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A review by elliecarr97
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
4.5
Ducks, Newburyport is an inner monologue of an Ohio housewife. From pies to gun violence, this is in depth and detailed narrative of one person’s anxieties, memories, and life.
This book is LONG - 1001 pages to be exact. I did cheat somewhat by listening to it on audible, although this was over 46 hours, much longer than it would have taken me to read it. There are few breaks in text, as well as lots of listing. If you read the book from start to finish and did a shot every time she says “the fact that”, you’d probably get alcohol poisoning.
Being inside this characters mind really makes you feel as if you know her. Ellmann uses a character who seems to be overlooked by most to comment on topics such as gun violence, racism, and climate change. I feel like I know the protagonist so well, and although the assumed audience is actually herself, since we witness her inner thoughts, it feels as if there is a relationship between her and the reader.
I would recommend this tentatively, because although I enjoyed it and think it’s a unique and excellent piece of literature, it is lengthy and some readers have called it tedious. The stream of consciousness style for this length of narrative is a huge achievement by Ellmann regardless.
This book is LONG - 1001 pages to be exact. I did cheat somewhat by listening to it on audible, although this was over 46 hours, much longer than it would have taken me to read it. There are few breaks in text, as well as lots of listing. If you read the book from start to finish and did a shot every time she says “the fact that”, you’d probably get alcohol poisoning.
Being inside this characters mind really makes you feel as if you know her. Ellmann uses a character who seems to be overlooked by most to comment on topics such as gun violence, racism, and climate change. I feel like I know the protagonist so well, and although the assumed audience is actually herself, since we witness her inner thoughts, it feels as if there is a relationship between her and the reader.
I would recommend this tentatively, because although I enjoyed it and think it’s a unique and excellent piece of literature, it is lengthy and some readers have called it tedious. The stream of consciousness style for this length of narrative is a huge achievement by Ellmann regardless.