The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Shipping News
Book Review: A Unique Book About Ordinary People Living Dull Lives
Summary: 3 Stars
I was assigned "The Shipping News" for my Senior English class and it invoked rather indifferent feelings. I appreciated Proulx's unique, pensive, and insightful descriptions of everyday objects and occurences that often go unnoticed. There is an underlying humor in the quirkyness of the character's lives and experiences that adds enjoyment to the reading. However, the plot is rather dull as well as the lives of the characters in the book. It is similar to Faulkner's " As I Lay Dying" in the fact that it deals with the stream of conciousness of the characters,psychology,and choppy, matter of fact sentences. I highly recommend the book to readers who appreciate unique, offbeat writing styles, and the development of character's subconcious minds. However, for the reader who is engaged by exciting, action filled literature, this book is not for you; you will find it extremely difficult to become engaged in it and be enthusiastic to be following the lives of the characters. " The Shipping News" is highly recommended for careful readers who are appreciative of unique descriptions and the development of the mind and lives of ordinary people.Book Review: A beautiful, evocative book
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been systematically reading all the books chosen for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Nobel Prize in literature (including translations) - I am about 40% complete in my task and to date, E.AnnieProulx's beautifully crafted book is my current favorite. This is a delicious book which could be enjoyed by all ages. I would also recommend highly Proulx's Postcards. What a writer!!Book Review: A bit un-eventful, yet still managed to keep me intrigued...
Summary: 4 Stars
At first I felt bad for the main character, Quoyle, whose life seemed short-changed, but that's just the way it is, right? The novel is very real and down-to-Earth. A nice summer read.Book Review: A boatload of awards, a handful of charm.
Summary: 4 Stars
Characters are interesting from a distance, plot moves with the speed of the retreating sea ice, and the ending just ends, still I enjoyed it.Book Review: A charming and brilliantly written look at death and rebirth
Summary: 5 Stars
The Shipping News is a gripping, if somewhat slow-moving,
tale about a man entering early middle age via the vehicle
of abandonment. His relationship with a philanderous and
unloving spouse ends tragically and his only response is
to grossly shift latitude, with a distant relative and his
children in tow, moving from the chaos and complexity of
the United States to the weatherbeaten, harsh simplicity
of Newfoundland.
For mine, it is a fascinating tale of pruning of the soul
back to the thick leafless branch and its slow rebirth
through adversity and discovery. From an antipodean
perspective, it was interesting to see the author include
an oblique reference to a news item about the
"Australian Lesbian Vampire Killings", which indeed
occurred but a few miles from my home. I thoroughly
enjoyed reading this tome and look forward to devouring
a collection of the author's short stories in the near
future.
Dr Mark Walterfang