Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
The Shipping News starts as kind of an inverse-picaresque novel, one in which the protagonist, Quoyle, is a diffident middle aged father of two plagued by misfortune as his cheating wife ruthlessly leaves his family before dying in a car accident, which sets Quoyle off on a comic misadventure to Newfoundland with his aunt, dog, and daughters using his wife’s life insurance money to start a new life.
Vonnegut influence seems evident in Quoyle’s frequent encounters with ironic misfortunes, his comic unflappability in response to them, and the narrator’s perspective on him: one in which things are frequently “happening to him”; unlike most writers, Proulx is not interested in a psychological portrait of Quoyle. She’s more interested in telling his story with the goal of, ostensibly, entertaining the reader. Proulx succeeds greatly at this for a little over 200 pages, but I inexplicably lost interest after that point. It disappointed me and made me question why. The writing is outstandingly good and nothing really “changes” in the story. I guess I felt like Quoyle’s quest was leading him somewhere more personal than it did. Yes, he does get married in the very, very end, and he does experience some romantic scenes, but there’s just something missing for me. I felt like the last ~100 or so pages became a compilation of random events in Quoyle’s life without a super logical or interesting continuity. Events are happening, written well and usually with some good humor, but I’m just not feeling connected to them or like they connect meaningfully with one another.
The dialogue is (purposefully) a little too snappy. Proulx omits words, which adds to the humor of the novel, but it takes a while to get used to.
“Says he can work on it right away…. Thinking of starting a day-care in her house…. Could be the first and best customers…. Barking. Her eyes hot.”
Obviously the above excerpt isn’t coherent, but it’s all writing from the same page. Proulx cuts out pronouns in a lot of sentences or reduces a sentence to a single predicate.
I guess I just feel disappointed. Maybe more with myself than the novel. I couldn’t grasp much meaning out of the story despite there being some obvious/interesting themes (family heritage, connecting with others in a desolate place, the relationship between climate/nature and man, etc.) and I just stopped caring about Quoyle’s journey even though I loved the character and saw the potential.
Vonnegut influence seems evident in Quoyle’s frequent encounters with ironic misfortunes, his comic unflappability in response to them, and the narrator’s perspective on him: one in which things are frequently “happening to him”; unlike most writers, Proulx is not interested in a psychological portrait of Quoyle. She’s more interested in telling his story with the goal of, ostensibly, entertaining the reader. Proulx succeeds greatly at this for a little over 200 pages, but I inexplicably lost interest after that point. It disappointed me and made me question why. The writing is outstandingly good and nothing really “changes” in the story. I guess I felt like Quoyle’s quest was leading him somewhere more personal than it did. Yes, he does get married in the very, very end, and he does experience some romantic scenes, but there’s just something missing for me. I felt like the last ~100 or so pages became a compilation of random events in Quoyle’s life without a super logical or interesting continuity. Events are happening, written well and usually with some good humor, but I’m just not feeling connected to them or like they connect meaningfully with one another.
The dialogue is (purposefully) a little too snappy. Proulx omits words, which adds to the humor of the novel, but it takes a while to get used to.
“Says he can work on it right away…. Thinking of starting a day-care in her house…. Could be the first and best customers…. Barking. Her eyes hot.”
Obviously the above excerpt isn’t coherent, but it’s all writing from the same page. Proulx cuts out pronouns in a lot of sentences or reduces a sentence to a single predicate.
I guess I just feel disappointed. Maybe more with myself than the novel. I couldn’t grasp much meaning out of the story despite there being some obvious/interesting themes (family heritage, connecting with others in a desolate place, the relationship between climate/nature and man, etc.) and I just stopped caring about Quoyle’s journey even though I loved the character and saw the potential.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let's see if I can do an Annie Proulx impersonation:
Barren as the Newfoundland coast in winter, a bleak expanse of narrative, but intriguing characters, sort of. A mournful dirge that promised little warmth. Quoyle, a man embodying mediocrity, was a difficult anchor to hold onto. His life, a dull, gray expanse, offered few footholds. His wife. A frustration walking. His kids, lovable and despicable, a paradox. His aunt, why did she offer them this life? It was as if one were in a fog-bound vessel, the horizon obscured, the destination uncertain, the plot offering echoes of maybe a story, but alas, no, not really. Adrift in Newfoundland people, occasionally bumping up against them.
Barren as the Newfoundland coast in winter, a bleak expanse of narrative, but intriguing characters, sort of. A mournful dirge that promised little warmth. Quoyle, a man embodying mediocrity, was a difficult anchor to hold onto. His life, a dull, gray expanse, offered few footholds. His wife. A frustration walking. His kids, lovable and despicable, a paradox. His aunt, why did she offer them this life? It was as if one were in a fog-bound vessel, the horizon obscured, the destination uncertain, the plot offering echoes of maybe a story, but alas, no, not really. Adrift in Newfoundland people, occasionally bumping up against them.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
The Shipping News is absolutely a book that can stand the test of time, and it also improves with each reading - or at least it did for me!
I loved how this book builds like a slow burn... layer by layer, unfurling the story for us. Her writing is so good, the conversations are so real, and the people - Quoyle - grow on you... and Proulx keeps building to the masterful ending.
And it may be that love sometimes occurs without pain or misery.
One would think that remaking your life writing the shipping news would not be a step up, but for Quoyle, it is the place where his life begins. I had originally ticked this book up to 4-stars from my original read of 3-stars, but Quoyle and Wavey have been echoing in my thoughts since I finished the book and they are absolutely worthy of 5-stars!
I highly recommend this brilliant story!
I loved how this book builds like a slow burn... layer by layer, unfurling the story for us. Her writing is so good, the conversations are so real, and the people - Quoyle - grow on you... and Proulx keeps building to the masterful ending.
And it may be that love sometimes occurs without pain or misery.
One would think that remaking your life writing the shipping news would not be a step up, but for Quoyle, it is the place where his life begins. I had originally ticked this book up to 4-stars from my original read of 3-stars, but Quoyle and Wavey have been echoing in my thoughts since I finished the book and they are absolutely worthy of 5-stars!
I highly recommend this brilliant story!
This book is for displaying the front cover on one's bookshelf. It is mysterious, an internal maze of intent and with great depth into the nature of conscious experience. Of course, it is true that a book with cold weather settings will sometimes entertain me enough, but the setting is backlight compared to the perceptions and tenderness of character; this is quite simply a masterpiece.
I received this (as I did a number of books for a handful of years) from my sister, who used to be somewhat high up in a particular company with authorial and public relations. For some reason, I feel that I would not have been surprised to find the book autographed. Each year, she would give me a copy of a book she thought fit my personality and writer's eye, had won some type of award (even if 'twere given by a small but cautious group - in my opinion, the best kind), and built my personal library in keeping with my English faire. She knew that I was selective in my choices to read, converse, hold and engage. She was spot on with this material. I am still selective, and still proud to engage this work.
I received this (as I did a number of books for a handful of years) from my sister, who used to be somewhat high up in a particular company with authorial and public relations. For some reason, I feel that I would not have been surprised to find the book autographed. Each year, she would give me a copy of a book she thought fit my personality and writer's eye, had won some type of award (even if 'twere given by a small but cautious group - in my opinion, the best kind), and built my personal library in keeping with my English faire. She knew that I was selective in my choices to read, converse, hold and engage. She was spot on with this material. I am still selective, and still proud to engage this work.
The Shipping News is such an unusual book, it's an absolute delight. A wry sense of humour run throughout the small town tragedies played out by the characters to produce a novel that's incredibly hopeful. The main character is Quoyle, a lumbering ape of a man, who is forced to leave his disastrous marriage and dead end career in a local New york paper when his hideous wife is killed in a car crash. His Aunt, herself no stranger to tragedy, persuades him to return to the family home in the far north, where he discovers long disguised truths about his ancestors, and finds himself.
As an outline, the story sounds a little trite, but Annie Proulx pulls it off with such aplomb that you never notice. By the end you are so absorbed in the world of Quoyle and his strange daughters, the peculiar traditions of the region and his mysterious Aunt, that the happy ending feels absolutely deserved. Excellent!
As an outline, the story sounds a little trite, but Annie Proulx pulls it off with such aplomb that you never notice. By the end you are so absorbed in the world of Quoyle and his strange daughters, the peculiar traditions of the region and his mysterious Aunt, that the happy ending feels absolutely deserved. Excellent!