Scan barcode
jsraymond's review
i just couldnt get past first few pages will have to try it again later
krissyt256's review
5.0
If I could write books I'd want to write exactly like Brian Doyle. I love his writing style. He uses these beautiful sentences full of insightful images that make me say, "Yeah...exactly...well put." And he creates these deep, interesting characters that make me say, "Oh, there is more to this person than we think." And he portrays this small coastal town in an intriguing and thoughtful way that make me want to go visit. And the story jumps around in a fun way to keep me interested. I was sad to see this book end. A very enjoyable read.
This book is not for everyone. You have to enjoy a story that is told from many different perspectives and unfolds in a clever but haphazard way. The story shifts perspective every one or two pages making it a bit hard to keep up. The jumping around may get frustrating to those who like a more linear story. And not a whole lot happens in this small Oregon town but life drifts along. And you have to be open to magical realism and embrace the talking raven, helpful bear, and the visions of two old men. At the beginning I kept flipping back to try to keep all the characters straight and toward the end I kept flipping ahead to see how each little piece unfolds. But, those who hang on to the end will be rewarded with a beautiful piece of writing and lovely memories of all the interesting people of Neawanaka, Oregon.
This book is not for everyone. You have to enjoy a story that is told from many different perspectives and unfolds in a clever but haphazard way. The story shifts perspective every one or two pages making it a bit hard to keep up. The jumping around may get frustrating to those who like a more linear story. And not a whole lot happens in this small Oregon town but life drifts along. And you have to be open to magical realism and embrace the talking raven, helpful bear, and the visions of two old men. At the beginning I kept flipping back to try to keep all the characters straight and toward the end I kept flipping ahead to see how each little piece unfolds. But, those who hang on to the end will be rewarded with a beautiful piece of writing and lovely memories of all the interesting people of Neawanaka, Oregon.
eiseneisen's review
5.0
Mink River is a beautiful, beautiful book. It revolves around a small coastal town in Oregon and the various people who live there. There are some magical elements to the story, and some mystical elements to the story, but's mostly a gorgeous song about life. There are a few passages that are superfluous/eye-roll inducing. But mostly it's a sensitive, lyrical, thoroughly enjoyable celebration of humans being behaving like humans.
Strongly recommended, especially for people who have in the past enjoyed ambitious, magical, romantic stories like those written by Mark Helprin, Salman Rushdie, Jose Saramago, Jim Harrison, etc.
Strongly recommended, especially for people who have in the past enjoyed ambitious, magical, romantic stories like those written by Mark Helprin, Salman Rushdie, Jose Saramago, Jim Harrison, etc.
yooperann's review
5.0
Just breathtaking. Darker than Martin Marten, but a similar setting, though this time on the ocean. Plenty of sorrow, but ultimately full of love and hope (and a very amusing crow). I kept reading pieces of it outloud to my husband.
haudurn's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
not my cup of tea - I couldn't get into this at all
jess_stetson's review
3.0
Don't hate me O Disciples of Mink River but... I did not LOVE this book. I liked it, for sure.
The prose had some magnificent moments. Most of the characters were at least interesting. I enjoyed the bits of Native American and Irish oral histories. The maical realism was lovely. The town certainly came to life... But... BUT.
There just feels like a huge BUT hanging in air there. I was not invested in enough of the characters. Some, yes. Worried Man and Cedar - absolutely - but none of the traumas or joys experienced by the characters in this affected me in the least (with the exception of a depression of one character which was beautifully described).
And I think that the overwhelming Catholicism of it just put me off by a LOT. I am not a religious person and I would go so far as to say that I can border on antireligious especially with regard to organized religion in general and Christianity in particular. Regardless, I can read books that have a religious/morality based undercurrent and not dislike them. This felt super preachy to me, though (especially with the Inch that goes out to sea).
I don't know. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars if I could. But I can't. And because I save my 4 and 5 Stars for things that really knock my socks off, I have to stick with 3 on this one.
That said, I did send 3 quotes to myself from the book - so it had plenty to offer... Like this:
The prose had some magnificent moments. Most of the characters were at least interesting. I enjoyed the bits of Native American and Irish oral histories. The maical realism was lovely. The town certainly came to life... But... BUT.
There just feels like a huge BUT hanging in air there. I was not invested in enough of the characters. Some, yes. Worried Man and Cedar - absolutely - but none of the traumas or joys experienced by the characters in this affected me in the least (with the exception of a depression of one character which was beautifully described).
And I think that the overwhelming Catholicism of it just put me off by a LOT. I am not a religious person and I would go so far as to say that I can border on antireligious especially with regard to organized religion in general and Christianity in particular. Regardless, I can read books that have a religious/morality based undercurrent and not dislike them. This felt super preachy to me, though (especially with the Inch that goes out to sea).
I don't know. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars if I could. But I can't. And because I save my 4 and 5 Stars for things that really knock my socks off, I have to stick with 3 on this one.
That said, I did send 3 quotes to myself from the book - so it had plenty to offer... Like this:
madiek's review
4.0
I didn't always love the writing style (though it was unique and varied), found myself skimming the longer paragraphs, but I was drawn by the circuitous relationships between characters and especially the beautiful images of nature. Doyle describes the northwest in a way everyone who gets homesick for rain and ocean and tall green trees wishes they could, in scene as well as feeling.
livesinthetub's review
5.0
book #1 of 2021: Mink River by Brian Doyle (pub. 2010) i had this book strongly recommended to me years ago by staff at my favorite bookstore (www.powells.com), but I just finally got to it. like Garrison Keillor and Joseph Heller, Doyle tells the stories of many characters who each have their own path, but who live interrelated lives. the setting, a fictional town on Oregon’s central coast, plays a significant role in each character’s life in this small community, many characters with Native or Irish heritage, or both. the character development, concrete imagery, and storytelling in this book are all excellent and very enjoyable. 5/5. and now for something completely different....
gobblebook's review against another edition
5.0
This book is utterly amazing.
It perfectly evokes and encapsulates the Pacific Northwest: the cycle of nature, the trees, the ocean, the fish and birds, the Native American folklore that infuses the landscape, the brief giddy summer.
Doyle's writing is delightful. He manages to weave together a lot of varied storylines and do justice to all of them. All of the characters are well-rounded and likeable - he even manages to make an abusive father into a sympathetic character. Sometimes the writing is like a prose poem, especially in scenes where all the characters are doing the same thing at once (everyone in town is on one knee, everyone in town is singing).
The book explores a lot of themes: the importance of storytelling, the similarities and contrasts between Native and immigrant families, the quest to enjoy life, our relationship to nature and to time. It has characters in every stage of life, from birth to adolescence to mid-life crisis to old age to death, and does justice to them all.
This one is worth re-reading every few years.
I listened to the audiobook. It was a little tough to keep all the characters straight when I couldn't flip back to jog my memory, but the narrator did an excellent job.
patrick_114's review
4.0
A warm & wonderful book. Very nice depictions of different types of love and I enjoyed each one. Though it took me a bit of time to acclimate to the rhythm and style, once I did, I was completely hooked. The type of book that could just keep going and going and I could just keep reading and reading. Enjoy.