John A.'s Crusade: The Critics Rave

Possible blurbs for the third edition:

What a plot, and what characters! Whoever says Canadian history is boring definitely hasn't read Richard Rohmer's latest creation, John A's Crusade.

– Elizabeth Abbott, The Globe & Mail, 20 May 1995

The plot is simple yet ingenious, and thanks to Rohmer's meticulous research, it works.

– Elizabeth Abbott, The Globe & Mail, 20 May 1995

John A's Crusade is an intelligent, authoritative book, carefully constructed and plotted, a seamless blending of what did and what could have happened.

– Elizabeth Abbott, The Globe & Mail, 20 May 1995

A fascinating story that involves diplomacy, statecraft and high-level intrigue in the late 19th century.

– David Mitchell, The Vancouver Sun, 29 June 1995

Rohmer's research is very good and he makes a plausible case for the concerted British effort to circumvent the sale of  'Russian America'' to the Yankees.

– David Mitchell, The Vancouver Sun, 29 June 1995

John A. McDonald [sic] may be a surprising hero, but the colonial politician cuts a dashing figure throughout this yarn.

– David Mitchell, The Vancouver Sun, 29 June 1995

Rohmer effectively and intelligently blends historical facts and what might have shaped them. Instinctively, we all know that history isn't fully found in the official documents. Sometimes only the power of human imagination will allow us to transcend them.

– David Mitchell, The Vancouver Sun, 29 June 1995

Canadian book reviewers tend to be too generous with Canadian authors and indulge them when they deserve criticism. This results not in a strengthening but a softening of the literary culture. Yet when good, quintessentially Canadian work does come along we ought to, have to, acknowledge it. This is one such case: John A's Crusade, by author and former soldier Richard Rohmer could hold its own in the genre of historical fiction with any nation, any author in the world.

– Michael Coren, Canada's Most Self-serving Book Reviewer™, The Toronto Star, 19 August 1995

The whole thing is held together extremely well by Rohmer's pleasing writing style and obvious intimacy with the history of the 19th century,

– Michael Coren, Canada's Most Self-serving Book Reviewer™, The Toronto Star, 19 August 1995

There is a seamless quality about the book, a touching verisimilitude and a poignant sense of flesh-and-blood character.

– Michael Coren, Canada's Most Self-serving Book Reviewer™, The Toronto Star, 19 August 1995

The portraits of the players are strong and well-rounded, with Macdonald materializing as a more earthy, authentic politician than arises from the usual descriptions.

– Michael Coren, Canada's Most Self-serving Book Reviewer™, The Toronto Star, 19 August 1995

Noteworthy, but not blurb-worthy:

We know from the beginning that Macdonald will fail and that Alaska will not become Canadian, but that need not and does not matter. In that consummate thriller The Day Of The Jackal every reader knew that General de Gaulle would not be murdered. It was a problem only to a pendant or a prig.

– Michael Coren, Canada's Most Self-serving Book Reviewer™, The Toronto Star, 19 August 1995

With love scenes he is, well, less tantalizing, often giving the impression that they are troubling interludes between slices of a more important plot. Then again, perhaps they are.

– Michael Coren, Canada's Most Self-serving Book Reviewer™, The Toronto Star, 19 August 1995

Rohmer is specially strong on detail. The Canadians do not merely eat, they down pork kidneys, chutney sauce and fried potatoes, washed down with port. Before his discussion with Prince Gorchakov, John A. swallows a loaf of soft, white bread to absorb the inevitable and treacherous vodka.

– Elizabeth Abbott, The Globe & Mail, 20 May 1995

Luckily, John A., on the way to just such a meeting with Prince Gorchakov in Paris, is taught an important lesson in imperial diplomacy by the British ambassador to France, who counsels our intrepid hero to eat a whole loaf of white bread before the session. The vodka is absorbed in his stomach before it reaches his brain and John A. is now able to match the devious Russian glass for glass.

– Guy Sprung, The Montreal Gazette, 3 June 1995

We should be equally proud of Richard Rohmer's lovely new novel, which has succeeded in elevating our history to the level of a Harlequin Romance and will provide much amusement to many for many years to come.

– Guy Sprung, The Montreal Gazette, 3 June 1995