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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Oh how I wanted to love this book. Instead the experience was more of a detached appreciation for Proulx's extended metaphor (knots) and immersive depiction of Newfoundland, rather than a love affair with the characters/setting/etc. Plot is nonexistent, and that's often a deal-breaker for me.
Great book! Poor, lost Quoyle and his chin.
I think I read this again before the movie came out. The movie starred the ever-awesome Kevin Spacey, and I honestly wondered if they would give him a prosthetic chin!
I think I read this again before the movie came out. The movie starred the ever-awesome Kevin Spacey, and I honestly wondered if they would give him a prosthetic chin!
Didn't mind the type of prose, I just didn't care enough about the characters to finish reading the book.
Rough, raw storytelling. Text hard to live with as I was pulled into the lives of the characters. Got through three chapters telling myself I could not read this book. By then I felt compelled to stay with this sad and difficult family to see how they rebuilt their lives.
Chapters headings--knots and mariners dictionary--pictures and explanatory text.
p107 "Quoyle went down with trembling legs, one hand on the rungs, his left arm fold across his daughter's waist. The ladder shook with his shaking. He could not believe she hadn't fallen, for in two or three seconds he had lived her squalling death over and over, reached out time after time to grip empty air."
p209 "Millennial bergs from the glaciers, morbid...the deceiving sound of shoreline where there was no shore...Foghorns...Frost smoke...Clouds mottled by reflections of water holes in the plains of ice. The glare of ice erasing dimension, distance, subjecting senses to mirage and illusion. A rare place."
p317 " 'Backing wind, fouls weather,' Billy Pretty said to himself, steering sideways down a hill. The wind angling to the north now. He had seen wind hounds a few days before, lozenges of light in a greasy sky. Imagined wind in his inner eye, saw its directions in the asymmetrical shapes of windstorm on old maps, roses of wind whose elongated points pictured prevailing airs."
Chapters headings--knots and mariners dictionary--pictures and explanatory text.
p107 "Quoyle went down with trembling legs, one hand on the rungs, his left arm fold across his daughter's waist. The ladder shook with his shaking. He could not believe she hadn't fallen, for in two or three seconds he had lived her squalling death over and over, reached out time after time to grip empty air."
p209 "Millennial bergs from the glaciers, morbid...the deceiving sound of shoreline where there was no shore...Foghorns...Frost smoke...Clouds mottled by reflections of water holes in the plains of ice. The glare of ice erasing dimension, distance, subjecting senses to mirage and illusion. A rare place."
p317 " 'Backing wind, fouls weather,' Billy Pretty said to himself, steering sideways down a hill. The wind angling to the north now. He had seen wind hounds a few days before, lozenges of light in a greasy sky. Imagined wind in his inner eye, saw its directions in the asymmetrical shapes of windstorm on old maps, roses of wind whose elongated points pictured prevailing airs."
Read this one on the beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama
Proulx creates an amazing world- a cold, rocky place that nevertheless is populated by a fascinating variety of big-hearted, unlikely heroes who are revealed to have all manner of special talents. Quoyle and company, who have never belonged anywhere, gradually fit right in. The staccato, often subjectless or verbless sentences create a unique and compelling style.
Proulx creates an amazing world- a cold, rocky place that nevertheless is populated by a fascinating variety of big-hearted, unlikely heroes who are revealed to have all manner of special talents. Quoyle and company, who have never belonged anywhere, gradually fit right in. The staccato, often subjectless or verbless sentences create a unique and compelling style.
Great story. Good movie too!
From the Publisher
When Quoyle's two-timing wife meets her just desserts, he retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters and family members all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As Quoyle confronts his private demons — and the unpredictable forces of nature and society — he begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.
A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family, The Shipping News shows why Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.
From the Publisher
When Quoyle's two-timing wife meets her just desserts, he retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters and family members all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As Quoyle confronts his private demons — and the unpredictable forces of nature and society — he begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.
A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family, The Shipping News shows why Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.
Quoyle has no self-confidence and a wife, Petal, who openly cheats on him. She is killed in a car wreck. His parents also die. His aunt shows up and talks him into moving himself and his two girls back to Newfoundland, where the family originated. He gets a job at the local paper and discovers his family history--most of it sinister. But he does prosper at the end, running the paper and finding new love.
Movie more or less follows the book, but there are some significant discrepancies.
Movie more or less follows the book, but there are some significant discrepancies.
Reread this book for book club, and, for the second time, I really didn’t care for this story. It’s beautifully written about a boring man, who is totally unaware of what’s happening around him. He finds himself at the old family homestead in Newfoundland with his two young children and an aunt. We find out a few family secrets and about life in a small Newfoundland village. Lots of quirky characters in the village.
I had a good time reading The Shipping News, I would say the first quater and final stretch of the book was the highest of highs whilst the entire middle section was the lowest of lows, there was SOME good parts in the middle, but for some reason the beginning and end where so hard to put down because I wanted to know more. The entire middle section was more about the other characters and his relationship with his new house etc.
Every character from Newfoundland I barely understood, I'm so sorry... But Quoyle? he's my bestie, we see each other and I would defend him with my LIFE same with Agnis. She is my bestie we see each other! I enjoyed Petal's character and how much she impacted Quoyle literaly right until the final chapter of the book, despite being dead for a long time.
The arc of what Quoyle goes through in this book was the biggest highlight, reeling after the death of his cheating wife, the death of his parents, becoming a journalist, to moving to Newfoundland with his new Aunt and his kids. He manages to become intergrated into the community and becomes friends with many new people, Billy Pretty, Jack, Nutbeem & his romantic relationship with Wavey becoming more and more prominent as time went on.
-Positives-
Quoyle, Agnis, Wavey, Billy Pretty, Jack & Nutbeem.
Grammy Bird & all the work related events that happened
Characters interactions with each other specficially Quoyle and the Grammy Bird team. Agnis and Quoyle/Bunny/Sunshine
Quoyle's journey from the beginning of the book to the end
-Negatives-
Everybody was a hater at some point towards Quoyle
Bunny/Sunshine for like, the first half of this book
Dawn
Every character from Newfoundland I barely understood, I'm so sorry... But Quoyle? he's my bestie, we see each other and I would defend him with my LIFE same with Agnis. She is my bestie we see each other! I enjoyed Petal's character and how much she impacted Quoyle literaly right until the final chapter of the book, despite being dead for a long time.
The arc of what Quoyle goes through in this book was the biggest highlight, reeling after the death of his cheating wife, the death of his parents, becoming a journalist, to moving to Newfoundland with his new Aunt and his kids. He manages to become intergrated into the community and becomes friends with many new people, Billy Pretty, Jack, Nutbeem & his romantic relationship with Wavey becoming more and more prominent as time went on.
-Positives-
Quoyle, Agnis, Wavey, Billy Pretty, Jack & Nutbeem.
Grammy Bird & all the work related events that happened
Characters interactions with each other specficially Quoyle and the Grammy Bird team. Agnis and Quoyle/Bunny/Sunshine
Quoyle's journey from the beginning of the book to the end
-Negatives-
Everybody was a hater at some point towards Quoyle
Bunny/Sunshine for like, the first half of this book
Dawn
I had to attempt this book several times. The writing style is very Proulx, but I had troubles with the dryness mixed with her usual directness. Decent story, but not an easy read if you are wanting to get the most out of it.