campaign on the way out. He makes a deal with a crusty old Scot, Angus McLintock — an engineering professor who will do anything, anything, to avoid teaching English to engineers — to let his name stand in the election. No need to campaign, certain to lose - or is he?
314 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2007
216 people are currently reading
6678 people want to read
About the author
Terry Fallis
13 books721 followersTerry Fallis is the award-winning author of ten national bestsellers, including his latest, The Marionette, all published by McClelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House). His debut novel, The Best Laid Plans, won the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and was crowned the 2011 winner of CBC Canada Reads as the "essential Canadian novel of the decade." In January 2014, CBC aired a six-part television miniseries based on The Best Laid Plans earning very positive reviews. In September 2015, it debuted as a stage musical in Vancouver. The High Road was published in September 2010 and was a finalist for the 2011 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Terry's third novel, Up and Down, was released in September 2012. It debuted on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, was a finalist for the 2013 Leacock Medal, and won the 2013 Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award. In June 2013, the Canadian Booksellers Association presented Terry with the Libris Award for Author of the Year. Terry's fourth novel, No Relation, hit bookstores in May 2014, opened on the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, and won the 2015 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Poles Apart was released in October 2015, immediately hit the Globe and Mail bestsellers list, and was a finalist for the 2016 Leacock Medal. One Brother Shy (2017), Albatross (2019), Operation Angus (2021), A New season (2023), an The Marionette were all instant bestsellers upon publication.
Terry Fallis earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University and then spent several years working in federal and Ontario politics. In 1995, he co-founded Thornley Fallis, a full service communications and digital agency with offices in Toronto and Ottawa. He blogs at www.terryfallis.com and his twitter handle is @TerryFallis. Subscribe to his Substack posts here: https://terryfallis.substack.com
Terry Fallis earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University and then spent several years working in federal and Ontario politics. In 1995, he co-founded Thornley Fallis, a full service communications and digital agency with offices in Toronto and Ottawa. He blogs at www.terryfallis.com and his twitter handle is @TerryFallis. Subscribe to his Substack posts here: https://terryfallis.substack.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,174 reviews
December 8, 2008
I'll not ramble on here about my own book beyond saying that I hope those who read it enjoy it.
May 19, 2014
I had a rocky start with this book. The author clearly knows politics, but much less about academia - or at least, current academia. The idea that the protagonist was approached about a tenure track appointment a couple of months before the book began, and that the position was still open, and there weren't a stack of CVs from people applying for that job, that the protagonist could just call his old prof and waltz into a tenure-track job? Well, I don't know what the academic job market used to look like, but it doesn't look like that now!
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
August 27, 2008
When I first picked up Terry Fallis' novel which is described on the cover as a "satirical novel of Canadian politics" I wasn't expecting it to be very compelling -- I'm not much into politics, after all.
But this novel was compelling from the first word. I was immediately hooked by narrator Daniel Addison and his departure from the Canadian political scene to teach English to Engineers at Ottawa University.
I particularly enjoyed the hilarious and uniquely creative description of walking in on his girlfriend and a cabinet minister and describing their tryst in "parliamentary language."
Rick Mercer couldn't have done a better job of setting up the laughs from this scene. But once Fallis introduced stodgy old engineering professor Angus McLintock I was double-hooked.
Following this unlikely Liberal candidate's rise to power marks one of the best books I've read this year. The main plot and sub-stories wind perfectly together providing a wonderfully balanced and thoroughly enjoyable tale. While I actually did laugh out loud several times reading this satirical novel, I was also moved and touched by the characters who live long after I have turned the final page of the book.
But this novel was compelling from the first word. I was immediately hooked by narrator Daniel Addison and his departure from the Canadian political scene to teach English to Engineers at Ottawa University.
I particularly enjoyed the hilarious and uniquely creative description of walking in on his girlfriend and a cabinet minister and describing their tryst in "parliamentary language."
Rick Mercer couldn't have done a better job of setting up the laughs from this scene. But once Fallis introduced stodgy old engineering professor Angus McLintock I was double-hooked.
Following this unlikely Liberal candidate's rise to power marks one of the best books I've read this year. The main plot and sub-stories wind perfectly together providing a wonderfully balanced and thoroughly enjoyable tale. While I actually did laugh out loud several times reading this satirical novel, I was also moved and touched by the characters who live long after I have turned the final page of the book.
May 13, 2025
Terry Fallis delivers a great political thriller with a peppering of humour in this piece of Canadiana! In the first of the trilogy, Fallis tackles the Canadian electoral system, where anything is possible. Daniel Addison had been enjoying life working on Parliament Hill until something soured him. While he has decided to enter private life, he promises the Liberal Party of Canada that he will find a candidate to run in a riding they have no hope of winning. Daniel loops Angus McLintock into running, someone who wants nothing to do with the campaign. While Angus is noticeably absent, something happens and he is soon thrust into the limelight. What follows is the Canadian version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in this highly entertaining piece. Terry Fallis has outdone himself and left me eager to see where the series is headed.
Daniel Addison is burnt-out after working long and hard as a political aide on Parliament Hill. After witnessing something highly troubling, he tosses in the towel and seeks to turn to a life in academia. However, he is cajoled into helping the Liberal Party once more, when tasked with finding a candidate to run in the riding where the current Minister of Finance has trounced every opponent for the past five elections. Daniel is unable to lock anyone in, until he barters to get Angus McLintock to run. Angus is an engineering professor with no knowledge or interest in the role, agreeing only to serve as a placeholder for the election period. When a scandal rocks the country in the last days before the election, things take a significant turn. Angus McLintock's fate rests in the hands of the electorate.
When the smoke clears, Angus is a newly-minted Member of Parliament, though not in the traditional manner. After the awkward realisation that a massive upset had taken place, both Daniel and Angus get to work, serving the constituents who sent the latter to Parliament. Learning the ropes and representing his constituents, Angus defies both the odds and tradition as he ruffles many feathers while making the best of the situation laid out before him. He narrows in on his passion, parliamentary procedure, and makes sure to follow the rules as laid out for him. What follows is an intense time and even more surprises as Parliament reacts to a man it never thought would grace the halls of Centre Block. Terry Fallis keeps things light, yet highly informative and has me eager to keep reading this series.
While I love Canadian politics, I also love when people can explore its nuances with a little tongue in cheek. Terry Fallis does that well with this book, introducing the reader to many great elements. The narrative clips along, mixing education with entertainment, pulling on great Canadian aspects of the political world. As things gain momentum, there is a great collection of perspectives, not least of which gathered in a diary penned by Angus McLintock. The characters are wonderfully crafted and show Fallis' experience in the realm of parliamentary politics, both gruff men and soft-spoken others. Plot points keep the reader on their toes and wondering what will happen, as Fallis builds a 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' feel to the story, with much more to come. I am eager to keep reading to see what Angus McLintock will discover next with his next adventure.
Kudos, Mr. Fallis, for a charming and highly humourous look at Canadian politics.
Daniel Addison is burnt-out after working long and hard as a political aide on Parliament Hill. After witnessing something highly troubling, he tosses in the towel and seeks to turn to a life in academia. However, he is cajoled into helping the Liberal Party once more, when tasked with finding a candidate to run in the riding where the current Minister of Finance has trounced every opponent for the past five elections. Daniel is unable to lock anyone in, until he barters to get Angus McLintock to run. Angus is an engineering professor with no knowledge or interest in the role, agreeing only to serve as a placeholder for the election period. When a scandal rocks the country in the last days before the election, things take a significant turn. Angus McLintock's fate rests in the hands of the electorate.
When the smoke clears, Angus is a newly-minted Member of Parliament, though not in the traditional manner. After the awkward realisation that a massive upset had taken place, both Daniel and Angus get to work, serving the constituents who sent the latter to Parliament. Learning the ropes and representing his constituents, Angus defies both the odds and tradition as he ruffles many feathers while making the best of the situation laid out before him. He narrows in on his passion, parliamentary procedure, and makes sure to follow the rules as laid out for him. What follows is an intense time and even more surprises as Parliament reacts to a man it never thought would grace the halls of Centre Block. Terry Fallis keeps things light, yet highly informative and has me eager to keep reading this series.
While I love Canadian politics, I also love when people can explore its nuances with a little tongue in cheek. Terry Fallis does that well with this book, introducing the reader to many great elements. The narrative clips along, mixing education with entertainment, pulling on great Canadian aspects of the political world. As things gain momentum, there is a great collection of perspectives, not least of which gathered in a diary penned by Angus McLintock. The characters are wonderfully crafted and show Fallis' experience in the realm of parliamentary politics, both gruff men and soft-spoken others. Plot points keep the reader on their toes and wondering what will happen, as Fallis builds a 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' feel to the story, with much more to come. I am eager to keep reading to see what Angus McLintock will discover next with his next adventure.
Kudos, Mr. Fallis, for a charming and highly humourous look at Canadian politics.
August 15, 2011
The Stephen Leacock Awards committee has no credibility. The characters are two-dimensional stereotypes without insight or growth. The metaphors are overwrought, thickly-slathered (usually doubly-slathered), and flat. References to hockey and skating aren't funny just because they're Canadian. The dialogue is similarly dull. The plot is predictable and the romantic side-plot superficial and wholly without dramatic tension. Underdramatized, too, are the characters. They are most often indifferent to their obstacles and overcome them either by some unrelated (and hence, unfunny) deus ex machina or so quickly that none proves significant. Re: deus ex -- is a sex scandal funny after the many we've seen from politicians?
Its political insight is fairly elementary and trends towards the obvious. After the past five years, how many Canadians are surprised to learn that parliamentary procedure is meaningful when the government is a minority, as comes to one of the characters in an "insight"?
Flipping between the present and past in the narrative voice could be an interesting trick. Here it isn't. It reads like an unedited mistake each time. It makes the narrator, in turns, emotionally neurotic, calm and experienced, and conveniently forgetful without ever being witty, interesting, or adding to the story. The narrator shows, for example, no significant signs of lingering pain from the broken relationship at the beginning of the story. Given that, the revenge he later exacts on his former lover (and her lover) comes off as mean and childish rather than triumphant.
The diary entries by one major character sadden me. These codas to each chapter are well-constructed, tie together, offer insight into that character, and achieve some poignancy. Could the rest of the book have had similar quality? What prevented it?
The only truly interesting question raised in the book is the one at the end: will the new member seize the moment now that he sees the possibility of worthwhile achievement ahead of him? What a pity the story following that question wasn't the one Mr. Fallis chose to tell.
Its political insight is fairly elementary and trends towards the obvious. After the past five years, how many Canadians are surprised to learn that parliamentary procedure is meaningful when the government is a minority, as comes to one of the characters in an "insight"?
Flipping between the present and past in the narrative voice could be an interesting trick. Here it isn't. It reads like an unedited mistake each time. It makes the narrator, in turns, emotionally neurotic, calm and experienced, and conveniently forgetful without ever being witty, interesting, or adding to the story. The narrator shows, for example, no significant signs of lingering pain from the broken relationship at the beginning of the story. Given that, the revenge he later exacts on his former lover (and her lover) comes off as mean and childish rather than triumphant.
The diary entries by one major character sadden me. These codas to each chapter are well-constructed, tie together, offer insight into that character, and achieve some poignancy. Could the rest of the book have had similar quality? What prevented it?
The only truly interesting question raised in the book is the one at the end: will the new member seize the moment now that he sees the possibility of worthwhile achievement ahead of him? What a pity the story following that question wasn't the one Mr. Fallis chose to tell.
November 9, 2012
This book was painful to get through. Its mediocre writing, childish jokes and predictable story line left me questioning how this book could possibly win the Stephen Leacock Award for humour. Don't waste your time on this one.
January 11, 2013
OK, so you know that feeling when you've found the perfect book/song/band/child's name/whatever, and then shortly after it becomes popular? You know..."GAH! Why can't I just have this one thing to myself? Why do I always have to share? Now everybody's going to be talking about it/using it/slobbering all over it, and it's going to get overdone/overused/overanalyzed - this SUCKS!" Yeah...I totally didn't feel that when this book became the Canada Reads book. I was in a rut, not really enjoying the books that I was reading, and about to take a trip that would have me in a car for extended periods, so I needed a good book, but it had to be one that I could put down if I had to. I started looking at Top Ten books of lists, and was looking specifically for funny books. I came across a book that had won the Stephen Leacock award for humour, and googled it, thinking that award winners had to have something going for them right? So I found this book, and the premise sounded OK, but the author's story just blew me away. So I bought the book, devoured it (too fast), and started recommending it to everyone I met. It was my book club choice when I hosted our book club. When my husband was in the hospital to get his gall bladder out, I left all of the magazines at home, and told him that he had to give this book a try (he loved it, of course). It became our city's One Book, One Community choice in 2010, and Terry Fallis came to speak to the masses about the book, and I went to hear him talk, and I loved him even more (not like a stalker, but definitely like a real fan). I bought a copy of his second book at the event, and have been saving it for the perfect moment (savouring the idea that I have it - I visit it now and again, and say "not this time") In fact, the book had only been released a couple of days prior to the event, and a lady in the audience put up her hand and asked him when he was writing the next one, because she couldn't put this one down! He was genuinely surprised (and humbled) that there were people there who had not only bought the book already, but had loved it that much - I think he felt like a rock star that day. So he told the lady that he might give the characters a rest and write a different story, and she said "Hurry up - I don't have that much time!" (she was elderly). It got a great laugh from the crowd, and it moved all of us to think that this woman who is facing her mortality and has to be picking her books with extreme care (no time for crap), is desperate for his book!
Anyhoo, all that to say - I loved the characters; I loved the story; I loved the humour (I laughed out loud several times). I have been recommending it for almost 2 years, and will continue to do so. In fact...you...you who's reading this...buy this book, you won't be sorry. In fact, buy 2 copies and give one to your best friend. Let's keep this guy writing!
Anyhoo, all that to say - I loved the characters; I loved the story; I loved the humour (I laughed out loud several times). I have been recommending it for almost 2 years, and will continue to do so. In fact...you...you who's reading this...buy this book, you won't be sorry. In fact, buy 2 copies and give one to your best friend. Let's keep this guy writing!
January 4, 2016
hmm...i really wanted to love this book but i only just liked it. which is a shame. fallis is an awesome man but i struggled with a few things in this novel:
* it felt inconsistently edited - some places time jumped...two weeks would pass and the action carried through like nothing had happened during the ensuing/missing time. in other places, the plot felt padded and plodding, as though it could have been tightened up for flow. so this was a bummer.
* our hero, angus, is proudly scottish (YAY!) but reading his dialect, while great at times, tipped into odd hillbilly twang-like feelings for me. growing up with scottish accents around me, there is a big difference in 'dinnae' and "comin' " and it wasn't buying into a character so perfectionistic in his use of language and grammar having all these dropped 'G' words flying about.
* seriously: fart jokes? i mean, once is fine. could even be funny. but repeated fart jokes?? it got old and i saw no purpose beyond showing that our main character, 'hey, look he's a regular guy - he farts'. (for those who know me, it's well documented that i have, essentially, the sense of humour of a 12-year-old boy, so me calling out fart jokes is hilarious!)
* angus' letters to his dead wife - these were lovely. so, so lovely. but i wish we had more head-on discussion of marin and not have her floating as a ghost in the background most of the time.
* it felt forced. like...trying too hard to be funny.
i sound only negative towards this book and i am not, really. it's a good, quick read. a great beach or vacation read. given the political shenanigans going on federally - in canada - and municipally - in toronto - right now, it was a good time to read this novel. it has made me wish we had more anguses in politics. decorum and doing the right thing go a long way.
* it felt inconsistently edited - some places time jumped...two weeks would pass and the action carried through like nothing had happened during the ensuing/missing time. in other places, the plot felt padded and plodding, as though it could have been tightened up for flow. so this was a bummer.
* our hero, angus, is proudly scottish (YAY!) but reading his dialect, while great at times, tipped into odd hillbilly twang-like feelings for me. growing up with scottish accents around me, there is a big difference in 'dinnae' and "comin' " and it wasn't buying into a character so perfectionistic in his use of language and grammar having all these dropped 'G' words flying about.
* seriously: fart jokes? i mean, once is fine. could even be funny. but repeated fart jokes?? it got old and i saw no purpose beyond showing that our main character, 'hey, look he's a regular guy - he farts'. (for those who know me, it's well documented that i have, essentially, the sense of humour of a 12-year-old boy, so me calling out fart jokes is hilarious!)
* angus' letters to his dead wife - these were lovely. so, so lovely. but i wish we had more head-on discussion of marin and not have her floating as a ghost in the background most of the time.
* it felt forced. like...trying too hard to be funny.
i sound only negative towards this book and i am not, really. it's a good, quick read. a great beach or vacation read. given the political shenanigans going on federally - in canada - and municipally - in toronto - right now, it was a good time to read this novel. it has made me wish we had more anguses in politics. decorum and doing the right thing go a long way.
January 15, 2015
As I am a big fan of Stephen Leacock, I found this book very painful to read. I could only make it half way through and having read so many positive reviews, I was pushing hard to find something good here. While Leacock and others like Will Ferguson show wit and style in their stories, I found the humor in this book quite juvenile and ham-fisted. Maybe the author has a thing for potty humour but really, Cataclysmic farts? Maybe once, it's funny.
The characters were two dimensional, did not have any plausible motivations, and the dialogue was very "junior high". The love interest (if you could call it that) was not interesting at all and there seemed to be to real conflict in the book other than the author's transparent attempt to create a "man against the world" scenario.
I also found the description of academia and engineering students patently ridiculous. Two female engineering students in a class of 120? In what year was this book written?
I also found the political commentary overly simplistic and trite.
To be perfectly honest, I am flabbergasted that it won the Leacock and confused at the overwhelming number of reviews that describe the book as "laugh out loud funny" and witty. I always thought I was pretty well read but am at a complete loss to explain why my opinion would place me in the 2% of people who read the book. Help!
The characters were two dimensional, did not have any plausible motivations, and the dialogue was very "junior high". The love interest (if you could call it that) was not interesting at all and there seemed to be to real conflict in the book other than the author's transparent attempt to create a "man against the world" scenario.
I also found the description of academia and engineering students patently ridiculous. Two female engineering students in a class of 120? In what year was this book written?
I also found the political commentary overly simplistic and trite.
To be perfectly honest, I am flabbergasted that it won the Leacock and confused at the overwhelming number of reviews that describe the book as "laugh out loud funny" and witty. I always thought I was pretty well read but am at a complete loss to explain why my opinion would place me in the 2% of people who read the book. Help!
March 21, 2009
The Best Laid Plans, by Terry Fallis, is, in my opinion, a perfect novel, deserving of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, and of every accolade it receives. If you haven't yet read it you must, right now, rush out and purchase your very own copy; no, don't borrow one, buy your own because it will be a mainstay on your bookshelf for years to come.
Now, it's best to understand it's not easy to make me laugh, and I'm also a very critical reader; despite that Terry had me laughing myself silly with the opening scene, to the point I couldn't speak and still break into spontaneous giggles when I think about it. And while that side-splitting humour toned down through the novel into a voice of wit and delightful absurdities, it remained an engaging read that produced explosions of giggles throughout.
Terry's characters are endearing, real, deftly crafted, his plot tight and seamless, the ending the perfect bow on the perfect package. I'll never again think of Parliament Hill in quite the same manner. Well done, Terry! Bravo!
Now, it's best to understand it's not easy to make me laugh, and I'm also a very critical reader; despite that Terry had me laughing myself silly with the opening scene, to the point I couldn't speak and still break into spontaneous giggles when I think about it. And while that side-splitting humour toned down through the novel into a voice of wit and delightful absurdities, it remained an engaging read that produced explosions of giggles throughout.
Terry's characters are endearing, real, deftly crafted, his plot tight and seamless, the ending the perfect bow on the perfect package. I'll never again think of Parliament Hill in quite the same manner. Well done, Terry! Bravo!
April 9, 2012
Forced, predictable humour, like a script read on CBC radio on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Ontario-centric and small-minded. The author assumes we are as engrossed with the petty twisted intrigue of our political circus as he is. He's wrong. Could not care less that Mackenzie King sat here - or there. And the characters - pure cartoon fabrication for the purposes of squeezing a cheap laugh from the uncritical reader. A hoary Scotsman, two PUNKY Petes, one grand Dame, a beauty, some slimey party hacks, and a hapless Torontonian culturally lost in the backwoods. Let hilarity ensue. I was underwhelmed, nay annoyed.
October 17, 2021
The book was my daily read while working
Angus
The new MP
A new breath
Shaking up the hill
Angus
The new MP
A new breath
Shaking up the hill
May 31, 2009
It's tough to give a Stephen Leacock Award winner just three stars without justifying it.
On the surface - it's a funny novel, with a well crafted plot that ends with the good guys winning the day and the bad guys being voted out of power.
The writing is intelligent and funny and lines such as "Ottawa is a great meat grinder that takes in idealism at one end and spits out cynical sausage at the other" are delightful. So is the description of the sex-act between the Opposition House Leader and our hapless narrator's self-serving first girlfriend, likened to the passing of a private member's bill in parliament - I was holding my sides laughing.
Angus McLintock is an unforgetable and formidable folk hero, resembling Don Quixote, with narrator Daniel Addison as his long suffering sidekick, Sancho Panza.
However, a few things stuck in my craw. Ottawa and Canadian politics are difficult animals to describe and the author was stuck in a lot of narrative, i.e. telling. The pacing was thus affected and only redeemed when Angus delivered one of his unpredictable but memorable performances. Perhaps a lot of this background information could have come out in the dialogue and action. The romance between Daniel and Lindsay was portrayed like a high school affair: they were pecking each other on the cheek at one point and then sharing a hotel room together at the end but I am not sure what developed in between. Shoe factories converted to hi-tech manufacturering plants with orders oversubscribed before opening day and the old shoemaking staff were transformed into hi-tech workers overnight - I wish the real world was that easy. But I guess this book is a comedy, so these transgressions are permitted.
Angus' summing up of every chapter with a diary entry to his dead wife, though poignant and a gateway into his character, became repetitious, and I skipped a few of them towards the end of the book and did not miss much.
And I was waiting for the predictable ending - after all Baddeck 1 had to make its dramatic appearance. All the preparations we had been exposed to throughout the book had to make it part of the grand finale -and Mr. Fallis delivered as expected!
On the surface - it's a funny novel, with a well crafted plot that ends with the good guys winning the day and the bad guys being voted out of power.
The writing is intelligent and funny and lines such as "Ottawa is a great meat grinder that takes in idealism at one end and spits out cynical sausage at the other" are delightful. So is the description of the sex-act between the Opposition House Leader and our hapless narrator's self-serving first girlfriend, likened to the passing of a private member's bill in parliament - I was holding my sides laughing.
Angus McLintock is an unforgetable and formidable folk hero, resembling Don Quixote, with narrator Daniel Addison as his long suffering sidekick, Sancho Panza.
However, a few things stuck in my craw. Ottawa and Canadian politics are difficult animals to describe and the author was stuck in a lot of narrative, i.e. telling. The pacing was thus affected and only redeemed when Angus delivered one of his unpredictable but memorable performances. Perhaps a lot of this background information could have come out in the dialogue and action. The romance between Daniel and Lindsay was portrayed like a high school affair: they were pecking each other on the cheek at one point and then sharing a hotel room together at the end but I am not sure what developed in between. Shoe factories converted to hi-tech manufacturering plants with orders oversubscribed before opening day and the old shoemaking staff were transformed into hi-tech workers overnight - I wish the real world was that easy. But I guess this book is a comedy, so these transgressions are permitted.
Angus' summing up of every chapter with a diary entry to his dead wife, though poignant and a gateway into his character, became repetitious, and I skipped a few of them towards the end of the book and did not miss much.
And I was waiting for the predictable ending - after all Baddeck 1 had to make its dramatic appearance. All the preparations we had been exposed to throughout the book had to make it part of the grand finale -and Mr. Fallis delivered as expected!
November 10, 2012
Although a relatively enjoyable story, Terry Fallis just seems like he's trying too hard. For example, when the protagonist goes out for coffee with his love interest, we are given their entire order. Perhaps it's just ultra-realistic, descriptive writing, but it comes across as Fallis saying, "Oooh. Look at me; I can name-drop items from the Starbucks menu." This was consistent throughout the story and, rather than adding to the narrative, it just rubbed me the wrong way. Additionally, for a narrator--and author, for that matter--who claims to be an English language purist and who regularly corrects the grammar of other characters, the typos and obvious editing gaffes are unforgivable. Maybe my criticism is unfair, but this debut novel seemed quintessentially Canadian in all the wrong ways: trying a bit too hard to be funny/relevant/subversive/etc... While I will say that I appreciated Angus McClintock as a character and reluctant hero, and found his personal communications with his dearly departed wife touching, overall I found this a bit of a task to finish. Hopefully Fallis' next book fares better.
July 29, 2011
This is one of the funniest novels I have read in a long time (and I'm talking laugh-out-loud funny, not just smile-to-yourself funny).
If you pay far more attention to Canadian politics than any sane person should, this book is definitely for you.
The novel's premise is fabulous and the characters (particularly the self-deprecating narrator) are truly inspired.
At last! A beach book for political geeks.
If you pay far more attention to Canadian politics than any sane person should, this book is definitely for you.
The novel's premise is fabulous and the characters (particularly the self-deprecating narrator) are truly inspired.
At last! A beach book for political geeks.
August 27, 2016
The Best Laid Plans is the first novel written by Engineer/PR firm President Terry Fallis. As the author couldn't find a publisher, he released this book chapter by chapter via podcast, found an audience, eventually won the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour, and it was named the 2011 Canada Reads title. That's a lot to recommend this book -- it's funny, set behind the scenes in Ottawa, and everyone in Canada should be reading it (according to our cultural overlords at the CBC) -- but this seems like the kind of book a reader will either love or hate. And I didn't love it.
There's a long stretch in the Prologue that uses Parliamentary double-entendres to describe the narrator's horror at discovering his girlfriend and her politician boss getting it on in his Centre Block office. This part was truly clever and funny and I thought I'd be in for a fun ride (and I was delighted by just how wonderfully Canadian it all was), but nearly immediately, the funny dried up -- unless one finds (numerous) fart jokes to be the zenith of humour:
Most of the characters (with the exception of the interesting Angus McLintock) are one-dimensional, don't speak or act like real people, and have unclear motivations (and, no, I don't forgive a stupid scene with a blusteringly evil American businessman because the narrator thinks, "This guy was nothing but a caricature"). As an English professor, the narrator has some of the most stilted thoughts ever (and the following is him falling in love with a conveniently gorgeous, smart, and available young woman who happens to agree with him that a Triple-E Senate would be a bad idea):
And if one English professor's thoughts are annoying, imagine the fun when two get together and start talking:
And he's not kidding about forever correcting grammatical errors -- both of these characters do it constantly throughout the book, which is just as annoying as hanging out with people who do it in real life. Oh Professor McLintock, you say that "to boldly go" is one of the most famous split infinitives in modern culture? How faaaaascinating. Happily, I enjoyed some schadenfreude at this: I had picked up a used copy of The Best Laid Plans and the reader before me had circled and crossed out and amended the spelling/grammar/usage errors that had slipped past the publisher (and while I did snicker at each pen mark, this really does underscore how rushed to market this book was once it began to gain an audience -- editing couldn't have hurt).
I did love how unabashedly Canadian The Best Laid Plans is and wish more fiction was set in the halls of Parliament -- if nothing else, this book proves that people are interested in the subject -- and while I can appreciate that a narrator who works for the Liberal Party is going to have some partisan ideas, an author risks turning off half his potential readership with comments like these:
And just factually this book had me scratching my head: characters keep referring to the federal Tories as the "Progressive Conservative Party" (which ceased to be an entity with a 2003 merger); my sister-in-law, who is from the book's setting of Cumberland, confirmed that there is no campus of the University of Ottawa in her hometown (and the town isn't situated quite where the author puts it); and most unforgivably, I couldn't believe the downfall of the beloved Finance Minister -- after having more than one character say there's something fishy about him (which, with a Finance Minister, I assumed meant skimming and kickbacks at a Senatorial level), am I supposed to believe that he was brought down by a sex scandal? That a very powerful, unmarried, formerly squeaky-clean politician would flee the country because he was caught leaving his love nest? Even if it was an S & M dungeon? If anything, here in Canada, if the media chose to go full-tabloid with the story, I think the public's reaction would be positive -- happy to see the man was human after all (*see Rob Ford).
I'm not surprised that the CBC chose The Best Laid Plans as a Canada Reads winner -- it's about as funny as the TV shows that the national broadcaster tries to present as comedies (Royal Canadian Air Farce, The Ron James Show, InSecurity, etc.) And I'm not surprised that the author has a degree in Engineering -- although there are quite a few self-aware jokes in this book about how Engineers aren't artists, Fallis isn't truly an artist himself: this book is overly-ambitious and overly-constructed and underly-funny.
There's a long stretch in the Prologue that uses Parliamentary double-entendres to describe the narrator's horror at discovering his girlfriend and her politician boss getting it on in his Centre Block office. This part was truly clever and funny and I thought I'd be in for a fun ride (and I was delighted by just how wonderfully Canadian it all was), but nearly immediately, the funny dried up -- unless one finds (numerous) fart jokes to be the zenith of humour:
An Oppenheimer blast of flatulence literally blew me out of my poetic reverie. Just as no two snowflakes were identical, each McLintock fart, among millions, was unique.
Most of the characters (with the exception of the interesting Angus McLintock) are one-dimensional, don't speak or act like real people, and have unclear motivations (and, no, I don't forgive a stupid scene with a blusteringly evil American businessman because the narrator thinks, "This guy was nothing but a caricature"). As an English professor, the narrator has some of the most stilted thoughts ever (and the following is him falling in love with a conveniently gorgeous, smart, and available young woman who happens to agree with him that a Triple-E Senate would be a bad idea):
I didn't really care what we talked about, but our discussion seemed to migrate to semiserious subjects that required the coordinated firing of synapses in the brain to sustain the kind of positive impression for which I was aiming.
And if one English professor's thoughts are annoying, imagine the fun when two get together and start talking:
"Not there are none. There is none. None literally means not one, so the verb is singular. A common mistake."
With that, he winked, turned, and disappeared into the chamber. I hustled up the white stone stairs to the Members' gallery, flaying myself for a grammar error I was forever correcting in others.
And he's not kidding about forever correcting grammatical errors -- both of these characters do it constantly throughout the book, which is just as annoying as hanging out with people who do it in real life. Oh Professor McLintock, you say that "to boldly go" is one of the most famous split infinitives in modern culture? How faaaaascinating. Happily, I enjoyed some schadenfreude at this: I had picked up a used copy of The Best Laid Plans and the reader before me had circled and crossed out and amended the spelling/grammar/usage errors that had slipped past the publisher (and while I did snicker at each pen mark, this really does underscore how rushed to market this book was once it began to gain an audience -- editing couldn't have hurt).
I did love how unabashedly Canadian The Best Laid Plans is and wish more fiction was set in the halls of Parliament -- if nothing else, this book proves that people are interested in the subject -- and while I can appreciate that a narrator who works for the Liberal Party is going to have some partisan ideas, an author risks turning off half his potential readership with comments like these:
Historically, Tory Throne Speeches and budgets have rewarded the rich by cutting taxes, liberated big business by eviscerating regulatory oversight, despoiled the environment by gutting legislated standards and enforcement, and shredded the social contract with those living in poverty. At least that's my detached and disinterested analysis.
And just factually this book had me scratching my head: characters keep referring to the federal Tories as the "Progressive Conservative Party" (which ceased to be an entity with a 2003 merger); my sister-in-law, who is from the book's setting of Cumberland, confirmed that there is no campus of the University of Ottawa in her hometown (and the town isn't situated quite where the author puts it); and most unforgivably, I couldn't believe the downfall of the beloved Finance Minister -- after having more than one character say there's something fishy about him (which, with a Finance Minister, I assumed meant skimming and kickbacks at a Senatorial level), am I supposed to believe that he was brought down by a sex scandal? That a very powerful, unmarried, formerly squeaky-clean politician would flee the country because he was caught leaving his love nest? Even if it was an S & M dungeon? If anything, here in Canada, if the media chose to go full-tabloid with the story, I think the public's reaction would be positive -- happy to see the man was human after all (*see Rob Ford).
I'm not surprised that the CBC chose The Best Laid Plans as a Canada Reads winner -- it's about as funny as the TV shows that the national broadcaster tries to present as comedies (Royal Canadian Air Farce, The Ron James Show, InSecurity, etc.) And I'm not surprised that the author has a degree in Engineering -- although there are quite a few self-aware jokes in this book about how Engineers aren't artists, Fallis isn't truly an artist himself: this book is overly-ambitious and overly-constructed and underly-funny.
October 20, 2009
Ah, I loves me some Canadian political satire. Don't think I've had this much fun since King John of Canada (Scott Gardiner - go read it).
A young politico quits Ottawa when the blech factor gets to be too much, but he's "persuaded" to run one final campaign in a riding where the party has no hope in hell of winning a seat.
The last guy he bugs to stand up is a an Engineering Prof who desperately wants to get out of teaching English 101, and so a deal is struck. Then he finds a firecracker former campaign runner at the local old folks home, and they're on the trail (oh yes, and with some punk-emo students to do the door-to-door and scare the constituents).
And you know what happens next. Scandal of the century - and it's the mean ole incumbent. Hilarity ensues.
But like King John, there's a line of idealism under the humour that makes me simultaneously long for politicians who aren't in it for the politics, and loathe the twits we're currently stuck with.
A young politico quits Ottawa when the blech factor gets to be too much, but he's "persuaded" to run one final campaign in a riding where the party has no hope in hell of winning a seat.
The last guy he bugs to stand up is a an Engineering Prof who desperately wants to get out of teaching English 101, and so a deal is struck. Then he finds a firecracker former campaign runner at the local old folks home, and they're on the trail (oh yes, and with some punk-emo students to do the door-to-door and scare the constituents).
And you know what happens next. Scandal of the century - and it's the mean ole incumbent. Hilarity ensues.
But like King John, there's a line of idealism under the humour that makes me simultaneously long for politicians who aren't in it for the politics, and loathe the twits we're currently stuck with.
February 4, 2014
On Feb 2014 CBC-TV mini-series conclusion, kilt marches down federal halls of power, force meets immovable, bodes well for sequel. terryfallis.com excerpts
The Best Laid Plans, from Robbie Burns' To A Mouse 1785, is a popular title. Terry Fallis, experienced in engineering and public relations, penned a podcast that grew. Humor meets honor, "passion for proper English" conquer the compromised democracy of Canadian politics. (Typo: p 193 "through the ringer" should be wringer, two rollers that squeeze water from laundry.)
At first, apparently autobiographical, disillusioned heartbroken Ottawa political aide Daniel retires to teach university English. To fulfill his last job commitment, he asks his brilliant eccentric new landlord to be the local electoral candidate. Every night, engineer professor Angus, 60, Einstein-hair, food-filled beard, builds a hovercraft. He mourns his "deep abyss" aloud, in a warm Scottish burr, converses with his one-year-departed famous-feminist wife Marin. When journal/ letters to her close each chapter, we know we're in the realm of fiction.
Adult content warning: the betrayal of Dan's heart and the Canadian public by their Finance Minister are slapstick silly - and explicitly euphemistically earthy, not to mention burgeoning romance with Lindsay, meeting of "minds, hearts, and more tangible parts". Muriel 80 "gives great voice" or swears like a "sailor", helped Prime Minister Mackenzie King, now matchmakes her bright pretty granddaughter. Two pierced punk rocker undergrad Petes canvass (scare) voters.
http://terryfallis.com/ says #2 is High Road, more Angus fun (I feared such a paragon would perish by hovercraft)
#2 High Road excerpt
gotchies are guy's underwear, why? wikipedia.org
Good quotes:
"The university usually operated in geological time, but not that day."
"The old and the rested watched The Young and The Restless."
"one of the most famous split infinitives ... To boldly go"
"As Canadians' respect for democracy declines and their disdain grows, we tend to abandon the greater good, follow the politicians' lead, and grab what we can for ourselves... it's a mess."
"the use of profanity for effect to be a practice of the weak-minded"
"as useful as a seamstress in a nudist camp"
"Were not Canadians all about tolerance and acceptance ... progressive and enlightened views"
"food fragments from his beard ... part of charm ... actually part ... of last night's dinner"
"sarcaustic" (sic) tone
"'It's nice finally to meet you too' ... deftly rejoining the infinitive"
"blatherskite is a Scottish term of endearment"
"antipolitician" cares only for public interest
"there IS none"
The Best Laid Plans, from Robbie Burns' To A Mouse 1785, is a popular title. Terry Fallis, experienced in engineering and public relations, penned a podcast that grew. Humor meets honor, "passion for proper English" conquer the compromised democracy of Canadian politics. (Typo: p 193 "through the ringer" should be wringer, two rollers that squeeze water from laundry.)
At first, apparently autobiographical, disillusioned heartbroken Ottawa political aide Daniel retires to teach university English. To fulfill his last job commitment, he asks his brilliant eccentric new landlord to be the local electoral candidate. Every night, engineer professor Angus, 60, Einstein-hair, food-filled beard, builds a hovercraft. He mourns his "deep abyss" aloud, in a warm Scottish burr, converses with his one-year-departed famous-feminist wife Marin. When journal/ letters to her close each chapter, we know we're in the realm of fiction.
Adult content warning: the betrayal of Dan's heart and the Canadian public by their Finance Minister are slapstick silly - and explicitly euphemistically earthy, not to mention burgeoning romance with Lindsay, meeting of "minds, hearts, and more tangible parts". Muriel 80 "gives great voice" or swears like a "sailor", helped Prime Minister Mackenzie King, now matchmakes her bright pretty granddaughter. Two pierced punk rocker undergrad Petes canvass (scare) voters.
http://terryfallis.com/ says #2 is High Road, more Angus fun (I feared such a paragon would perish by hovercraft)
#2 High Road excerpt
gotchies are guy's underwear, why? wikipedia.org
Good quotes:
"The university usually operated in geological time, but not that day."
"The old and the rested watched The Young and The Restless."
"one of the most famous split infinitives ... To boldly go"
"As Canadians' respect for democracy declines and their disdain grows, we tend to abandon the greater good, follow the politicians' lead, and grab what we can for ourselves... it's a mess."
"the use of profanity for effect to be a practice of the weak-minded"
"as useful as a seamstress in a nudist camp"
"Were not Canadians all about tolerance and acceptance ... progressive and enlightened views"
"food fragments from his beard ... part of charm ... actually part ... of last night's dinner"
"sarcaustic" (sic) tone
"'It's nice finally to meet you too' ... deftly rejoining the infinitive"
"blatherskite is a Scottish term of endearment"
"antipolitician" cares only for public interest
"there IS none"
February 3, 2017
I'm not sure how appealing this book will be to anyone who does not know Canada, Canadians or the Canadian political scene but I found it hilarious.
With a funny euphemism laced sex scene, for example: "Rachel, my Rachel, was on her knees in front of the Opposition House Leader. Let's just say she was rather enthusiastically lobbying his caucus." and digs at architecture "Built in 1952, it had an utterly forgettable but, I suppose, practical architecture of that era - early Canadian ugly.", modern conveniences "The refrigerator was one of those side-by-side units, which initially left me flummoxed. When you've spent the first thirty-two years of your life with the freezer on top and the fridge on the bottom, switching all of a sudden to the left/right configuration required some acclimation.", english speakers "Some people contend that the English language is a living, breathing organism wherein the definitions of words and rules should change to reflect their mass misuse. I contend that English is already an extraordinarily difficult language to teach............society should step up and grant the language the respect and reverence it deserves." (just to be clear, I'm on the living, breathing side of the arguement) and, of course, politics & hockey "No lawn signs in an election campaign? It's like Trudeau without the rose, Diefenbaker without jowls, or the Leafs winning the Stanly Cup. It's unnatural.", this book often had me laughing out loud, even at the gym.
With a funny euphemism laced sex scene, for example: "Rachel, my Rachel, was on her knees in front of the Opposition House Leader. Let's just say she was rather enthusiastically lobbying his caucus." and digs at architecture "Built in 1952, it had an utterly forgettable but, I suppose, practical architecture of that era - early Canadian ugly.", modern conveniences "The refrigerator was one of those side-by-side units, which initially left me flummoxed. When you've spent the first thirty-two years of your life with the freezer on top and the fridge on the bottom, switching all of a sudden to the left/right configuration required some acclimation.", english speakers "Some people contend that the English language is a living, breathing organism wherein the definitions of words and rules should change to reflect their mass misuse. I contend that English is already an extraordinarily difficult language to teach............society should step up and grant the language the respect and reverence it deserves." (just to be clear, I'm on the living, breathing side of the arguement) and, of course, politics & hockey "No lawn signs in an election campaign? It's like Trudeau without the rose, Diefenbaker without jowls, or the Leafs winning the Stanly Cup. It's unnatural.", this book often had me laughing out loud, even at the gym.
December 23, 2010
I recently finished reading The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis. It is definitely not my usual type of book, but I did thoroughly enjoy, much to my surprise. It is the One Book, One Community selection for 2010 for the Waterloo region, so I thought I would give it a try.
The book is about Canadian politics, and centres around an ex-speechwriter who is trying to leave politics and a university professor who agrees to be the Liberal candidate in a no-hope-to-win riding. It is very funny to read; I found myself laughing out loud at times.
I have no interest and little knowledge about politics, but this story was definitely compelling, and captured my attention. I couldn't put it down until I was finished.
I have found out that there is a sequel coming out in Sept, and can't wait to read it. I don't actually need to wait, since the author is releasing one chapter a month on his website as a podcast. But I couldn't stand the suspense of waiting for the next chapter each week, so I will probably wait until the book comes out so I can devour it all at once.
This is definitely a must-read for all Canadians, where you care about politics or not. The book is about so much more than just politics, it has wide appeal.
The book is about Canadian politics, and centres around an ex-speechwriter who is trying to leave politics and a university professor who agrees to be the Liberal candidate in a no-hope-to-win riding. It is very funny to read; I found myself laughing out loud at times.
I have no interest and little knowledge about politics, but this story was definitely compelling, and captured my attention. I couldn't put it down until I was finished.
I have found out that there is a sequel coming out in Sept, and can't wait to read it. I don't actually need to wait, since the author is releasing one chapter a month on his website as a podcast. But I couldn't stand the suspense of waiting for the next chapter each week, so I will probably wait until the book comes out so I can devour it all at once.
This is definitely a must-read for all Canadians, where you care about politics or not. The book is about so much more than just politics, it has wide appeal.
January 14, 2016
For some reason decent genuinely humorous fiction is really tough to find. On that note most of what's being advertised in movie trailers as comedies don't really live up to the promise either. Why not try up north? This was funny (award winning so) in Canada and it actually works. A political satire about a highly unlikely (wild haired outspoken gruff flatulent hovercraft building Scot)Liberal candidate doing his best to subvert and revolutionize Canadian Parliament using such controversial and incendiary political technics as genuine patriotism, good sense, intelligence, honesty and integrity and his unwitting assistant/accomplice whose best laid plans worked out in a completely unpredictable and wildly entertaining way. Like pretty much every Canadian I've met, this book was lovely, mild, nice, funny, immensely likeable and a pleasure to spend time with. The mild and nice factors make this something of a cozy satire, which may or may not have been a legitimate subgenre before I coined the phrase, so I shall completely except the credit due. Fun light read plus you can learn entirely too much about Canadian politics in all its convoluted (comes with the territory) glory. Recommended.
May 20, 2016
The blurb on the back on the book described how no literary agent wanted to publish this book, but the author managed to secure the adoration of the public nonetheless. Well, count me on the side of the literary agents for this one.
Of course, the back of the book also insisted this book was humourous, and 50 pages into the book I have still not seen any evidence of that. I did see ample evidence that the author (or at least the narrator) is full of himself, is unbearably verbose, and couldn't tell the wheat from the chaff in the chaff was coloured in bright colours and made to dance the macarena.
All of which to say that this book has the questionable honour of being on the very short list of books I didn't even bother reading to the end. One day with this book was more than enough for me. If it gets better later -- well, frankly, I still don't think it's worth plodding through all this drivel. How this won any sort of award short of bribing the judges is beyond me.
Of course, the back of the book also insisted this book was humourous, and 50 pages into the book I have still not seen any evidence of that. I did see ample evidence that the author (or at least the narrator) is full of himself, is unbearably verbose, and couldn't tell the wheat from the chaff in the chaff was coloured in bright colours and made to dance the macarena.
All of which to say that this book has the questionable honour of being on the very short list of books I didn't even bother reading to the end. One day with this book was more than enough for me. If it gets better later -- well, frankly, I still don't think it's worth plodding through all this drivel. How this won any sort of award short of bribing the judges is beyond me.
March 17, 2016
It was a gift, so I read it and regretted it ever since. Now if you like books that have politics in it, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. It is awful.
The worst political jokes ever make up are found in this book. It made me cringe at every turn.
The main character is in his mid-twenties, but its written as though the man was in his forties or fifties. Not to mention that the storyline was lame and predictable.
This book is so bad that I thought the publishing company must of lost a bet and was forced to publish it. Either that or the guy who wrote it was well connected and the company felt obliged to publish it.
How this book got awards is beyond me. Clearly they do not know what is funny or good story telling. Stop publishing him..... please!
The worst political jokes ever make up are found in this book. It made me cringe at every turn.
The main character is in his mid-twenties, but its written as though the man was in his forties or fifties. Not to mention that the storyline was lame and predictable.
This book is so bad that I thought the publishing company must of lost a bet and was forced to publish it. Either that or the guy who wrote it was well connected and the company felt obliged to publish it.
How this book got awards is beyond me. Clearly they do not know what is funny or good story telling. Stop publishing him..... please!
October 21, 2015
I liked this book. It was warm and entirely Canadian. I know that sounds like faint praise but it fits. I read this in the lead up to the Canadian elections which proved perfect timing as well.
Daniel Addison is trying to escape the cynicism of Ottawa politics, not to mention a betrayal at the hands of his girlfriend. He ends up managing the campaign of an unlikely Liberal candidate with zero chance of being elected - so of course you know how that’s going to go.
The issues he has to deal with are way too conveniently solved, answers are altogether too pat, coincidences abound. It’s paced like an hour long sitcom instead of a story. It’s Corner Gas on Parliament Hill. But it’s still eminently likeable. I wouldn’t call it a guilty pleasure, more of a cozy read.
Daniel Addison is trying to escape the cynicism of Ottawa politics, not to mention a betrayal at the hands of his girlfriend. He ends up managing the campaign of an unlikely Liberal candidate with zero chance of being elected - so of course you know how that’s going to go.
The issues he has to deal with are way too conveniently solved, answers are altogether too pat, coincidences abound. It’s paced like an hour long sitcom instead of a story. It’s Corner Gas on Parliament Hill. But it’s still eminently likeable. I wouldn’t call it a guilty pleasure, more of a cozy read.
May 2, 2021
My boss lent me this book and I loved it. If you are a Canadian political nerd like me this book will excite you. With a nail biting election and a realistic look into how Canadian politics work, it was a book that made me nostalgic and excited to work in politics.
June 13, 2017
Extremely silly on so, so many levels.
But entertaining.
I enjoyed all the Ottawa/Canada references that I know well. If you simply need a mental vacation, this could be it.
But entertaining.
I enjoyed all the Ottawa/Canada references that I know well. If you simply need a mental vacation, this could be it.
March 8, 2020
3.5 ... I have to admit that I have avoided Terry Fallis for years as I was under the impression that his books were silly. ... this book was not silly. It was actually very funny at times, even smart funny. There were some paragraphs that were amazing. I even found myself stopping and reflecting on how impressed I was... Having said that, I lost interest in the overall plot line, specifically in the second half. I feel that I would have been more interested if this was read as a series of short stories instead of a continuous novel.
June 21, 2013
This book was recommended to me with some praise, but when I saw the premise and source my enthusiasm shrank a bit. Political satire about Canadian politics? Yeah... Winner of the 'Stephen Leacock Award for Humour'? I'll give it a shot, but I think Leacock's 100+ year old books are probably funnier than the contemporaries that get the award named for him. I've read Sunshine Sketches so I feel I'm qualified to make that completely unfounded judgment. However the publication of this book is definitely a 'good story' though I can see why agents and publishers would pass on it.
It's, to be gentle, a pretty bland book. It makes the CBC seem exciting and dynamic. The characterizations are so safe, the strife is so one-dimensional, the jokes (with a few brilliant exceptions) are barely chuckle-worthy. In many ways it's the 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' of Can-Lit. To my mind, at least, the book is a perfect product of the Liberal, political mindset that generated it. It's so cautious it's often toothless. It's super upper-middle class in its biases (true or not) and spews out globalist exceptionalism (why should a first world country make shoes when it can outsource legacy industry to veritable slaves in the third world?).
It's self-congratulatory. It managed to be ageist in spite of itself – Fallis depicts Pete1 and Pete2 as two 'alarming' 'anarchist' punks (dwelling in, from the book itself, a 'punkhouse') who for some reason work for his protagonist and the liberals, meanwhile he depicts an elderly lady in a positive light. Conservatives are rapacious and deceitful antagonists, but to be fair the Liberals are painted as opportunists and cynics as well. The NDP is portrayed with the sort of verve seasoned authors employ to describe toasted bread. The Scotch protagonist Angus McLintock is portrayed as a sort of impossible saint with mostly cantankerous and charming character shortfalls.
You can tell the man who wrote this knows a thing or two about politics. I'll grant the book that. It's also a perfect example of an agenda, and though it tries to posit that duty and sound policy can co-exist with contemporary politics, mostly it just serves to prove the opposite. It's partisan. The plot is standard feel-good Canadiana. Much of the dialogue is tone-deaf. Hackneyed. Cliches abound. The grammar pedantry the author surrogate brags about didn't prevent a misplaced comma from reaching publication. All the characters are white (except for one guy, ostensibly, in Papua New Guinea) and boring and vanilla flavored, even the punk Petes, who are given about one-billionth of a normal human personality. Even the main character has nothing defining him but his employment history, his education, and his political views. There are generalizations and simplifications every time reality threatens the idealistic narrative, but it's a (broad) satire and definitely a bit of a fantasy as well, so mostly it's forgivable.
All of which form a book that so perfectly encapsulates the modern political hellscape that I cannot in good conscience rate it poorly. This should be taught in schools. It might be unintentional, but the author paints a bleak picture of the future, of politics, and of Canada in general. For some reason (probably due to post-secondary education, author-surrogacy, and political views) the main character meets and enters into a relationship with a younger woman. Despite neither of them really having anything to say. Yeah. Yep. The case is overstated. The only real character in the book is reserved for Angus McLintock, and he often becomes a 'character' in the quote-worthy sense.
There are certainly positives. The plot has legs. You will finish the book in a reasonable amount of time and it will not tax your mind too much. It's got some good parts, and some decent insights. It is not written by a robot (though I'd love to see a Conservative version of this same book, it would be a good laugh). It's a bit stilted and awkward here and there, but probably you won't find the same kind of deep-level problems I did with it. Odds are, if you can place yourself on the political spectrum, you'll get a decent kick out of this book. It is, if nothing else, contemporary enough. Other reviewers probably summarized the best parts, so I'm free. To be honest I would've given this a 2.5 if I could. I liked it but not always, and in general I felt contemptuous about it.
It's, to be gentle, a pretty bland book. It makes the CBC seem exciting and dynamic. The characterizations are so safe, the strife is so one-dimensional, the jokes (with a few brilliant exceptions) are barely chuckle-worthy. In many ways it's the 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' of Can-Lit. To my mind, at least, the book is a perfect product of the Liberal, political mindset that generated it. It's so cautious it's often toothless. It's super upper-middle class in its biases (true or not) and spews out globalist exceptionalism (why should a first world country make shoes when it can outsource legacy industry to veritable slaves in the third world?).
It's self-congratulatory. It managed to be ageist in spite of itself – Fallis depicts Pete1 and Pete2 as two 'alarming' 'anarchist' punks (dwelling in, from the book itself, a 'punkhouse') who for some reason work for his protagonist and the liberals, meanwhile he depicts an elderly lady in a positive light. Conservatives are rapacious and deceitful antagonists, but to be fair the Liberals are painted as opportunists and cynics as well. The NDP is portrayed with the sort of verve seasoned authors employ to describe toasted bread. The Scotch protagonist Angus McLintock is portrayed as a sort of impossible saint with mostly cantankerous and charming character shortfalls.
You can tell the man who wrote this knows a thing or two about politics. I'll grant the book that. It's also a perfect example of an agenda, and though it tries to posit that duty and sound policy can co-exist with contemporary politics, mostly it just serves to prove the opposite. It's partisan. The plot is standard feel-good Canadiana. Much of the dialogue is tone-deaf. Hackneyed. Cliches abound. The grammar pedantry the author surrogate brags about didn't prevent a misplaced comma from reaching publication. All the characters are white (except for one guy, ostensibly, in Papua New Guinea) and boring and vanilla flavored, even the punk Petes, who are given about one-billionth of a normal human personality. Even the main character has nothing defining him but his employment history, his education, and his political views. There are generalizations and simplifications every time reality threatens the idealistic narrative, but it's a (broad) satire and definitely a bit of a fantasy as well, so mostly it's forgivable.
All of which form a book that so perfectly encapsulates the modern political hellscape that I cannot in good conscience rate it poorly. This should be taught in schools. It might be unintentional, but the author paints a bleak picture of the future, of politics, and of Canada in general. For some reason (probably due to post-secondary education, author-surrogacy, and political views) the main character meets and enters into a relationship with a younger woman. Despite neither of them really having anything to say. Yeah. Yep. The case is overstated. The only real character in the book is reserved for Angus McLintock, and he often becomes a 'character' in the quote-worthy sense.
There are certainly positives. The plot has legs. You will finish the book in a reasonable amount of time and it will not tax your mind too much. It's got some good parts, and some decent insights. It is not written by a robot (though I'd love to see a Conservative version of this same book, it would be a good laugh). It's a bit stilted and awkward here and there, but probably you won't find the same kind of deep-level problems I did with it. Odds are, if you can place yourself on the political spectrum, you'll get a decent kick out of this book. It is, if nothing else, contemporary enough. Other reviewers probably summarized the best parts, so I'm free. To be honest I would've given this a 2.5 if I could. I liked it but not always, and in general I felt contemptuous about it.
August 6, 2018
While Terry Fallis’ novel “Best Laid Plans” may appeal to certain Ottawa-entrenched audiences who enjoy the call outs to the city they know and has a few entertaining sections, the book really does not work. “Best Laid Plans” is fairly predictable and lacks any ambition, leaning heavily on sophomoric humour to punctuate its rather flat scenes and characters.
After a crisis of faith in the political process and a betrayal in his personal life, young speechwriter and political staffer Daniel Addison quits his job with the Liberal opposition party on the eve of an election. He is convinced to do one last job for the party: find a candidate to stand for election in one of the most safe Tory ridings in the country. Events soon take over and an unlikely candidate becomes the absentee figurehead of a most unlikely campaign that is inadvertently thrust into the national stage.
The book can be easily divided into two parts. The first half has a distinctly ‘The Producers’-like vibe, in which the protagonist and his only willing candidate attempt the seemingly easy feat of losing an election without making it too obvious. The second half plays to every political wish-fulfillment story of a candidate that is better than the system he inhabits, think “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” without the wide-eyed naivete of a Jimmy Stewart (with a tone that is more “Dave” than “The American President”). The events throughout are telegraphed in large letters with no gun on the mantlepiece left unfired by the end. The book begins to hit its stride once the writ is dropped, having floundered a bit as it attempts to get its pieces into place, but feels rushed once the election itself is finished. It all seems a short story about an election going wrong (right) that was padded out into a novel.
Unfortunately, the world of Fallis’ Ottawa is populated entirely with one-note characters. This is especially evident in the beginning of the book as we are introduced to all the characters with whom we are meant to feel some attachment: any differences in speaking style (with the occasional addition of accenting in the case of the Scottish-born McLintock) are almost imperceptible. Similarly, the rest of the book is filled with amoral idiots (though the way the author decides to underline the intellectual superiority of his two protagonists--grammatical pedantry--seems also a questionable choice). As the author writes the story fairly straight and the plot is fairly light (and the situations not inherently funny enough in general) to sustain the book, the characters would have been the been the best hope for this book, but the characters end up doing little more than fitting into assigned specific roles (e.g., Love Interest, Ex-Girlfriend) and never doing much beyond that.
Overall, the book is a disappointment, despite some enjoyable moments (concentrated primarily during the election). It is too superficial and lacks sufficient edge to make it truly memorable and not funny or well-written enough to make up for its flaws.
After a crisis of faith in the political process and a betrayal in his personal life, young speechwriter and political staffer Daniel Addison quits his job with the Liberal opposition party on the eve of an election. He is convinced to do one last job for the party: find a candidate to stand for election in one of the most safe Tory ridings in the country. Events soon take over and an unlikely candidate becomes the absentee figurehead of a most unlikely campaign that is inadvertently thrust into the national stage.
The book can be easily divided into two parts. The first half has a distinctly ‘The Producers’-like vibe, in which the protagonist and his only willing candidate attempt the seemingly easy feat of losing an election without making it too obvious. The second half plays to every political wish-fulfillment story of a candidate that is better than the system he inhabits, think “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” without the wide-eyed naivete of a Jimmy Stewart (with a tone that is more “Dave” than “The American President”). The events throughout are telegraphed in large letters with no gun on the mantlepiece left unfired by the end. The book begins to hit its stride once the writ is dropped, having floundered a bit as it attempts to get its pieces into place, but feels rushed once the election itself is finished. It all seems a short story about an election going wrong (right) that was padded out into a novel.
Unfortunately, the world of Fallis’ Ottawa is populated entirely with one-note characters. This is especially evident in the beginning of the book as we are introduced to all the characters with whom we are meant to feel some attachment: any differences in speaking style (with the occasional addition of accenting in the case of the Scottish-born McLintock) are almost imperceptible. Similarly, the rest of the book is filled with amoral idiots (though the way the author decides to underline the intellectual superiority of his two protagonists--grammatical pedantry--seems also a questionable choice). As the author writes the story fairly straight and the plot is fairly light (and the situations not inherently funny enough in general) to sustain the book, the characters would have been the been the best hope for this book, but the characters end up doing little more than fitting into assigned specific roles (e.g., Love Interest, Ex-Girlfriend) and never doing much beyond that.
Overall, the book is a disappointment, despite some enjoyable moments (concentrated primarily during the election). It is too superficial and lacks sufficient edge to make it truly memorable and not funny or well-written enough to make up for its flaws.
April 29, 2011
I was a little worried when I picked this one up to read and discovered it was about Canadian politics. Any book on politics is enough to make me inwardly groan - fictional or non - there's something about politics that puts me into a coma.
Truthfully it's probably because I'm waaaaay to cynical and disillusioned. Too many promises and not enough to show for it all.... I dislike the inherent untruth to it all and it immediately sets my brain to numb and buzz so I can't take any of it in. *sigh* So I was more than wary when I started to read 'The Best Laid Plans'.
That is until I realized that this was Canadian politics with a tongue-in-cheek approach. Then I calmed down and just let myself enjoy the ride. The upside of the whole thing is that the book actually lays out the basic process of the political scene quite well and without prejudice (for the most part) and does it all with a good sense of humor in a story with a moral. Of course - you know it's all fiction because the 'accidental' (hence the title of the book) politician actually has ethics and morals....and sticks to them even in the political arena- and we all know that's near impossible!!! At least I can't think of one of them out there like that. (If there is then the media has unilaterally decided to stonewall their existance). But despite that one fairy tale element - this book is a hoot! Well written and with likeable characters, the story unfolds at a jaunty pace and there's lots of laughs as their adventure unfolds.
I'd recommend this to anyone that likes a dose of humor with their story. It certainly makes the political slant of the book easier to swallow - and almost forgivable. I'll pick up another book by Terry Fallis soon!
Truthfully it's probably because I'm waaaaay to cynical and disillusioned. Too many promises and not enough to show for it all.... I dislike the inherent untruth to it all and it immediately sets my brain to numb and buzz so I can't take any of it in. *sigh* So I was more than wary when I started to read 'The Best Laid Plans'.
That is until I realized that this was Canadian politics with a tongue-in-cheek approach. Then I calmed down and just let myself enjoy the ride. The upside of the whole thing is that the book actually lays out the basic process of the political scene quite well and without prejudice (for the most part) and does it all with a good sense of humor in a story with a moral. Of course - you know it's all fiction because the 'accidental' (hence the title of the book) politician actually has ethics and morals....and sticks to them even in the political arena- and we all know that's near impossible!!! At least I can't think of one of them out there like that. (If there is then the media has unilaterally decided to stonewall their existance). But despite that one fairy tale element - this book is a hoot! Well written and with likeable characters, the story unfolds at a jaunty pace and there's lots of laughs as their adventure unfolds.
I'd recommend this to anyone that likes a dose of humor with their story. It certainly makes the political slant of the book easier to swallow - and almost forgivable. I'll pick up another book by Terry Fallis soon!
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