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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I am forging ever forth in my goal of reading a Pulitzer Prize-winning work of fiction each month in 2023, even though the waves are getting pretty high and I think my boat is starting to take on water. (See what I did there?)
There are some moments that shine in The Shipping News. I liked the aunt. I liked the idea of having the protagonist be the least intriguing person in the entire book. But I admit that when I saw a review that said that reading this book is like reading a bowl of cold pea soup, I had to agree. I struggled a lot with Proulx's style, particularly the longwinded stories every character was eager to launch into, and the long lists that served as descriptions. And by "struggled with" I mean I heaved a great inward sigh and settled myself in with resignation and no small measure of resentment.
I don't know! Maybe I'm learning from this project that I don't care that much about prestigious awards! But then I think about how much I've loved Less and The Goldfinch and The Grapes of Wrath. And I can't bring myself to say, okay, this isn't very fun, I'm finished.
There are some moments that shine in The Shipping News. I liked the aunt. I liked the idea of having the protagonist be the least intriguing person in the entire book. But I admit that when I saw a review that said that reading this book is like reading a bowl of cold pea soup, I had to agree. I struggled a lot with Proulx's style, particularly the longwinded stories every character was eager to launch into, and the long lists that served as descriptions. And by "struggled with" I mean I heaved a great inward sigh and settled myself in with resignation and no small measure of resentment.
I don't know! Maybe I'm learning from this project that I don't care that much about prestigious awards! But then I think about how much I've loved Less and The Goldfinch and The Grapes of Wrath. And I can't bring myself to say, okay, this isn't very fun, I'm finished.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
This was my book club book, mostly because I had heard this was a pretty reputable book (won the Pulitzer) and I had read Close Range years ago and I was overdue for some more Proulx.
Though the style really tripped me up — all the broken sentences, stand-alone dependent clauses slowed down the book for me — it still was a decently deep and layered novel, centered around a lumbering journalist named Quoyle, who after having his heart broken by his cheating and dead wife, Petal, sets out for NewFoundland with his aunt and two daughters to start anew.
Ultimately a novel about fresh starts and real love, Shipping News becomes a story of so much more: of home, belonging, hardship, ancestry, protection, and more: “As you get older you find out the place where you started out pulls at you stronger and stronger.”
Quoyle takes a job at the local paper, the Gammy Bird, covering car wrecks (something that is obviously touchy to him given the death of his wife), as well as the Shipping News. Some may say that Jack, the owner of the paper, did this intentionally, giving his reporters the topics that they fear most.
As Quoyle settles into his new life, he begins to unearth the dark history of his ancestors, who pillaged and robbed shipwrecks, and moved their literal house across the frozen ice to Quoyle’s point, a cabin which Quoyle and the aunt try to rehabilitate unsuccessfully.
In fact, most of the novel is about this rehabilitation theme, not only of the house but also of the boat that Quoyle attempts to take to work, and eventually hires a man to build him a proper one.
At the macro level, this theme of rehabilitation is largely about Quoyle’s life: He reckons with his past — of violence, incest, abortion, etc. — while carving out a place for his future with Wavey, a woman he meets in Canada.
The unrelenting setting makes up so many of Proulx’s novels, with characters dealing with the harsh conditions of their surrounding, and the Shipping News is no different. The sea is an unforgiving character, shaping the gumption of the town and becoming a character in itself. In that way, the novel is a fantastic read on the gloomy, rocky shores of, say, Maine.
And of course, so much of the book is layered with so much meaning that that depth alone makes it worth reading. Everyone will find something in this novel, whether it’s unrequited love, a reckoning with the past, the selflessness of fatherhood, or the promise of new beginnings. For me, though, it didn’t hit as hard as I had hoped.
Though the style really tripped me up — all the broken sentences, stand-alone dependent clauses slowed down the book for me — it still was a decently deep and layered novel, centered around a lumbering journalist named Quoyle, who after having his heart broken by his cheating and dead wife, Petal, sets out for NewFoundland with his aunt and two daughters to start anew.
Ultimately a novel about fresh starts and real love, Shipping News becomes a story of so much more: of home, belonging, hardship, ancestry, protection, and more: “As you get older you find out the place where you started out pulls at you stronger and stronger.”
Quoyle takes a job at the local paper, the Gammy Bird, covering car wrecks (something that is obviously touchy to him given the death of his wife), as well as the Shipping News. Some may say that Jack, the owner of the paper, did this intentionally, giving his reporters the topics that they fear most.
As Quoyle settles into his new life, he begins to unearth the dark history of his ancestors, who pillaged and robbed shipwrecks, and moved their literal house across the frozen ice to Quoyle’s point, a cabin which Quoyle and the aunt try to rehabilitate unsuccessfully.
In fact, most of the novel is about this rehabilitation theme, not only of the house but also of the boat that Quoyle attempts to take to work, and eventually hires a man to build him a proper one.
At the macro level, this theme of rehabilitation is largely about Quoyle’s life: He reckons with his past — of violence, incest, abortion, etc. — while carving out a place for his future with Wavey, a woman he meets in Canada.
The unrelenting setting makes up so many of Proulx’s novels, with characters dealing with the harsh conditions of their surrounding, and the Shipping News is no different. The sea is an unforgiving character, shaping the gumption of the town and becoming a character in itself. In that way, the novel is a fantastic read on the gloomy, rocky shores of, say, Maine.
And of course, so much of the book is layered with so much meaning that that depth alone makes it worth reading. Everyone will find something in this novel, whether it’s unrequited love, a reckoning with the past, the selflessness of fatherhood, or the promise of new beginnings. For me, though, it didn’t hit as hard as I had hoped.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Beautiful descriptions of landscapes, relationships, of family love. Its slower than I expected but its more about the characters relationships
Quoyle is a man with bad luck. Born into a family where both his father and brother called him names, he fervently wishes that he was secretly switched at birth and his real family will show up and come to his rescue. His wife bears him two little girls, and then promptly runs around on him. When she turns up dead in a car accident, Quoyle retreats to Newfoundland with his daughters and a distant aunt in tow. There Quoyle finds work that suits him, friends that accept him and a community that embraces him and his family.
I started off this book somewhat skeptical, but the deeper I read, the more entranced I became with the story. Quoyle is very much a loser type of character that is always getting picked on and put down and you can't help but feel sorry for him. His daughters, Bunny and Sunshine, lighten the story with occasional snippets of comic relief. There are a lot of people that Quoyle comes into contact with and interacts with in Newfoundland that a reader can be forgiven for occasionally mixing them up. Quoyle's romantic interest took a long time to get the romance part started because of Quoyle's hangups but it is all the sweeter when they do finally get together. The story is told from the third person, limited point of view of Quoyle. The story is almost entirely set in Newfoundland, though there are a few chapters at the start of the story set in New York state in or around the 1990's.
There are a few vividly described sex scenes, or scenes in which very adult language is used to describe them. There are several scenes in which characters go out for alcoholic drinks, including one party scene which includes some violent acts. There is no substance use. There are some descriptions of characters being hurt or killed in various accidents, and at least one murder. Despite all of this, it is a very good book about a man rejected by his family who is embraced by his adopted community. I would have loved to read more about Quoyle for another volume or more. This book has funny moments and sad moments. This book did win the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. I am giving this book five stars because Quoyle is one character I will remember for quite a while.
I started off this book somewhat skeptical, but the deeper I read, the more entranced I became with the story. Quoyle is very much a loser type of character that is always getting picked on and put down and you can't help but feel sorry for him. His daughters, Bunny and Sunshine, lighten the story with occasional snippets of comic relief. There are a lot of people that Quoyle comes into contact with and interacts with in Newfoundland that a reader can be forgiven for occasionally mixing them up. Quoyle's romantic interest took a long time to get the romance part started because of Quoyle's hangups but it is all the sweeter when they do finally get together. The story is told from the third person, limited point of view of Quoyle. The story is almost entirely set in Newfoundland, though there are a few chapters at the start of the story set in New York state in or around the 1990's.
There are a few vividly described sex scenes, or scenes in which very adult language is used to describe them. There are several scenes in which characters go out for alcoholic drinks, including one party scene which includes some violent acts. There is no substance use. There are some descriptions of characters being hurt or killed in various accidents, and at least one murder. Despite all of this, it is a very good book about a man rejected by his family who is embraced by his adopted community. I would have loved to read more about Quoyle for another volume or more. This book has funny moments and sad moments. This book did win the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. I am giving this book five stars because Quoyle is one character I will remember for quite a while.