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humanblight's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I am a Proulx obsessive, but I always have problems with the later writing of authors. Too polished, too certain, there’s just not enough dirt.
There were a couple of plots in here that I loved, and her ability to conjure a world that’s tainted/enriched by history is still there, I just could not stomach those devil stories (I cringed, I think).
There were a couple of plots in here that I loved, and her ability to conjure a world that’s tainted/enriched by history is still there, I just could not stomach those devil stories (I cringed, I think).
jbarr5's review against another edition
3.0
fine just the way it is book 3 of wyoming stories by annie proulx
harsh rural life in wyoming
jbarr5's review
4.0
fine just the way it is book 3 of wyoming stories by annie proulx
harsh rural life in wyoming, the nature and background of who settled there first was good. the nature really enthralled me to keep reading, such beautiful things in life.
harsh rural life in wyoming, the nature and background of who settled there first was good. the nature really enthralled me to keep reading, such beautiful things in life.
jdintr's review
3.0
I've been to Wyoming. Once. It was late spring. I crossed the northern part of the state from the Black Hills to Yellowstone, then climbed down the spine of the Tetons to Colorado. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen: lush and green, bursting with wildlife, hot springs, and geysers. The worst thing I can say about Wyoming is that I've never been back...
...save through the writing of Annie Proulx. She's been to Wyoming, too, and she's been there a long time. And her time in Wyoming wasn't just a verdant two weeks in spring. And her writing captures with stark realism a Wyoming that isn't just smiling hotel clerks, and dude-ranch cowboys. And yet there is real beauty hidden throughout this book--beauty that one finds in no other American place.
For example, the spectacular scenery of Catlin's hike in "Testimony of the Donkey": hidden lakes, decades-old signatures on the rocks, a splendid scene, all for one dangerous element. I loved the fairy-tale feel of "The Sagebrush Kid" and the interweaving of various histories of the West into the tales.
I completely skipped the two stories about the Devil, though. And while Proulx's prose is often praised, I tried to read "The Sagebrush Kid" out loud to my wife, and found myself tongue tied and stammering.
Still, the book is a pleasant return to a wonderfully beautiful, haunted place: Wyoming.
...save through the writing of Annie Proulx. She's been to Wyoming, too, and she's been there a long time. And her time in Wyoming wasn't just a verdant two weeks in spring. And her writing captures with stark realism a Wyoming that isn't just smiling hotel clerks, and dude-ranch cowboys. And yet there is real beauty hidden throughout this book--beauty that one finds in no other American place.
For example, the spectacular scenery of Catlin's hike in "Testimony of the Donkey": hidden lakes, decades-old signatures on the rocks, a splendid scene, all for one dangerous element. I loved the fairy-tale feel of "The Sagebrush Kid" and the interweaving of various histories of the West into the tales.
I completely skipped the two stories about the Devil, though. And while Proulx's prose is often praised, I tried to read "The Sagebrush Kid" out loud to my wife, and found myself tongue tied and stammering.
Still, the book is a pleasant return to a wonderfully beautiful, haunted place: Wyoming.
pddkny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
farmpaws's review
4.5
Great as always. I think this is my favourite volume of Prolux’s short stories. If you are looking for a place to start with her works, this is it. Some sad, some strange, all good.
ldv's review against another edition
2.0
Sorry to say I didn't finish this one. I'm sure the stories are good, but the reader on the CD is so soft and quiet and monotone that I found myself tuning out more than usual -- as in, all the time. Not the kind of stories or voice you look for in selecting a book to listen to while driving. Wyoming just doesn't hold appeal for me, I guess.
fendeviper's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
gorecki's review against another edition
4.0
Thinking of my reading habits, I realise I don't really read a lot of short stories. I do occasionally, but usually by authors I love who also write novels and whose oeuvre I'd like to read from start to finish. One of the reasons I'm not generally a fan of short stories is that I rarely find a mix of plot and character study that speaks to me. In my experience they usually tend to be one or the other and most often leave me feeling a little bit lost and missing something. I don't seem to get the feeling of satisfaction so many others feel after reading collections by celebrated short story masters.
It's not like that with Annie Proulx, though. Her short stories have that mix of plot and character that speaks to me. It gives me a firm ground to step on when the story opens and space to look around and get acquainted with her characters, their circumstances and why things happen if they do and not if they don't. I love her sense of atmosphere, both physical in the harsh Wyoming wilderness and emotional in the broken or lonely or confused internal worlds of her characters. I've never been to Wyoming, never been to the States, in fact, but if there's one thing that I have consistently learned from every Annie Proulx story set there is that you need to treat Wyoming carefully and with respect. Too cocky and it will break you. Not sure in yourself enough and you're doomed. But generally, it's just fine the way it is.
It's not like that with Annie Proulx, though. Her short stories have that mix of plot and character that speaks to me. It gives me a firm ground to step on when the story opens and space to look around and get acquainted with her characters, their circumstances and why things happen if they do and not if they don't. I love her sense of atmosphere, both physical in the harsh Wyoming wilderness and emotional in the broken or lonely or confused internal worlds of her characters. I've never been to Wyoming, never been to the States, in fact, but if there's one thing that I have consistently learned from every Annie Proulx story set there is that you need to treat Wyoming carefully and with respect. Too cocky and it will break you. Not sure in yourself enough and you're doomed. But generally, it's just fine the way it is.