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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I listened to the audiobook, so it was slightly abridged, but I can't understand all of the hype surrounding this book. I found the language forced and somewhat annoying, and the main character underdeveloped and unlikeable. I've never written a book and I certainly don't think that I could do any better, but I am confused by all of the good reviews... Hmmm.
I was sure I had read this book, but since I couldn't remember any details decided to reread it. All I recognized was the use of knot descriptions at the heads of chapters. So I must have only flipped through it. Ah, memory.
The beginning, the part about the two-timing wife, did not appeal to me, though it was necessary to understand Quoyle. I cotinued reading only because of the reputation of the book, but I think the book would have benefited had this been handled as flashback. Once Quoyle and his Aunt began the trek to Newfoundland, my interest picked up. I could enjoy a rambling account of place and time without much plot, but with much character development.
Finally plot entered in--alas I have forgotten the chapter title and no longer have the book at hand, something like Grace Island--and I do like plot and found it compelling. After a couple hundred pages, plot and setting took turns being dominant, but from here on I remained hooked.
The descriptive style put me into the times of poverty, of change from traditional ways to new. Changes in characters were adequately motivated and convinced me. The ending seemed right.
The beginning, the part about the two-timing wife, did not appeal to me, though it was necessary to understand Quoyle. I cotinued reading only because of the reputation of the book, but I think the book would have benefited had this been handled as flashback. Once Quoyle and his Aunt began the trek to Newfoundland, my interest picked up. I could enjoy a rambling account of place and time without much plot, but with much character development.
Finally plot entered in--alas I have forgotten the chapter title and no longer have the book at hand, something like Grace Island--and I do like plot and found it compelling. After a couple hundred pages, plot and setting took turns being dominant, but from here on I remained hooked.
The descriptive style put me into the times of poverty, of change from traditional ways to new. Changes in characters were adequately motivated and convinced me. The ending seemed right.
It took me awhile to get used to her writing style in this book but I am so glad that I did. The characters were so endearing. She could have even refrained from using punctuation at all and I still would have loved it.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Just such a wonderful book. Annie Proulx has the most beautiful mastery of prose and emotion.
Loved it.
Loved it.
Having only just turned the last page, all I can be sure of is that this is certainly one of the best books I have ever read. What a fantastic way to end/start the year!
The Shipping News begins in New York, where Quoyle, a lonely, sad, awkward, and unattractive man, who always does the wrong thing, fails to find much success in any part of his life. After a rapid series of tragic events, Quoyle and his small family, his two young daughters and aunt, decide to move to their ancestral home in Newfoundland. The majority of the novel centres on the lives of the isolated community who live in this cold, bleak place. The detail and depth to all the characters is remarkable, and the story itself is one of humanity and the pursuit of happiness. Quoyle begins the book as not the most endearing of characters, but as the book moved along my heart literally ached with sympathy for him, as he struggles to overcome his feelings of defeat and self-contempt, and eventually learns that he is allowed to be happy, to love without pain.
From the very first page, I knew I was in for something special. The prose is exquisite thanks to Proulx's unique method of using short sentence fragments. The writing seems to flow in this most remarkable way, that demands the reader to slow down and savour every word. So much information and detail is packed into just a few words, so I can see the reward of re-reading this novel many times to come. She also has a wonderful, dark sense of humour, that perfectly captures the personalities of this quirky collection of characters, their strange peculiarities, and darkest secrets. Finally, the novel ends on the most perfect final sentence. There is really not much more to say about life.
The Shipping News begins in New York, where Quoyle, a lonely, sad, awkward, and unattractive man, who always does the wrong thing, fails to find much success in any part of his life. After a rapid series of tragic events, Quoyle and his small family, his two young daughters and aunt, decide to move to their ancestral home in Newfoundland. The majority of the novel centres on the lives of the isolated community who live in this cold, bleak place. The detail and depth to all the characters is remarkable, and the story itself is one of humanity and the pursuit of happiness. Quoyle begins the book as not the most endearing of characters, but as the book moved along my heart literally ached with sympathy for him, as he struggles to overcome his feelings of defeat and self-contempt, and eventually learns that he is allowed to be happy, to love without pain.
From the very first page, I knew I was in for something special. The prose is exquisite thanks to Proulx's unique method of using short sentence fragments. The writing seems to flow in this most remarkable way, that demands the reader to slow down and savour every word. So much information and detail is packed into just a few words, so I can see the reward of re-reading this novel many times to come. She also has a wonderful, dark sense of humour, that perfectly captures the personalities of this quirky collection of characters, their strange peculiarities, and darkest secrets. Finally, the novel ends on the most perfect final sentence. There is really not much more to say about life.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
The Shipping News won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1994. It's the story of Quoyle, a newspaper man from New York, who makes the decision to move back to his family's ancestral home in Newfoundland with his aunt and young daughters following the deaths of his parents and his estranged wife. This book has a quirky cast of characters and a very strong sense of place. The environment was harsh and unforgiving as the sobering number of deaths at sea indicated. Equally sobering was the number of sexual abuse cases reported in the local newspaper and the way in which sexual abuse scarred Quoyle's own family. Balancing this darkness was the undeniable warmth and kindness of the people in Quoyle's immediate neighbourhood and the strong vein of humour that runs through this novel. Themes of family, resilience, and tradition were well explored, the writing was strong, the book had an original feel to it yet remained readable and accessible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault
I really loved Annie Proulx's "The Shipping News," the story of Quoyle, a big lump of a man whose emotions run flat as he is pushed and pulled around by his philandering wife Petal. After losing most of what ties him down, he moves with his children and an aunt he'd never met to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to start a new life reporting the shipping news.
I liked Proulx's style -- short crisp newspaper like sentences and her use of knots at the start of each chapter to describe the changes in her characters. As Quoyle changes, the pace of the book moves from slow and methodical to near-blistering... I took a half a star off just because the last few chapters seemed too jarring to me -- tying everything up at the end as quickly as possible. Overall, a really wonderful and interesting story.
I liked Proulx's style -- short crisp newspaper like sentences and her use of knots at the start of each chapter to describe the changes in her characters. As Quoyle changes, the pace of the book moves from slow and methodical to near-blistering... I took a half a star off just because the last few chapters seemed too jarring to me -- tying everything up at the end as quickly as possible. Overall, a really wonderful and interesting story.
The prose was beautiful at times, but I found this to be a bit of a slog