Rating: 
Summary: A life so calamitous you can't look away!
Review: Recounting the life of Quoyle,a pathetic character made even more so by decisions made to add some semblance of caring to his brutally empty life, Proulx drives you through a heart-wrenching saga, delivering you from the endless winter of Newfoundland with a greater respect for the undulating troughs and crests of life and the sea. Elegantly worded paragraphs rattle the bones with the chilling cold of Newfoundland and of human experience, and then nurture a faint spark into a cozy fire, easing the chill and gently stoking life's passion.
Rating:
Summary: Quirky and Touching
Review: I loved reading this story of Quoyle and his eventual life turnaround in Newfoundland. The strange and quirky friends, relatives, and coworkers whom he encounters enrich the very simple plot and leave you feeling as if you've taken a little piece of a different culture and lived in it for a time. And you can't help but wish for good things to come to the mistreated Quoyle. Very enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Good
Review: I should start by telling you that I read this book for a class, and not because I wanted to, which may have affected my opinion of it.About two years ago, I rediscovered books. For a long time, I had stopped enjoying reading because I was only exposed to books that teachers exposed me to, and I did not share the same interests as my teachers. When the Modern Library released their list of 100 books of last century, though, I figured some of them must be all right, or else they would not have made such a list. "Catch-22" and "Slaughterhouse-5" brought me back into the world of books, and I made it my goal to read all 100 books (I stopped after reading about 30). I heard about a class at my high school later on that year (now I am in college), around registration time, that was all about reading good books and discussing them. Having just discovered the pleasures of great books and wanting to tell people about them, I took this class. Our first book was E. Annie Proulx's "The Shipping News". I started this book with great excitement. If the book was good enough for our class, it had to be amazing, I thought. It had beaten out "Portnoy's Complaint" and "Mr. Sammler's Planet" for attention of our student body, so it must have been super. I was wrong. "The Shipping News" begins decently. Someone dies, our hero is alienated, and the action goes to Newfoundland. I should have guessed that nothing happens at all after that. What happens in Newfoundland in the real world? Nothing. After we read this worthless book, we read "Cold Mountain", another book I recommend skipping. After this class, I was turned off to literature completely. Thank God during our independent projects for the end of the year, someone showed me Philip Roth's "American Pastoral", proving that good literature is still being written today. How fitting, though, that today's good literature comes from the old masters.
Rating:
Summary: A new brand of "Americana"
Review: Occasionally I find a book which is "complete" -- character, theme, writing style, imagery, mood, different strands of story -- all become interwoven (or remain appropriately separated!) to a satisfying end. The story moves along at a clip and, having been told that Proulx is a good short story writer I fancied her short story style was nicely evident throughout. The mood and scenes in the book match my experience of the physical settings. The story line is good.
Rating: 
Summary: "Love without pain or misery"
Review: We could all find pieces of ourselves in this book. Lifes' journey is not easy. It's about discovery. It's about loving oneself. Simply, a nice, warm story. Cheer the underdog. Good things happen to good people....... Eventually P.S. Have dictionary handy!
Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: I can't believe anyone would find this book boring. There is so much happening in this story, if you take the time to carefully read it. So much in the way of symbolism, with the knots, and the character's names! Ms. Proulx' style is original, and her descriptions really take you there. I could picture in my mind the villages, the sea, the people, everything. I could smell the salt air, feel the cold and the damp, the wind and the water. Almost like taking a trip! Quoyle was a sad creature, but he learned to overcome his real and imagined hardships, and to appreciate what life offered him. I kept rooting for him to get over it, to start allowing himself to live, and finally he did. A great book, one I would highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece, the life of the very ordinary!
Review: I found the first 70 pages or so very tough going. I am not sure at what point, I became totally gripped by this book. I so thoroughly enjoyed it after that and plan to read it again soon. Annie Proulx build up and development of the main characters is remarkable. They jump out of the pages and speak to you. The details of everyday life in this frozen corner of the world, the chatter in the offices of the shipping news and life of an unusual family emigrating to an unlikely destination; all come across so vivid and live. No doubt this is Annie Proulx best book to date
Rating:
Summary: More in sorrow than in anger...
Review: Yawn, yawn, yawn! We tried to like it but the relentless quirkiness, the puddle-deep characterization, and the too-good-to-be-true protagonist finally defeated us. It's like Forrest Gump for snobs.
Rating:
Summary: worth reading
Review: Ms. Proulx's style takes some getting used to -- her writing is episodic, with abrupt changes of subject, and she doesn't seem terribly interested in the psychology of her characters. However, as you read on, you find that she expresses her characters' natures through their actions. The story is absorbing even though it is set in a cold, isolated place where everyone seems interested mainly in shipping and knots. The characters are among the quirkiest you'll encounter. Like Postcards, which I actually liked a little better, The Shipping News has some sharply delineated images which will linger in your mind for a while.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, wonderful story
Review: I love this book! I just reread it and I enjoyed it as much as the first time.
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