This is the very definition of a coffee table book. Essentially, you have a series of very short essays about Rideau Hall, the main residence of the Governor-General of Canada, supplemented by a vast amount of lavishly produced photographs.

While some of the essays are good, there is simply too little writing here. There should have been at least another hundred pages of text. The occasional contributions - in the form of text boxes - from Adrienne Clarkson (GG at time of publication) and John Ralston Saul - were wonderful. One wishes that they had both contributed essays of their own.

The only reason I bought this, instead of simply reading a library copy, was that I managed to track down a copy for $2 dollars, as opposed to the list price around $50. ( )