A review by lucysbookpage
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann

5.0

You'd think this book would be pretentious - one sentence long book broken up by a second narrative from the POV of a mountain lion? Come on. I couldn't stop thinking about this book after reading about it so starting memorial day weekend I tried to read at least 10 pages a day/50 a week. It took me almost 3 months to the day to finish. Other reviews are right that the book shakes itself out into a well-rounded story that was honestly gripping. There were times I could barely get through the ten pages I told myself I'd read and times when I couldn't put it down. I laughed, I cried (seriously). The ending is incredible. It is amazing what Ellman has done with form in this novel. I think you start out the novel thinking WHY 1,000 pages of the internal monologue of a housewife in Ohio? But why not? Why is her story any less important than Stephen Dedalus/those people playing tennis in Infinite Jest (lol)? Anyway it was good, highly recommend