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silodear's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence
TW for outdated oppressive language, sexual violence, police reverence, white dude writing about the experience of indigenous people. What I liked most about this book were the descriptions of landscapes and nature, the sentience and personhood ascribed to animals, and the tenderness of the relationships between the people of Mink River. What I did not enjoy was the authors deep love of lists and synonyms. We get it, there are many ways to say the same thing. CAN YOU PLEASE STOP?! Also deeply did not enjoy the perfect hero cop narrative. No thanks. There was so much gender essentialism, which I found to be entirely grating. Although there were parts of this story that I enjoyed, I was not sad when this book ended.katiebellmoore's review
5.0
What an amazing book! Doyle paints with such a poetic voice that he simultaneously lets you identify with the authentic characters while engaging your imagination. A work of art.
marie_gg's review
3.0
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2011/10/mink-river-interesting-piece-of.html
This was another one of those Multnomah County Library's books labeled "Lucky Day! Hot titles! Available now--2 at a time for 3 weeks." It's the second time in recent weeks I've been lured in like that (the other was the Pat Conroy novel, South of Broad). I guess I am suckered in by thinking I'm the fortunate timing that finds me at the library when these books happen to be available. Pretty funny, eh? I have heard of Brian Doyle--he's the editor of Portland Monthly and has even spoken as a guest speaker at our church--and I like reading literature by Northwest writers, so I thought I'd take a look. Goodreads reviewers give Mink River 4.33 stars, and my friend Jeannette gave it 4 stars. After I read endorsements on the front and back of the book by David James Duncan and Molly Gloss, I had to dive in.
Doyle is a gifted writer, and without his lyrical gifts and the fact that he's well known in Portland literary circles, this book might have had a difficult time finding a publisher. Mink River is a story of a coastal Oregon town, Neawanaka, and its quirky inhabitants. Think "Northern Exposure" in Oregon rather than Alaska (even though that priceless TV series was actually filmed in Washington).
The book begins with a grandfather oral storytelling into a tape recorder for his grandson, and that's the style throughout the book. We follow the richly detailed characters' loves, losses, and lives. Some are known only as "the doctor," "the nun," "the priest," and "the man who sold boxes." The Irish and Native American people's lives are woven carefully together, along with their traditions. Crows and bears speak.
At the beginning of the book, I reveled in the poetic writing and colorful descriptions of the people and the town. I found myself cheering for Worried Man, Cedar, Daniel, Owen, No Horses, and Maple Head. I thought that Mink River would be a suitable modern replacement for Sometimes a Great Notion as the great Oregon novel. But then I got to the middle...and I actually thought about giving up on the novel.
The middle sags with near-complete lack of plot. At best, the plot is secondary to the setting and the characters. But I need a plot in a novel, even a poetic one. Fortunately, he gets back into the loosely plotted story toward the end...just in time to deliver a satisfying ending to these characters' stories.
As the Oregonian put it, "Doyle's storytelling style is one a reader needs to accept, trust, and ride--he has a penchant for quick takes, long sentences, short chapters, and an interjecting narrator. Words are occasionally welded together to get toward something, like the 'bittersweetorangeyellowacidic' taste of a salmonberry. The strength of the novel lies in Doyle's ability to convey the delicious vibrancy of people and the quirky whorls that make life a complex tapestry. He is absolutely enchanted by stories, with the zeal and talent to enchant others."
A few pages from the end of the book, Doyle seems to acknowledge the eccentricity of his writing style...through the words of Moses, the talking crow: "Human people...think that stories have beginnings and middles and ends, but we crow people know that stories just wander on and on and change form and are reborn again and again...stories are not only words, you know. Words are just the clothes that people drape on stories."
Mink River is like a crow story--perhaps that is why Moses the crow is featured on the cover. It's an excellent addition to the Northwest canon, but truth be told, I'm ready to move on to a more traditionally written book!
This was another one of those Multnomah County Library's books labeled "Lucky Day! Hot titles! Available now--2 at a time for 3 weeks." It's the second time in recent weeks I've been lured in like that (the other was the Pat Conroy novel, South of Broad). I guess I am suckered in by thinking I'm the fortunate timing that finds me at the library when these books happen to be available. Pretty funny, eh? I have heard of Brian Doyle--he's the editor of Portland Monthly and has even spoken as a guest speaker at our church--and I like reading literature by Northwest writers, so I thought I'd take a look. Goodreads reviewers give Mink River 4.33 stars, and my friend Jeannette gave it 4 stars. After I read endorsements on the front and back of the book by David James Duncan and Molly Gloss, I had to dive in.
Doyle is a gifted writer, and without his lyrical gifts and the fact that he's well known in Portland literary circles, this book might have had a difficult time finding a publisher. Mink River is a story of a coastal Oregon town, Neawanaka, and its quirky inhabitants. Think "Northern Exposure" in Oregon rather than Alaska (even though that priceless TV series was actually filmed in Washington).
The book begins with a grandfather oral storytelling into a tape recorder for his grandson, and that's the style throughout the book. We follow the richly detailed characters' loves, losses, and lives. Some are known only as "the doctor," "the nun," "the priest," and "the man who sold boxes." The Irish and Native American people's lives are woven carefully together, along with their traditions. Crows and bears speak.
At the beginning of the book, I reveled in the poetic writing and colorful descriptions of the people and the town. I found myself cheering for Worried Man, Cedar, Daniel, Owen, No Horses, and Maple Head. I thought that Mink River would be a suitable modern replacement for Sometimes a Great Notion as the great Oregon novel. But then I got to the middle...and I actually thought about giving up on the novel.
The middle sags with near-complete lack of plot. At best, the plot is secondary to the setting and the characters. But I need a plot in a novel, even a poetic one. Fortunately, he gets back into the loosely plotted story toward the end...just in time to deliver a satisfying ending to these characters' stories.
As the Oregonian put it, "Doyle's storytelling style is one a reader needs to accept, trust, and ride--he has a penchant for quick takes, long sentences, short chapters, and an interjecting narrator. Words are occasionally welded together to get toward something, like the 'bittersweetorangeyellowacidic' taste of a salmonberry. The strength of the novel lies in Doyle's ability to convey the delicious vibrancy of people and the quirky whorls that make life a complex tapestry. He is absolutely enchanted by stories, with the zeal and talent to enchant others."
A few pages from the end of the book, Doyle seems to acknowledge the eccentricity of his writing style...through the words of Moses, the talking crow: "Human people...think that stories have beginnings and middles and ends, but we crow people know that stories just wander on and on and change form and are reborn again and again...stories are not only words, you know. Words are just the clothes that people drape on stories."
Mink River is like a crow story--perhaps that is why Moses the crow is featured on the cover. It's an excellent addition to the Northwest canon, but truth be told, I'm ready to move on to a more traditionally written book!
debr's review
5.0
I would give this book six stars if I could. What a triumph of a novel. I agree with others- I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. Doyle's capacity for description, for worshipping nature through prose, and for creating characters who are so beautiful that you want them to come alive and befriend you- these aspects elevate his writing to a work of art. Although this book is wonderfully engaging, I found I actually could not read it for very long at one sitting, because it was like trying to eat 12 courses of dinner at once. His prose is rich, deep and powerful, and truly needs to be chewed on for a while, swallowed and digested before the next part can be taken in. This is a book that is deserving of a thoughtful, slow, and intense read- it will reward you greatly for your attention.
jadenmcginty's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
misia_z's review
5.0
One of the loveliest books I’ve ever read, I didn’t want it to end. Doyle’s voice is unparalleled, the way he can turn a handful of random happenings and lives into a story you can lose yourself is pure magic. This story is a gift to anyone who reads it.
kimberly_b's review
4.0
This isn't a book you can rush through; it's meant to be savored and absorbed. This is unlike any book I've read, and, frankly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Normally, lack of traditional punctuation and sentence structure drives me crazy. But, Doyle's writing is anything but conformist and you either go with it or you quit reading. One of my favorite parts of the book were the elements of magical realism, especially Moses, the crow. My other favorite aspect was the deep respect given to all of nature: men/women, plants, and animals. There was a thread running through everything and everyone--a deep connection beyond our mortal world. It made for a powerful story in an unobtrusive way. My favorite line of the book was said by the Old Nun to Moses, "Our paths are in the mighty waters, Moses, and so are holy and hidden."
Now, I must add a disclaimer that this story is not plot driven. The threads of different characters' lives interweave and that is what makes up the heart of Mink River. I'm fairly certain this book will be sticking with me for quite some time.
Now, I must add a disclaimer that this story is not plot driven. The threads of different characters' lives interweave and that is what makes up the heart of Mink River. I'm fairly certain this book will be sticking with me for quite some time.
catastrojb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0