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rachelhelps's review against another edition
3.0
Reading these western-american short stories made me realize how different a rural lifestyle could be (Proulx wrote the short story that inspired "Brokeback Mountain," in case you were wondering who she is). Some cool magical realism (or "hyperrealism" if you are a snooty), and a few unpredictable female characters. Proulx can overdo the imagery but is usually tasteful.
fendeviper's review against another edition
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nancyinoregon's review against another edition
3.0
I read the first book in this series a few years ago and remember awesome gritty characters making their way through tough lives, neither romanticized nor belittled and the writing was breathtaking. That's my memory of it, anyway. ln this book the stories are dark, the characters seem either malicious or stupid, and the writing didn't knock me over as in the first book. The narrator exaggerated the voices of the characters, which probably helped turn them into caricatures instead of real people.
brittanynhicks8's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ronanmcd's review against another edition
5.0
The scope and scale of these tenuously linked shirt stories confounds expectation. Normally you expect a short story to ponder in minute detail, these Kay waste to swathes of land and incriminate whole sections of public service departments. There is a wistful delicate humour to them, based entirely on the remoteness of their rural settings.
I loved them. Quietly simmering stories about what it means to be human in a wide open country.
A special mention should be made of the Dickensian chuzzlewitesque conjoined names the characters are not given but positively adorned with. Creel Zmundzinski and his fellows should be proud of their naming
I loved them. Quietly simmering stories about what it means to be human in a wide open country.
A special mention should be made of the Dickensian chuzzlewitesque conjoined names the characters are not given but positively adorned with. Creel Zmundzinski and his fellows should be proud of their naming
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
Another solid collection with only one or two misses... better than the first Wyoming Stories.
eliserjg's review against another edition
dark
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A few shining gems in this. The wolf story, the kettle story, and the final one especially. Didn’t like it as much as shipping news but man does Proulx know how to set a scene