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Summary: Inane and insipid simile after simile
Review: This novel is nothing more than cheap gimmickry to the point of sheer nonsense - I could not finish this novel, and I was laughing at how bad it was. I can only speculate this appeals to poets and, in fairness to the author, I do not respond to poetry. If you are looking for great prose in the tradition of Tolstoy, James, or Proust, you will not find it here. This has convinced me never again to buy a book only on the basis that it won the Pulitzer Prize.
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Summary: Felt like home to me
Review: I was initially attracted to this title out of curiosity. I, myself had lived in Newfoundland for several years when I was a teenager. My curiosity was not only piqued by the concept and the plot but by my wondering if Proulx would get the "feel" of the area correct. She nailed it. Right down to the weird names of people and places if you can believe it. With "Hearts Content" and "Dildo" to contend with as examples of existing names she has done herself proud. The absurdity and brilliance of some of the supporting characters reminded me of the contradictions of the land that is Newfoundland. These are people from the sea and from the very soil. They are 19th century citizens in many cases hanging out in a 21st century world. The culture born and influenced by decades of unemployment, political betrayal and a loss of a traditional life is well documented and is in itself one of the main characters of this work. This book for me does not beg the truth it describes it. Newfoundlanders can be infuriatingly yet beautiful and they are to a person, unique.I am humbled by the talent that chose the prose stylings. The hesitant nature of the telling, compelled by short, stark sentences at times had me holding my breath. Woven in were phrases of such honesty and insight I still cannot read them out loud without emotion. "For Quoyle was a failure at lonliness and longed to be gregarious and to know his company was a pleasure to others." Quoyle did not know this , he could not express it, he could only live it, his very behavior shouted it out. These are only things that I have seen and felt upon reading. Perhaps it is the place in my life I find myself that has caused this book to move me so. Regardless as I have said this book does not beg the truth. It tells the story of one man, his lonliness, his family and his dreams. I thank Annie Proulx for bringing it to us in such a respectful manner, true to the nature of man and the place we displaced "Newfies" long to call home, once again.
Rating: 
Summary: Let's Relook Ourselves in the Mirror
Review: Proulx's novel on people and life in Newfoundland has one of the best developed characters in all of fiction. Quoyle, "blessed" with a strange name, bad physical appearance and low self-esteem finds happiness and ultimately, learns to appreciate and be at peace with himself. A moving novel, Proulx charts the passage of a man who who overcomes a bad family history and nasty experiences with relationships, growing into someone more confident and able to see elements he was blind to (or made blind to) in the past. The whole idea of home as tied to a person is explored and Quoyle's journey back to his ancestral home and town is a confrontation of the unpleasantness of the past and a courage to deal with these ghosts. Quoyle's love for his children and his relationship with a woman in the small town (I forget her name) is nicely written and we get the idea that though Quoyle is portrayed as someone who is ordinary and simple, he is special in his own way. One of my favourite scenes in the book is when he dresses infront of the mirror after a bath and learns to look at himself in a different way, realising that the physical qualities he previously deemed as negative are positive when seen in another light. Proulx's novel teaches us about surface and inner beauty, about perception, how there're two sides to every coin. She teaches us to appreciate our "ordinariness" and find the unique in it. In doing so, we are made to relook at the people and things around us and learn to appreciate what we have overlooked previously. Her portrayal of the life and activities of Newfoundland is also an interesting insight into a region which seems pure and untouched. Honest, simple and unsentimental, Proulx's novel is a wonderful peice of literature and will stay with readers for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Original and Moving
Review: If you can deal with the unusual style and simple subject matter, this book may prove to be one of the most moving you have read.
Rating:
Summary: Preposterously bad
Review: Always remember, there have been times when such writers as Sir Walter Scott were universally "admired," or Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Proulx may have seen her day in the sun. This month's "Atlantic Monthly" contains a marvellous "Reader's Manifesto" which takes aim against the overwhelming pretentiousness of modern American writing, and the first name on the list is Proulx.
Rating: 
Summary: I thought it was OK, eh?
Review: Several reviewers have lamented the rather choppy, fragmented style...well, I found the word economy to be rather refreshing. The author's choice of words is very vivid and certainly does the trick in creating visual imagery...so what if the words are not arranged like English 101? The characters were likable and mostly well-drawn, if a bit caricaturic and overly simple. I agree that plot is a tad lacking, but to me, the point of the book is Quoyle...watching him unfold and gain confidence as he finally realizes some successes and happiness in his life among the locals. I truly did grow to like this character. Funny, though, that he was so quickly accepted by the folks of the town, given the ominous family history and the usual suspicion of "outsiders" in a small town, especially someone from the wild and lawless USA (a few potshots taken at America in this book, folks...all in fun I suppose?!). While we're on the topic, I thought the absurd names assigned to people and places were kind of unneccesary and lent an unwelcome air of "attitude" on the part of the author, almost as if she were poking fun at her subject(s). My main objection to the book was the story lines which were trotted out but not satisfactorily resolved or explained. For example, the elder child's oddness, nightmares and visions are described but not explored. And what of the butchered sailor found by Quoyle...a completely pointless exposition. There is much made of the Quoyle family "skeletons in the closet" but again, the topic is introduced, then made to seem insignificant in the face of Quoyle's metamorphosis. The crazy, stalking relative story line sort of fizzles out. The ending was rather unsatisfying...it almost feels like the author had to meet a deadline or something and just dashed off a few pages to end the book. It was probably meant to be a surprise ending, but did not draw on the rest of the book and did not pull together any of the dangling loose ends. On balance, I enjoyed the book but am not certain that I would read another of this author's works.
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Summary: Few words, beautiful sentences, compelling story
Review: read the back. read the description. and in truth it doesn't seem like it'd be all that great of a story, let alone a book. But it is. With few words, but sentences that jump off the page, Proulx brings us into a world of simple lives, as ordinary as the everyday. I don't want to give away any of the story--the book jacket tells enough. But you find yourself turning the pages, wondering what will happen. You find that Quoyle is perhaps the hero you've been waiting for in a book--one that doesn't come charging into the novel, but who slowly starts to weave around your heart, and by the end of the book he's changed, you're changed and you're sad that it's over.
Rating:
Summary: I got pleasantly lost in this book...
Review: It has been a while since I read this book, but I remember thoroughly enjoying it -- so much so, that I loaned it to one of my best friends, who is also enjoying reading it. It tells the story of a widower who moves his family back to his homeland, and creatively reminds us how our lives are all intertwined and how we all support one another. If you are looking for a fantastic story to lose yourself in, you will love this book. Plus, it gives you a pleasant/fictional introduction to Newfoundland
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Summary: Country Gal gone Big City Loves this Book!
Review: Whenever I think about this book I can not help but smile. I have read it no less than five times and every time I read it, I feel like I've taken a voyeur's "vacation" to Newfoundland! As one reviewer wrote, the characters are "unsophisticated" and "unintelligent" but that is their charm! Having grown up in a very rural town in Northern Minnesota and then having moved to an extremely large city - I find it refreshing to be brought back to my simpler life and get re-acquainted with people that aren't complicated and self-involved by the "Rat Race". Since reading the book, I have given it out as a present probably no less than 30 times. Every person I have given it to has really enjoyed the writing and the uniqueness of the story-telling. I would love to see a Shipping News Part II or some type of revisitation!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Inexplicably successful
Review: The Shipping News, while written with unusual adjectives (I have never understood why this is considered to be demonstrative of excellent writing), is a mistaken and insulting book. Proulx's descriptions of upstate New York seem accurate enough, but once the story shifts to Newfoundland, she describes Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders in a wooden, stereotypical fashion. As a native Newfoundlander, I was unsurprised but disappointed to read her descriptions of Newfoundlanders as salty but stupid, quirky and fanciful but completely unsophisticated and unintelligent. Such prejudices have plagued Newfoundlanders for centuries, and rewarding such twaddle with the Pulitzer Prize will ensure their continuation. The characters are flat and one-dimensional for the most part, and, aside from Quoyle, an American, show no development throughout the book. While Proulx uses traditional Newfoundland words in her dialogue, it does not capture the eloquence of the way Newfoundlanders really use the language. Moreover, while an inhospitable place, Newfoundland is not the icy wasteland of Proulx's descriptions. Its stark beauty is best compared to that of rural Sweden or Norway, and the quality of the light is similar. In short, while the story is somewhat interesting, the book describes neither Newfoundland nor Newfoundlanders accurately, and should not be rewarded simply because its language is spare and its setting is somewhat unusual.
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