William Weintraub (1) (1926–)

The story of Montreal in the 1940s and 50s, when it was a wide open city where gambling, prostitution, and other vices flourished with the connivance of the police department. In parallel, we read about the alarming dictatorial premier of Quebec, Maurice Duplessis, whose iron-handed rule is almost impossible to believe could occur in a democracy. As the book draws to a close, Duplessis is finally dead, and the reformist mayor of Montreal, Jean Drapeau, is beginning his long term in office, which wouldn't conclude until the 1970s. Weintraub does a good job of presenting the colorful personalities that made Montreal such a unique place. Some of the names will be unfamiliar to readers from the USA, but they are all worth our attention. This was another book used by John Farrow (Trevor Ferguson) as a source for his magnificent River City.… (more)

This coming-of-age story is set in Montreal where Richard Lippmann, about to enter university, falls in love with a stripper named Lili L'Amour. What follows are his adventures over the summer and first year of classes as an aspiring poet, writing work for Lili to strip to. He also helps another stripper by creating a new character for her; gets a job in public relations, narrowly avoids becoming a communist and generally finds himself a year later, unable to answer his father's "what are you going to do with your life" question.

The book has hints of farce and satire, and is fun to read. Richard and the strippers are the kind of characters you hope will turn out fine.… (more)