SHIPPING NEWS

Rating:
Summary: Stylish writing - ordinary story
Review: The Shipping News is a novel that captures attention with its unique style of writing. Proulx demonstrates her ability to bring life to otherwise ordinary sorroundings by her use of description. Killick-Claw becomes a place in Proulx's hands that evokes a brilliant sea-scape filled with peculiar and indiginous inhabitants with their own way of life. However, the early promise of the awakening of Quoyle to the joys of life are not fulfilled. This becomes the inherent problem for me. Perhaps I expected too much of a metamorphosis from Quoyle, from no self-esteem and no drive to someone who learns to appreciate life and his place in it. However, this is not what happens. The change in Quoyle is slight, and while he gains contentment in his new life, it left me with no sense of joy in this. There is no major point that gripped me and left me wanting to read more. In fact, it was a struggle to finish this book. Still, this is my view, and perhaps I simply enjoy more complex and outrageous characters, as opposed to the absolute normality of Quoyle. I could not identify with his predicament, thus could not delve within his psyche and inturn immerse myself within his story. Proulx probably intended this, however; a story with simple parameters has its place. I found it very hard to enjoy. Excellent writing still, and of this there is no doubt. Worth reading simply for the pleasure of prose.

Rating:
Summary: This book was very annoying
Review: At a time when I'm trying to teach youngsters how to write complete English sentences, this book frightens me. Some student may find it, come to me and say, "Look this woman writes in sentence fragments, and she won the Pulitzer Prize." Her prose is as choppy as the Newfoundland surf must be, with an archaic word thrown in occasionally, for which you will need the unabridged. The characters are all stupid twits and never improve, and the locale comes across like a pile of rusty cars.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Reading Experience
Review: Proulx used larger than life images of the weather, the landscape, people, and a house to tip us out of our comfort zone and right into a tremendous story. Incredible. Two other books do this with true stories - one is a bit hard to find, it is called "GREAT HEART: The True Story of a Laborador Exploration" and the other is "The Perfect Storm". Situations where people simply have to grow to survive. I loved The Shipping News.

Rating:
Summary: very well written, couldn't put the book down. vg read.
Review: an ordinary yet not ordinary story. contemporary. she has a sense of humor that pops up when you least expect it. first few chapters are slow but then you can't put it down. takes you on a wonderful trip about a contemporary family. one of the very few books that i have enjoyed this year. she writes very well. I recommend it for your book club. it will provide wonderful conversation for all members.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: Proulx perfectly captures a mood I can only describe by asking you to imagine a downward slope. The book as a whole, as well as every sentence, paragraph, and chapter, replicates this shape. As a result, The Shipping News is breathtaking and deep from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping, evocative and memorable
Review: The Shipping News is at times funny, disturbing and sad, but always memorable. In a world filled with desolation there's always hope. It's the hope that rings favorably in this book and the wonderfully crafted marine lifestyles.

Rating:
Summary: For pure enjoyment, Shipping News is a great read.
Review: The story, the ugly duckling who becomes a beautiful swan in the right context, is a familiar and heart warming one. The view of Newfoundland is hilarious, but Killick Claw is typical of any provincial area that has had some isolation from the urban mainstream. But all of this has been done well before. What is outstanding about this book is the prose. Proulx shoots out a staccato style of simple sentences, sentence fragments, synonym on synonym, metaphor piled on metaphor, leaving out many of the connectors, function words and subordinating clauses that we are used to directing our reaction to the material. As a result, the reader must be constantly alert (no down time), and do the work of supplying the missing words and making the connections himself. The style is reminiscent of both John Donne and Hemingway, for different reasons.

Rating:
Summary: Diasappointing-especially after all the hype it receieved.
Review: After hearing so much hype about how great this book was, I couldn't wait to start reading it. And as soon as I did, I couldn't wait to stop. There is no doubt that the writing is excellent, but the content of the book left something to be desired. Try as I might, I could not force myself to become interested in this story, or these characters. Apparently, many people did not feel this way, and therefore I kept trying to discover what it was that everyone found so enjoyable. But after 120 pages, I finally gave up and put the book down.

Rating:
Summary: May this stay intact as a novel
Review: I took myself away one weekend to a loft-like bed and breakfast on the coast of northern California, Tomales Bay, overlooking the Pacific. It was just me and the cows and pouring rain. I read The Shipping News from my window seat. This was almost three years ago, and I can still feel the way that book made me feel. Proulx creates the most palpable atmosphere I ever remember in a novel. Goddess forbid a movie is ever made from it. This is fiction that defines the art form.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I am truly surprised by many of the negative reviews of The Shipping News. I thought it was a beautiful story filled with quirky characters and extraordinary events that made me laugh and cry out loud. I don't think it was difficult to read at all- and I can't believe how many people couldn't get through it! Anyway- Annie Proulx is an extremely talented writer and I have read everything she has written so far. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!