Letters in Canada: Uptight Edith and her carefree mother Dixie hit the Trans-Canada in a '65 Mercedes, and hilarious adventure unwinds. ". . . a hilarious, insightful picaresque road trip that taps into the comedy inherent in the tensions of mother-daughter relations."
Eva Tihanyi inBooks in Canada: Maureen Foss's The Cadillac Kind focuses on the mother-daughter relationship, but what Foss has created is a truly hilarious road adventure. Edith, forty-two, has (much to her mother's chagrin) never married and spends her days writing ads for Sears catalogues and listening to Willie Nelson songs. Aside from her interest in the cow sculptures of Joe Fafard, she is uptight, scared of life, and downright dull. Her mother Dixie, on the other hand, is a feisty, sixty-something risk-taker, who, in spirit at least, seems much younger than her daughter. She's into gin-and-tonics, dancing, swearing, and general good times.
The basic premise is simple: Edith and Dixie drive from Vancouver to Coolish, Manitoba, where Dixie's sister is about to celebrate her sixty-fifth birthday. The journey soon turns into an uproarious female road trip from hell. (There's even a hostage-taking episode in a strip joint.) The supporting cast is equally funny and includes Walter Muckle, a motor-home-driving cheese salesman; his sons Maurice, a cross-dresser, and Vonnie, whose partner in the world's smallest Mercedes dealership is a goat; and a pony-tailed folk-singer with the memorable stage name of Dink Meister. Underlying all the hilarity is the affection that eventually emerges between mother and daughter, and the self-discovery each enjoys along the way.
And some Customer Reviews on Amazon.com 1. This book made me giggle from beginning to end. Maureen Foss is a great story teller, making me feel I was along for the ride on this unique cross Canada road trip with a middle aged woman and her eccentric mother. The people and places they encounter along the way are cleverly described. The mother and daughter team discover many things about each other while travelling. Very witty and thoughtfully written, I would totally recommend The Cadillac Kind for a good, funny read. 2. I first heard this book read on CBC radio in 2004, ordered it directly from the author, she mailed me the book and I sent her a check upon receipt of it. I only wish she would continue writing. This book was hilarious and every page I could imagine my mother and I in the same scenario. All of my friends have read it and we all have the same reaction: Loved it and can see ourselves in the same situations! All mothers are the same and we definitely turn into them!