Pierre Berton - A Biography, by A.B. McKillop

The risk for anyone writing a biography about Pierre Berton is that they not deliver a finished product as colorful as the subject. And, for the most part, the author has avoided that potential pitfall. At 681 pages, there will not be much you don’t know about this Canadian icon when you are finished. It misses precious few details, from cradle to grave.

But as a result of McKillop’s lightness of touch, this is a highly entertaining read, vividly painting the characters that combine to make up Berton’s entire life experience as well as Berton himself, a man I personally have met on several occasions. The likeness is striking!

I do have a couple issues, though. One, while I appreciated the author’s use of old reviews of Berton projects as a way of putting his massive body of work into some historical and critical context, it became a bit much after a while. A crutch, if you
will. 

Also, vast seas of detail can be invaluable when trying to illustrate the influences that steered one’s life. But upon reflection, I’m not so sure McKillop tied it all together as effectively as he might have. In short, he probably could have told the same story in 500 words.

If you only know Pierre Berton as “the guy from Front Page Challenge,” this book might be too much for you to enjoy. But if you are intimate with such classics as “Klondike” and “The Last Spike,” this book is worth the 40 bucks.

Rating:  out of 5