The Shipping News

I honestly don't understand how or why this book has won so many awards, including a Pulitzer. The language is interesting, and the descriptions of Newfoundland vivid, but the story and the characters simply do not engage in any way! I have pushed myself to get through the book since the first pages; now, I am at page 314, and it is still utterly and completely boring. I also do not understand...more

I honestly don't understand how or why this book has won so many awards, including a Pulitzer. The language is interesting, and the descriptions of Newfoundland vivid, but the story and the characters simply do not engage in any way! I have pushed myself to get through the book since the first pages; now, I am at page 314, and it is still utterly and completely boring. I also do not understand how some classify it as a comedy; I would rather say that it is a drama, with a fairly melancholic undertone. The main character, Quoyle, a miserable man with a miserable life, does go through some sort of positive development and self-discovery after his arrival in Newfoundland, but to be honest, the write does not manage to make me care for him, his life or his children...   hide

I don't care for her writing style at all.

The shipping news reads like, well, the news. It took me a little while to get used to the choppy sentences, and the fact that the main character tended to summarize his life in headlines was a bit quirky. But the overall themes of the book definitely made it worthwhile. That great passion is unnecesary for happiness, or that happiness can equal contentment, has long been one of my tenets.

This novel demands a lot of the reader but gives back abundantly at its completion. Very few modern novelists have Proulx's ear for language and eye for detail. (Fair warning: You may never look at seafood the same way after some portions of this are read.) A book that I enormously enjoy teaching.

I detested this book, it was so boring, and the depiction of Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders was insulting. Oh, and Squid Burgers, WTF!? The only time I've had squid it was called calamari and was accompanied by tzatziki sauce. Please don't expect to go to Newfoundland and find a squid burger, unless you like being laughed at of course, then by all means. Jack Buggit waking up at his own...more

I detested this book, it was so boring, and the depiction of Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders was insulting. Oh, and Squid Burgers, WTF!? The only time I've had squid it was called calamari and was accompanied by tzatziki sauce. Please don't expect to go to Newfoundland and find a squid burger, unless you like being laughed at of course, then by all means. Jack Buggit waking up at his own funeral was also ridiculous. We have doctors and funeral directors. Someone would notice the man had a pulse and his body was still warm, the book takes place in the 80's not the dark ages. The worst thing about this book is that people who have never been nor even heard of or know where Newfoundland is will think that's the way life is there.   hide

I know, I know. It won the Pulitzer, so how can I give it only three stars? The truth is, I can't get into it. Proulx has a great narrative style, a distinct, inventive voice that I haven't heard before. Quoyle is a sympathetic character—I think. The problem is, I'm 150 or so pages in, and I can't seem to get into it. I don't know what's the matter with me. Maybe...more

I know, I know. It won the Pulitzer, so how can I give it only three stars? The truth is, I can't get into it. Proulx has a great narrative style, a distinct, inventive voice that I haven't heard before. Quoyle is a sympathetic character—I think. The problem is, I'm 150 or so pages in, and I can't seem to get into it. I don't know what's the matter with me. Maybe I'll start it over again.   hide

When I began reading this, I had trouble getting into it, between her staccatto style and vividly overcolored imagery. But the story began to develop, and it had motion, and I read, not knowing where it would take me, but soon the prose began to feel more familiar than strange. Despite the characters being so fascinatingly different from me, there was still something similar within us, this...more

When I began reading this, I had trouble getting into it, between her staccatto style and vividly overcolored imagery. But the story began to develop, and it had motion, and I read, not knowing where it would take me, but soon the prose began to feel more familiar than strange. Despite the characters being so fascinatingly different from me, there was still something similar within us, this struggle to recognize and grasp love. By the time I finished, I considered myself fortunate for having been given the gift of her writing to read. Definitely recommended.   hide

One of the most poignant yet funny books I have read

I remember this book from university. Very thought provoking. You should try Anne Marie McDonald's 'fall on your knees' explosive writing.