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i_platypus's review
4.0
I can't tell you whether you'll like this book. It's like getting caught in a sudden downpour: you'll have to decide for yourself if you find the experience startling and refreshing or all together too much
tifftastic87's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
I can only describe this book as a love letter to the Pacific Northwest written by looking into windows of a small community and describing the lives of the observed as a series of poetic lists.
It took a minute to grow on me because coming off of the back of The Great Gatsby (which I very much did not like) because it seemed like another book about a bunch of characters doing nothing. The lists were difficult at first and I was annoyed by them, but then they made me laugh and then theybstarted feeling a bit like a song or poem. I would say it is kind of like The Great Gatsby in that it is a book about people and a snap shot of a summer of their lives. It is also about capitalism and the community we find. However, this is better so much better. The characters in Mink River are flawed but they address the flaws, they recognize them and they grow from them because they are all generally good people. Its a story of them trying to survive a time when the economy is changing and just existing. This also has an air of fantasy in that there is a talking crow, man who smells pain and fear, a disembodied messenger in a cave, and a man from a river.
It is such a wonderful book. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me feel a deep love for my little part of the country.
It took a minute to grow on me because coming off of the back of The Great Gatsby (which I very much did not like) because it seemed like another book about a bunch of characters doing nothing. The lists were difficult at first and I was annoyed by them, but then they made me laugh and then theybstarted feeling a bit like a song or poem. I would say it is kind of like The Great Gatsby in that it is a book about people and a snap shot of a summer of their lives. It is also about capitalism and the community we find. However, this is better so much better. The characters in Mink River are flawed but they address the flaws, they recognize them and they grow from them because they are all generally good people. Its a story of them trying to survive a time when the economy is changing and just existing. This also has an air of fantasy in that there is a talking crow, man who smells pain and fear, a disembodied messenger in a cave, and a man from a river.
It is such a wonderful book. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me feel a deep love for my little part of the country.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Cancer, Pregnancy, Car accident, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and War
sophievigeant's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
4.75
a_proud_bibliophile's review
5.0
This book was a fantastical journey through the English language and the human heart. Reminiscent of The Things They Carried in magical lists and McCarthy in poignant descriptions, this book breaths life and love into a place nobody thinks about.
awebofstories's review
adventurous
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
If you had asked me before this morning what my all-time favorite book would be, I'd probably spout out a number of titles. It would be a combination of tried and true classics and contemporary phenomenons. But that was then. Now, my answer would be this one. This is now my all-time favorite book.
I'm not even sure I can describe this book. I mean, what genre is it? Well, there are a fair number of magical realism elements, so maybe fantasy? However, I would also argue that this takes place in at a very specific time in Oregon, so historical fiction? The language is so gorgeous you could also call it poetic prose. Yes to all of these.
We follow a fictional, but very realistic town, on the Oregon Coast (I pictured Nehalem, Oregon in my mind while reading). Given various text clues, I believe that this takes place in the early 80s, which was a time when the traditional coastal industries of logging and fishing were on the downturn, but tourism was still limited to just a few larger communities. We meet various townsfolk and follow them through a summer and fall while they all face their own challenges.
This is not a plot-driven book. Instead, we join this community and experience life through the characters. Oh, and what characters we have! We meet a fair number of people (and a crow) and follow them all as their lives intersect, but this never feels like we are overburdened with points of view. Every character is a voice, and this book is a perfectly tuned choir.
The prose is the most perfect I've ever read. Each word has a purpose, and the pace of the book ebbs and flows (and I hate to admit that it took me as long as it did to realize that the prose is paced LIKE A RIVER!). In the midst of the fantasy of beauty, Doyle accents it all with humor and a dash of shade toward the University of Oregon. I should add here that this book is published by Oregon State University Press.
This novel should be required for everyone who lives, has lived, or has even visited the state of Oregon. And, if you don't follow into any of those categories, you will once you've finished this masterpiece.
I'm not even sure I can describe this book. I mean, what genre is it? Well, there are a fair number of magical realism elements, so maybe fantasy? However, I would also argue that this takes place in at a very specific time in Oregon, so historical fiction? The language is so gorgeous you could also call it poetic prose. Yes to all of these.
We follow a fictional, but very realistic town, on the Oregon Coast (I pictured Nehalem, Oregon in my mind while reading). Given various text clues, I believe that this takes place in the early 80s, which was a time when the traditional coastal industries of logging and fishing were on the downturn, but tourism was still limited to just a few larger communities. We meet various townsfolk and follow them through a summer and fall while they all face their own challenges.
This is not a plot-driven book. Instead, we join this community and experience life through the characters. Oh, and what characters we have! We meet a fair number of people (and a crow) and follow them all as their lives intersect, but this never feels like we are overburdened with points of view. Every character is a voice, and this book is a perfectly tuned choir.
The prose is the most perfect I've ever read. Each word has a purpose, and the pace of the book ebbs and flows (and I hate to admit that it took me as long as it did to realize that the prose is paced LIKE A RIVER!). In the midst of the fantasy of beauty, Doyle accents it all with humor and a dash of shade toward the University of Oregon. I should add here that this book is published by Oregon State University Press.
This novel should be required for everyone who lives, has lived, or has even visited the state of Oregon. And, if you don't follow into any of those categories, you will once you've finished this masterpiece.
spiderfelt's review
5.0
This quirky coastal community where nothing bigger than everyday life happens, but that is plenty to fill a book. The author’s style includes lists and lists of things a character might have seen, or overlooked or missed doing. This did nothing to move the story along, but allowed the reader to see into the character’s world. Ultimately, what charmed me was the author’s word play.
babsellen's review
5.0
Beautiful read. More like a long poem in prose form, lists of thoughts. An ode to humans and the natural world - one and the same. I love how they fit together. You get very much a sense of place - the Oregon coast with all its flora and fauna lovingly woven into heartfelt stories. Irish immigrants and the People together. I'll miss it.