Reviews

Mink River by Brian Doyle

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

teachingkids1982's review

5.0

One of my favorites!

tsenko2's review

5.0

A lyrical journey through the human lives and natural history of a small Oregon coastal town. Touching and poignant. The author weaves together wisps of mysticism, Irish story telling and Salish folklore with the economic and personal struggles of today. This book is, simply put, beautiful.

flatmtns's review

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I liked what Doyle was going for with this book, but overall it felt like a much bigger, more unfocused project than was really made room for. Stylistically, I found it very lyrical, with an underlying rhythm that was occasionally propulsive but mostly felt annoying and theatrical. The critical moments of reflection felt a little saccharine, and surprisingly low stakes. Mostly I'd call this a much less mature attempt at what I see in Louise Erdrich's work.

kfront's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

bramblrose's review

A story rarely follows a straight line. Instead it shimmers, flows, and changes shape... like a water, or a river. I think this story plays with that idea, streams and tributaries braid themselves into one.

I can't say that the story was the part of this book that held my attention. It was the method of the telling. Characters that were familiar and likeable despite their flaws.

jwbreshears's review

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-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

5.0

jenn_stark's review

5.0

the best. this town and people will live with me now, always. a masterpiece.

opheliabedilia's review

3.0

I had a hard time rating this book, because when I was reading it, I would often think "this is really lovely writing". But then, after I put it down, I never felt a particular desire to pick it back up. So while some of the passages were beautifully written, it never made a compelling enough whole. And it never made me care much about the characters, of which there were many. Here again, I liked some of them very much, and disliked others very much, and yet, I still just didn't care very much. I feel like Doyle has potential, if he can just focus his efforts, and maybe use the occasional punctuation mark.

kbrown5455's review

3.0

Near the end of this book, Moses the crow says “human stories have a beginning and end but crow stories just go on and on.” This rambling story of connected characters in rural coastal Oregon is charming and odd.