The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Shipping News
Book Review: A great book!
Summary: 4 Stars
I can't believe anyone would find this book boring. There is so much happening in this story, if you take the time to carefully read it. So much in the way of symbolism, with the knots, and the character's names! Ms. Proulx' style is original, and her descriptions really take you there. I could picture in my mind the villages, the sea, the people, everything. I could smell the salt air, feel the cold and the damp, the wind and the water. Almost like taking a trip! Quoyle was a sad creature, but he learned to overcome his real and imagined hardships, and to appreciate what life offered him. I kept rooting for him to get over it, to start allowing himself to live, and finally he did. A great book, one I would highly recommend.Book Review: A great read
Summary: 5 Stars
I read a lot of non-fiction and a lot of British mysteries and generally shun books other readers find full of "sensitivity and meaning". But I loved this book. Annie Proulx's sparse and compelling style is just perfect for her story and setting. Her Newfie characters gradually sucked me into their trials, tribulations and often bizarre reflections on life in a nearly forgotten corner of North America. And there is the almost miraculous redemption of Quoyle, the shambling hero of the story who finds purpose and the love of a good woman while bringing along the last remnants of a worthless and perverted Newfie clan. You will love the mad and irreverent staff of the local paper. There are tons of fascinating information about the sea, small boats and fishing as a way of life. And when you finish the book you have the feeling that everything just came together, the style, characters, the plot, Newfie culture, all that stuff. And no preaching, no socially selected villains or heroes, no tedious philosophizing.
Book Review: A life so calamitous you can't look away!
Summary: 5 Stars
Recounting the life of Quoyle,a pathetic character made even more so by decisions made to add some semblance of caring to his brutally empty life, Proulx drives you through a heart-wrenching saga, delivering you from the endless winter of Newfoundland with a greater respect for the undulating troughs and crests of life and the sea. Elegantly worded paragraphs rattle the bones with the chilling cold of Newfoundland and of human experience, and then nurture a faint spark into a cozy fire, easing the chill and gently stoking life's passion.Book Review: A long tale for a little redemption
Summary: 2 Stars
Annie Proulx tells the story of Quoyle, who leaves New York after the death of his cheating wife and starts over in Newfoundland with his aunt and his two daughters. There he takes a job at a local paper and covers the news of local boats and ships (hence The Shipping News). Ultimately, this is the story of a man's journey towards emotional resurrection. It's a long, slow journey.
One worthy aspect of the book is Proulx's language, beautiful and carefully crafted. Another is that the end of the story brings some redemption and left me satisfied and edified. But it's such a long walk to get there! Quoyle, the protagonist, is a sweet but dull and bumbling man. He's just not that interesting, which makes it harder to weather the wait until anything good happens to him. Further, many of the other characters seem poorly developed. We come to know Quoyle very well, but we only get occasional inside glimpses of his aunt and his older daughter. Everyone else is just...around, sometimes doing or saying interesting things and sometimes not. The episodes in the story are wildly varied, from a sweet account of the community Christmas variety show to Qoyle's finding the corpse of a dead acquaintance in the sea.
I'm not sorry I read it (the last chapter really was redeeming), but I would hesitate to recommend it to another...unless you really like boats and ships.
Book Review: A masterpiece, the life of the very ordinary!
Summary: 5 Stars
I found the first 70 pages or so very tough going. I am not sure at what point, I became totally gripped by this book. I so thoroughly enjoyed it after that and plan to read it again soon.Annie Proulx build up and development of the main characters is remarkable. They jump out of the pages and speak to you. The details of everyday life in this frozen corner of the world, the chatter in the offices of the shipping news and life of an unusual family emigrating to an unlikely destination; all come across so vivid and live.
No doubt this is Annie Proulx best book to date