Roads To Richmond: Portraits of Quebec’s Eastern Townships

Description

Author: Nick Fonda

Richmond is easy to find on a map,” writes Nick Fonda. “Or at least the name is easy to find. There are at least fifty Richmonds worldwide and no fewer than four in Canada, of which two are in Quebec… The most frequent response when I mention Richmond is, ‘Oh, I know Richmond.’” Those people stand to be corrected.

In fact, Nick Fonda’s Richmond, tucked away in the Saint-François River valley near the northern edge of Quebec’s Eastern Townships, gains in appeal and fascination for that very reason—we erroneously think we know it.

This unusual, sometimes quirky, road book works like a mosaic. Its stones are the brief histories, candid snapshots, curious anecdotes, insights, reflections, and stories to make you smile.

The big picture is a moving portrait of a little known but historically important corner of Canada—Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Nick Fonda masterfully puts you behind the wheel—sometimes in the train’s engine—and lets you meander through the Townships to meet the people who make the place unique and where the famous two solitudes have grown entwined.

With nine original and thoughtful illustrations, Denis Palmer captures Nick Fonda’s take on a part of the world that deserves to be better known.