Hello and welcome to ‘Map Monday’. This was inspired by the current pandemic and lockdowns and the inability to travel. I will share one book each week with you that is set somewhere different to where I live. I’ll chat a bit about the book and throw some interesting facts out there about the place. I hope you enjoy travelling through books with me…
This week I’ve picked ‘The Madness of Crowds’ by Louise Penny which is set in Quebec, Canada!
Book Synopsis:
When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the Université de l’Estrie in Quebec, he is dubious. Why ask the head of homicide to provide security for what sounds like a minor, even mundane lecture?
But dangerous ideas about who deserves to live in order for society to thrive are rapidly gaining popularity, fuelled by the research of the eminent Professor Abigail Robinson. Yet for every person seduced by her theories there is another who is horrified by them. When a murder is committed days after the lecture, it’s clear that within crowds can lie madness.
To uncover the truth, Gamache must put his own feelings about the divisive Professor to one side. But with her ideas gaining ground, the line separating good and evil, right and wrong, is quickly blurring – especially when the case leads unexpectedly close to home …
Interesting Facts about Quebec:
- Quebec is french speaking and was founded in 1608.
- The oldest part of Quebec City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
- Canada produces about 70% of the world’s pure maple syrup. Out of that 70% about 90% is from the province of Quebec.
- The first commercial brewery in Canada was started in Quebec City by Jean Talon in 1668.
- Quebec City is the only walled city north of Mexico. It has 4.6 kilometres of walls.
- Ceiling Dion is from Quebec!
- More than 10% of Quebec’s surface area is made up of water. There are more than half a million lakes and 4,500 rivers in the entire province.
- The population in 2020 of Quebec City is approximately 826,109.
- The floral emblem of Quebec is the Iris versicolor.
- Quebec City’s median age is 43.5 – the oldest median age of any major city in Canada.
- Quebec has its own Big Five: the grey wolf, blue whale, snowy owl, black bear and the moose.
- Quebec City has 149 days on average per year when the snow is at least one inch deep.
- At over 1,500,000 sq/km, Quebec is almost 50% larger than Ontario, and only slightly smaller than Alaska.
- All car license plates in Quebec have the text ‘Je me souviens’, the official motto of Quebec. It literally means “I remember”, indicating they will never forget their culture/traditions.
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