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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
hopeful
I hated this book. The style was terrible - choppy, fragments instead of sentences, often without subjects or verbs. A drab, dreary story that goes nowhere. The point seems to be that Newfoundlanders talk funny, have weird names and are into sexual assault.
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This is a slow moving story. There was nothing in the story that was driving me to stay up late and read more. That said I did want to finish the book due to the likeability of the characters. It's very much like life really is, things just happen, some unusual things - like finding a severed head in a suitcase - but nothing drags a character into a world of mystery and adventure and turns them into a hero. This is more of a "Life Happens" kind of story. Believable real life scenarios take place throughout the book in a part of Canada that I don't know much about, and the simple things that happen can change you if you are open to it. I like that there were specific words for a specific thing that I had never known before. I like being educated in that way by someone who knows how to use the English language properly.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-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
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Amazing development and building that is brought together in a lovely and inspiring way.
I read this novel for the first time 30 years ago. It's beautiful, fun, and eccentric. Same author wrote "Brokeback Mountain." This is a quirky story about a lost, unwanted man who finds himself living again in Newfoundland with his young daughters, back where his (troubling) ancestors were from. Playful use of language and detail. Some dated bits, including a running joke about how the local paper chases sex abuse and incest news stories. Yeech. Proulx lived in Newfoundland on and off for many years, and the local culture as she describes it feels so very weird as to be authentic.
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
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
Every time I opened this book, I found myself in Newfoundland, living among its members with the ocean spray soaking me through. I've never been anywhere like it in real life but the rich descriptions made every turn of the weather, emotion of each character, and even the surface of the boats and ships tangible in a way that's truly rare. It took a while for me to sink in to the story but now it's ended and I'm not ready to come up for air.
A good book but after looking at that list of awards, my expectations weren't met. The sentence fragments took some getting used to and I can't say I like that style or that it worked well. The movie honestly did a superior job of character development. Not sure what all the hype is about here...