Customer Reviews

Annie Proulx's The Shipping News: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)

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I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book and it was a pleasant surprise, very different from the other readers guides that I've seen. It provided quite a lot more background about Proulx than I've read before, but the main part of it was a fairly indepth reading of The Shipping News. This part is full of very interesting ideas about storytelling, escapism, and the clever things that Proulx does with the narrative. The author managed to explain her ideas very clearly, and I really felt that I had learned something by the end of it. It's a shame that I guess the book came out too close to the film, as I'd like to read what the author thought about that, too. I loved it!

A book worth reading, 'The Shipping News' focuses on a man called Quoyle, his life and his family. Set in Newfoundland amongst local people and extreme weather conditions, Quoyle carves out a new life for himself, with his Aunt and his daughters. Working for the local newspaper, Quoyle learns to cope with the death of his wife, a new lifestyle, and ends his journey in a classic story of self-discovery.

It was an enjoyable journey through a strange place and quite a cast of eccentric, warm, briney characters. A wonderful read!