Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Arr - A Fine Book, Jan 23 2007
First published in 1993, "The Shipping News" is Anne Proulx's second novel. It went on to win a list of prizes, including the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Quoyle isn't exactly the typical hero : although a good, kind-hearted man, he has little faith in himself and his self-confidence is non-existent. Physically, he's a large, red-haired man, with pale eyes, an over-sized chin and no neck. He has little in common with his family : his father is a genuinely obnoxious, self-obsessed bully with no obvious redeeming qualities while his brother is a self-centred, poisonous rat. After stumbling from one trade to another, Quoyle more or less settles on journalism as a career - starting out with the Mockingburg Reporter. He later meets and marries Petal Bear. (Despite his somewhat unorthodox appearance, Quoyle is as prodigious downstairs as he is in the chin department). Initially, things go well : their first month together is genuinely happy, but the following six years bring Quoyle two daughters and plenty of misery. Although Petal has a great interest in sex, she tends to pursue that interest with people who aren't her husband...
Things change dramatically for Quoyle in his mid-thirties. Following the death of his parents in a suicide pact, he meets an aged aunt (Agnis Hamm) for the first time. Although unable to attend the funeral, she arranges to come down and collect his father's ashes. However, by the time she arrives, Quoyle is also a widower : Petal dies in a car accident that also takes the life of one of her many boyfriends. Shortly before running off, Petal had also sold their daughters to a very dodgy photographer for $[...]...fortunately, the police managed to arrive at the photographer's apartment before anything to questionable had happened. Having lost his job - leaving nothing for him in Mockingburg - Aunt Agnis suggests moving to the ancestral Quoyle homestead in Newfoundland. Quoyle, Agnis and the two daughters set off for Quoyle point and, although in need of some repair, the old house is still standing. There's also the promise of a new job : writing the shipping news for the Gammy Bird, the newspaper based in the neighbouring town.
This is a book I'd put off reading for a while. Having won, among other prizes, the Pulitzer I was expecting a `challenging' book without a great deal of humour. I couldn't have been more wrong : the book is very easily read and - while it isn't always cheerful - there is plenty of humour in it. Aunt Agnis is a great character - I was particularly impressed how she dealt with her brother's ashes ! Quoyle has a slight tendency to think in headlines, especially when he feels he's somehow said or done something wrong. Highly recommended.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
You either love it or you don't, Jun 26 2004
I loved this book. The prose reflected the subject being described. When the setting is being described, it's beautiful, flowing, free. When you start getting into the characters, you find that the dialogue and description are less flowing, and this fits the awkward, dysfunctional qualities that each of the characters had. The triumph is that despite their rather sizeable quirks, there's still hope, joy and incredible bravery in the end. I felt like I was drawn into another place amongst people who, while a bit weird, were all the more real. I was not just caught up in the main character's woes, but into the day to day life of the rest of the inhabitants. I highly recommend this book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult at first, but good News after all, Jun 13 2004
E. Annie Proulx's "The Shipping News" is a great novel. However, it is not recommended to everybody. It sounds like a paradox, but it is true. To begin with, it is not an easy read. It takes time and patience, but it is worthwhile. The action is very slow and interior, besides much happens outside the characters, the main action is with their feelings and what goes inside their minds and hearts. Thus this is not the kind of novel that appeals to those used to fast and easy books. Moreover, this is a very intellectual material and requires a lot of references and thinking from the reader.Quoyle is a thirty-six years old who has devoted his life to his wife and children. He hasn't accomplished much, but he's fine with what they have. However his wife is not happy with this life. She sells their daughters and while is running away she dies. This is falls like a bomb in Quoyle's life --disturbing his peaceful routine. In order to restore the peace, he moves to his ancestors' house in an isolated and cold town. There, along with his aunt, he intends to bring his life back to place. With a new job and meeting an interesting widow, Quoyle realizes that life is good, but he still has some ghosts from the past haunting him. "The Shipping News" is a novel fulfilled with metaphors. Everything has more than its first meaning. Quoyle is not only the name of the protagonist, but also something related to ships --and it will be through the shipping news that our protagonist will find his place in the world. Another thing is a special touch in the novel is the quotes from "The Ashley Book of Knots', written by Clifford W. Ashley, or from "The Mariner's Dictionary". They are nice and give the insights on what the chapter will be about --another device related to the use of metaphors--, plus there are illustration of these knots which are very well done and even cute. The movie version, directed by Lasse Hallström is a great and underrated film. More than being faithful to the novel, it makes justice to the spirit of the story. It is perfect to take the audience into Quoyle's world. Both movie and book are highly recommended, but only to specific audiences. My suggestion is, if you want to read the book the effort is worthwhile --it is diffcult, but reawarding--, however if you feel this is not the book for you, do not force yourself to read it.
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