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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
story of love and loss and friendship… every single character is multidimensional, with beautiful figurative language throughout. plus it’s a journalism story!!
A lovely book. Well written characters that you can cheer for. A few you don't cheer for but they help move the story along. Loved this one!
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A bit weird but it was rewarding to persist with it. The writing style took a while to get used to. The book starts out with masses of very short sentences that are a bit jarring, but the style becomes more fluent and descriptive as the book progresses, perhaps mirroring the main character’s development (or is it the reader that softens to Quoyle?) Very believable characters and dialogue. It was a refreshing read, honest and true to life. Interesting to learn about Newfoundland and the way of life in a small fishing community that is (and has to be) stuck in the past. Interesting/ depressing how much of the commentary written in 1993 was still, if not more relevant today. it was somehow boring and riveting at the same time. I didn’t feel sure of the direction or meaning of the book until the last page when Proulx managed to tie it all together (intentional knot pun). Enjoyed the epigraphs before each chapter. A subtle and atmospheric read.
For weeks after I read this, my own prose morphed into short, clipped sentences bearing a faint gray tint and the smell of sea salt.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It started off rough and by page 60 I was ready to return it, but the book group ladies suggested I prevail and BOY WERE THEY RIGHT. Fantastic book, interesting writing style, lovely characters, unique story. Really can't ask for much else.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, the prose. The hanging sentences, abbreivated fellas strung together in the same rhythm as my thoughts. This made me want a go to Newfoundland, yet a surprising quantity of the figurative descriptions fell flat.
My least favorite Proulx book, but that doesn’t mean its bad. It took me about halfway through to get into it, but at the end, i cried. Proulx is a master of the short story but her novels still hold up quite well.
My least favorite Proulx book, but that doesn’t mean its bad. It took me about halfway through to get into it, but at the end, i cried. Proulx is a master of the short story but her novels still hold up quite well.
One of the best things about reading, for me, has always been exploring different worlds. When I say worlds I mean locales and people of those locales all rolled into one. This novel has one of the best "worlds" I've ever read about...not that I would ever want to live there...but it's one of the most well-written, vivid locations ever found in a fiction book. Proulx perfectly intertwines the setting with the characters and story...which is some love story, some thriller and ALL environment. A fabulous work of truly atmospheric fiction.
Quit early. Kept imagining Frank Underwood as slightly retarded Quoyle. Not funny at all to me - even darkly so