Letters From Montreal: Tales of an Exceptional City

by Madi Haslam (Editor)

Letters From Montreal documents the experiences of Montrealers past and present, creating a portrait of the storied city unlike any other. Drawn from the celebrated column in Maisonneuve magazine, this anthology features writers documenting a quintessential part of local life. Narrated with the intimacy of journal entries, each letter bridges the playful and profound. In early dispatches, Melissa Bull ditches a boyfriend over pétanque in Parc Laurier; Sean Michaels watches Arcade Fire lose Battle of the Bands; Deborah Ostrovsky frets over the sublime sophistication of the Plateau’s French children. More recently, Ziya Jones spends a summer herding sheep through Parc du Pélican; Eva Crocker performs in a “fake orgasm choir” at the Rialto Theatre; and André Picard takes a pause from the pandemic by running up Mount Royal. Edited by Maisonneuve editor in chief Madi Haslam, these letters buzz with a sense of possibility, surprise, and transformation. They remind us that a city can’t quite be defined, that every person inside it interprets it anew. Together, they explore how we make meaning in the place we call home—how our surroundings shape us, and how we shape them in return.

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories, Anthologies

180 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Andrea Dumas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this 7 stars if I could. Will read over and over; yes, anglo and mile end centric, but relatable, nostalgic, special stories that hit the mark every single time for me as a (sadly) former (for now) Franco-Anglo montrealer who lived in the mile end. A perfect dose of the bits and pieces that connect people to place, to their own Montreal. Montreal, je t’aime!

[Sarah Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure, beautiful nostalgia. A perfect encapsulation of the strange, the obscure, the alleyways and city habits of a place that is as cold as it is warm.

[maya ☆ (aced her finals!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

the thing about montréal is that she's kinda trashy but she's also always been my "i can't wait to move to nyc to study x type of art" city. she's kind of a creative, kinda nonchalant and she's been so far more than i could ever ask and i think this collection of short digestible stories illustrates those all-encompassing vibes of the city (3.5 stars).

people say 'oh, montréal, she's like if nyc and paris had a secret child' or whatever. this collection of memories shows that it's not true LOL and really brings out the real special flare of montréal. they are written by montréalers from all walks of life, montréal-born people, montréal newcomers, montréal expats elsewhere in the world. and the thing is the stories are so unique to this city, they couldn't be from anywhere else, as they are embedded into montréal and its charm. the subjects range from culture shocks, grief, love, housing market, winters, attitudes, silly observations, the food scene, the festivals, the relations other cultures have with each other that live side by side - the common montréaler lore made soothing like told by a old friend.

i rlly loved the overlaps in places in the stories, just added layers of wonder to the streets. reading this while walking around or sitting in a parc or on the metro thinking, like, how many times a girl has tripped herself walking in stiletto heels in the old port on a girl's nightout. or how many house dinners this block has known or how many joints were smoked on a wednesday night around laurier station. it's rlly fun with the montréaler who reads this, they go like 'oh my god! i use that bus daily!' and now it's bit of a lore of that bus and you're going to think of it time to time when you take that bus. - now ofc, if you're not familiar with the city, this collection will most definitely fall flat so you must at least know her before reading about her.

though i enjoyed it overall, it can get a bit long since there are a lot of very very short stories. i think big ones more elaborated would have helped falling in love even more with the city (especially since some writers here have more than one single story they've shared). truly going into real people's memories of montréal, the good, the bad and the ugly.

:) i heart mtl.

[Carolyn Whitzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming set of short stories. Like no other Canadian city, Montreal inspires writers. Reading it is like a warm blanket.

[Mauricio Herrerabarría · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though digestible and perfectly sized, I found it to be too meandering. While the city brightly shines through in each story, a lack of structure and vision was somehow felt.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Christmas present and a nice little paperback of letters about Montreal that were originally published in Maisonneuve magazine. The stories span different times: at first I thought they would all be about Le Plateau and Avenue Park - the trendy spots of yesterday, but I was pleased by the selection as I kept reading. One writer laments growing up in Lachine (it's not even on the metro map!), but then realizes while walking by the canal with an old high school friend that the sunny water brings back found memories of Montreal. One regular morning jogger comments on the change on Mont Royal during the Covid-19 pandemic, from deserted to crowded as restrictions opened and apartment residents sought relief outdoors.

The writer of the preface comments that the stories capture the dual sense that Montreal feels like a wondrous home (reasonable rent, no basement apartment!) while at the same time, it feels like the city rejects you (your bicycle gets stolen). I got the sense from the letters that all the writers have an affinity for Montreal even if they’ve left. It holds a special place in people’s minds whether they are new arrivals staying for only a summer, or have spent formative years here and since moved to other cities.

[Patrick Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this on the plane leaving Montreal and I could not think of a better collection that encapsulates the warmth and absurdity that is Montreal. It’s ruelles, terrasses, multicultural, art, sadness, and life.

[hotblonde666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As per tradition starting my year of reading by finishing a partially started book from the year before.
I mostly enjoyed this petit book... lots of Montreal nostalgia, sometimes made me cringe tbh. Made me miss a Montreal that I actually never lived in or was a part of.

[Anika Poch-Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I️ wrote annotations in this so I️ can lend it to my parents who lived in Montréal back in the days… I️’m sure things have changed drastically. But the streets still carry memories and from what I️’ve heard from their stories- the character of Montréal is still the same. It’s full of park dwellers, messy relationships and art at every corner.

[jjreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great collection of cute little stories that have helped me see Montreal in many new ways. I will think of many of them as I walk around the city.

[Emma Johannessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally strong enough to read the books ppl gifted me when I left Montreal. This one was sweet little nostalgia but the story about curfew actually triggered me

[Katia]

good job everyone! :,)

[Jonah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found most of the stories not that well-written or impactful, though there were several gems here and there. But the overall impression was pleasant and the reading was pretty fun, so 4 stars!

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: do NOT read if you’re about to move away from Montreal

[Serena Lalani · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good I couldn’t put it down. I was immediately drawn in by the mix of personalities and experiences in the essays, each one relating back to specific spots or feelings that only Montréalers would have a deep understanding for. I took this book with me everywhere until I finished it - the metro, the Westmount library, Parc Lahaie, my Mile End grocery store. It just felt right to wander around the city I currently live in while reading about how much others have wandered around too. This book reminded me why I moved here and if you’ve never had a desire to pack your things and arrive on this island without a plan… this book might make you question why you haven’t.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

While I enjoyed this book of very short true stories about Montreal (and mostly about the Plateau/Mile End and the experience of young Anglophones in Montreal), for partially biased reasons, I also found most of the content unremarkable or too short to have the right impact. Some authors also came off as unlikable people.


Notes * denotes all-ages, --> denotes a story I liked that may not be appropriate for teens

- It features a fine introduction which even admits to some of the limitations of the book, and notes how Montreal is so often able to "appear as both a stranger and a friend" (14)

- The stories/letters/tales average 3.5-4 pages

- The first page of the first story 'Parc LaFontaine Times Two' is... not for teens! The author in this story comes off as a cold, judgmental expletive, who hangs out with a shallow, player expletive. I didn't much care for them and they reminded me of various Plateau-Mont Royal-Mile End people I've met over the years. Several other authors in this book also come off as fairly sh#tty people.

--> The second story, 'La Misérable', by Chandler Levack, is a nice little story of goings on and misfortune

- There's a Francization French class story

--> Heather O'Neill's story is not enough from her but not bad and interesting

- Cool facts on the city and its street names (36-37)

*- 'Under the Paifang' by Jessica Wei (58) is a nice, all-ages immigration story

*- 'Catching the Light' by Sara Black McCulloch (62) is another all-ages tale featuring memories of a Greek grandmother and neighbourhoods

--> 'Les Enfants du Roi' by Deborah Ostrovky (who has three stories here), (65) is a cute story about French parenting idolization, while her story 'No Woman is an Island' (81) is also a nice blurb about relationships

--> 'You Want to Travel with Him' by Erica Ruth Kelly (97) is a fine snippet on the shadow cast by Leonard Cohen over Montreal and its musicians and writers

--> 'Melting Away' by Jeff Miller (137) is a neat tidbit about Le Pick-Up in Mile Ex

--> 'All in the Family' by Anna Leventhal (173) features some important commentary on death, Mile End artists types perhaps, and renoviction

*-- 'A Little Bit More Fabulous' by Cason Sharpe (181) is an all-ages glimpse at working in a Garment District warehouse

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| LETTERS FROM MONTREAL ||
#gifted/@vehiclepress
#minibookreview
✍🏻
A wonderful anthology about Montrealers told in intimate journal like entries fueled by Canadian writers!

These letters are full of charm and unexpectedness. I was pulled in right from the first page. I loved how this explored the idea of home, connections to a place and how surroundings impact and shape us. Montreal is a city I hope to visit one day, enjoying these letters of the local experience from such a historic city was a wonderful treat!

For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I loved this. Like any books of essay, some are better than others. I believe these short essays had all been published in a local magazine, for a column about Montreal. (The book was published in 2022 and it says it has letters from over a decade of the column.)

The topics are a hodge podge of glimpses into Montreal life. I loved that last one was about spending time on a balcony. All in all, these essays were a delight.

[Stephanie Soriano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book left me nostalgic for a Montreal I will never know and excited for the one I will soon call home. The stories, which highlight Montreal’s imperfect but captivating charm, also sparked a new sense of responsibility to help preserve the magic of the city- to ensure that I give back as much as it has already given me.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He created nihilistic dreamers and romantic disciples set on revolution, teaching us that the most we could ever hope for was to delight in a state of gentle, violent becoming. If you were lucky, maybe you could thrive there. All you needed were the right words. After discovering Cohen, I began to carry a pen everywhere I went." - Erica Ruth Kelly (p. 98, You Want to Travel with Him)

[Alanna Why · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of great snippets of la vie montrealaise, including some excellent trivia about the city. ironically read this in the ottawa via rail station when my train to montreal was delayed by three hours lol

[Mika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the perfect companion on my solo trip to montreal. It was just what i wanted. So many beautifully written stories about people’s relationships with others and the city. I learnt about the city’s past and present as i was exploring it but also about the human experience

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of this, and I did enjoy some of the entries. Overall though, the more I read, the more each entry sounded like it was written by the same person, a hipster twenty-something. I lost interest as I couldn't relate.

[Niamh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book that reminds me of Montréal’s many nooks and crannies. I remove one star because the book is not Letters from Montreal, but really letters from anglo-twenty-something-mile-enders. It’s a beautiful layer of Montreal, but just one of the city’s many layers.

[Catita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a book of essays - mostly 2 to 4 pages each - so it was very easy to pick up and just read a few pages at a time. Most of them contain references to the Mile End, so the title is a little misleading, but it definitely captures the essence of certain people and places in the city.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

These delightful little gems are the perfect pairing with a visit to this exceptional city.

[Rhea Tregebov · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful collection. I'm not a Montrealer, but visit frequently, and this anthology captures so much about the city. Beautifully written short pieces.

[Mariane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I miss montreal everyday. But this book brought back planty of small moment that makes montreal the city it is! Must read

[Lori Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who has chosen montreal as home.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

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