SHIPPING NEWS

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfull development of characters.
Review: I have read this book in 2 or 3 times (german edition). The growth of Quoyle, his initiation to his new environment, the growth of his consciousness are fascinating but realistic. One of the best books I'have read 1996.

Rating:
Summary: But in the end, do I really care?
Review: The story was quite charming at times, and I was seduced more than once by certain events in the novel to plow through, but in the end I found the story unconvincing and the characters not well developed. The novel's version of Newfoundland just sucked the life out of them, I guess.

Rating:
Summary: Read it and laugh out loud.
Review: This book made me laugh, cry, and wonder what becomes of the characters afterwards. I particularly enjoyed the daughter with second sight and a Beethoven scowl. The aunt who tipped the ashes of her dead brother down the outhouse hole is the subtle heroine of the story. She is the cause of the effect. Some readers may find this book impossibly bleak. I found it marvelously fresh and true. As in real life, tragedy and comedy can occur simultaneously. I'm looking forward to the movie, John Travolta will be perfect!

Rating:
Summary: Comments from Newfoundland
Review: I enjoyed this book, but it stereotyped Newfoundland in the time setting, and I hope people do not take this description to apply to NF in general. John Travolta as Quoyle? They will begin filming of a movie version in the fall, in my hometown of Springdale, NF, where I was raised, and frankly, I don't see it. Springdale never was a fishing community...but then again, they can make anything look the way they want in the movies.

Rating:
Summary: It's becomes worthwild reading it when you reach the end!
Review: A difficult book to read. Reading as a Year 12 VCE (Victoria, Australia) student I found I wasn't imersed in it as I was reading it out of work and not out of pleasure. An excellent book to read if you have visited Newfoundland or are considering going their. The book is full of mystery and excitement, love and tradegy. Read the first 100 pages before you turn it down. The first 40 are back ground which build a base for the book later. A good novel overall.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it.
Review: This book ranks among my recent favorites but I have recommended it to friends who didn't share my enthusiasm. I'm saving it for myself to read again in a year or so.

Rating:
Summary: Crazy at first, uplifting in the end
Review: This book is full of crazy twists and turns, but in the end the hapless protagonist finds happiness and belongingness in his ancestral home of Newfoundland. One of those books that reads like poetry but keeps you smiling and turning the pages. I didn't find the book the least bit hard to read, unlike some of the other reviewers. It was one of the best books I have read in recent years.

Rating:
Summary: Derivative and overpraised
Review: Proulx novel is in the tradition of those contemporary American novelists who cannot disgengage their voices from the previous generation of more distinguished storytellers. It displays a somewhat lively imagination, but one in which scenes and characters are drawn through the lens of so many novels before it. The characterizations are affected and mannered, and the narrative itself never manages to break out of its studied grooves. Although the novel attempts moments of poetic intensity, and occasionally manages to acheive a vision of the natural world, such moments stand to the side of the bulk of the novel.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely a great read!
Review: I loved this book for the prose and the story. It would have rated a 10, but for 2 incidents that were too far out there to even be included in the plot (you'll know which ones when you read them). I was captivated from the opening page through to the end.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect combination of repulsive and enchanting.
Review: At first, Quoyle's lack of any shred of confidence challenges the reader to continue flipping the pages of the first few chapters, but as the character develops, so does the charm of this book. It's dark humor and curious topics make this book oddly funny and entertaining. Through the oddities that Newfoundland adds to the story, the land is depicted as somewhat exotic and transforming. The setting, characters and (although seemingly dry) plot make this one of my favorite books. I encourage those who put the book down at first to pick it up and allow themselves to be wound into this book's net of fastination and uplifting spirit.