Customer Reviews

Heart Songs and Other Stories

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I read the Shipping news first. Struck by the wonderful use of language, in awe of the structure of this descriptive writing at its very best, I was not disappointed by these short stories written earlier. Some passages should be read again and again. One day, if not now, this author will be quoted as a modern classic

E. Anne Proulx has the amazing talent to describe the small moments and details in life that we pass by everyday...but which we can immediately visualize when they are word-painted for us. She is an author that implores your every sense (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch, memory, & nostalgia) as you read. But her writing is not flowery...in fact it has a dark edge to it. Her descriptions are only surpassed by her characterization. She introduces you to the heart of rural Vermont through characters that you both admire and loathe...sometimes simultaneously. This collection of short stories is not her most famous work, but is perhaps her most classic. It is an easy read for pleasure, but one with layers and layers of depth for those who want to delve and ponder.

To those, who were already enchanted by E.Annie Proulx's masterpieces ('Postcards' or 'The Shipping News'): do not eschew this collection of early short stories. They are not unskillful sketches of incipient, promising author but dazzlingly and glamorously brilliant splashes of her extraordinary talent (paradoxically both tragical and comical), unforgettable portraits of sundry people, to whom from the first pages you will feel admiration or aversion but never indifference or lack of interest, people in search of lost happiness... such as all of us are...

If you want to read short stories about mad, cantakerous and passionate characters, read this collection of short stories. Annie Proulx astonished us with her remakable and refreshingly original novel, "The Shipping News," and while she has stated that she is not as proficient in writing short stories as in writing novels, I disagree. I could not put down these stories of the brutal and grotesque rural landscape, and none of the stories disappoints. I look forward to reading her other collections, "Close Range: Wyoming Stories" and "Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2." Ms. Proulx is fast becoming one of America's leading authors of fiction.

Excellent collection of short stories by one of the very best short story writers, set in a rural community where life is hard for Proulx's people struggling to eke out a living. Tough, gritty stories with a deep-rooted connection to the land that give full play to the author's gift for capturing rugged, rural landscape in all its moods. Hunting and fishing provides an unusual backdrop for some of the human dramas played out: revenge, ill-will, greed, infidelity, passion and jealously, violence and death are all strong presences in these stringent stories so don't be misled by the tame hunting and fishing reference. Annie Proulx creates a cast of vivid characters - eccentric, downtrodden, down and out, malicious and conniving - bringing them alive in the space of a striking image or phrase.

A strong theme threading through several stories is the clash of values of two very different worlds: big-city hobbyists with ready money who show up in the country sporting their flash hunting gear and brand new boots -their rifles new and shiny, just like their cars - bringlng unwelcome improvements impinging on the land, customs and traditions of the poor rural community. My personal favourite of the collection is Stone City: a hunter stumbles on a remote, derelict farm high up on the snow-covered wooded hillsides but senses an atmosphere of evil pervading the abandoned ruin, Stone City, once owned by the Stone family, old man Stone and his brood of wild, unruly offspring. Gradually, more shocking revelations about the Stones and the grim past of Stone City come to light. Try also Annie Proulx's other superb short story collection of Wyoming stories, Close Range. Both books highly recommended!

Annie Proulx might just be one of the best short story writers living today. "Heart Songs", which was published in 1995. is a jarring and heartfelt forecast of what was to come. For in these eleven stories, Annie Proulx polished her unique talent for storytelling that involves creating oddly familiar worlds and setting expectations on end.

The eleven stories that make up "Heart Songs" are concentrated around blue-collar New England landscapes, but their subjects are universal in nature, extending far beyond that limited scope. They are stories of revenge and greed, love and hate, pride and passion. One of the standouts in the collection is "Bedrock", the tale of an aging farmer who marries an abusive younger wife. Just when the reader thinks they know how to feel about the main character, Proulx turns their world upside down. The title piece, "Heart Songs" is about a do-nothing drifter named Snipe whose newest passion is playing the guitar. He stumbles upon a family of musicians who play songs he has never heard before, awakening music within in but with the possible cost of harming the family ties. "A Country Killing" has a gruesome beginning, with two Jehovah's witnesses discovering a grisly murder, but offers readers a subtly shocking ending. In a collection of eleven outstanding stories it is truly difficult to pick out a few that stand out from everything else.

There are moments in these stories that are laugh-out-loud funny and others where Proulx has poetically captured the bleak misery of poverty and loss that readers must pause before being able to read on. Her characters are familiar yet enigmatic, and her writing is effortless, sprinkled with vivid images; words come to life in her hands. "Heart Songs" is a truly remarkable collection of short stories, a primer not only on how stories should be written but also an exploration of the darkest recesses of the human heart.

In a rough sketch of talent that would be more faithfully exhibited in future works, "Heart Songs" shows readers slices of rural life in a way that brings memories of John Steinbeck. Annie Proulx has written more celebrated works, but there are certain qualities in this collection.

The early stories in the collection center around hunting and involve some degree of tragedy. "On the Antler" stands out in this set with its book hoarder and peculiar ending. With several consecutive hunting stores, readers may sense a theme. "Heart Songs" tells of drifter that attaches himself to a local group of musicians with emtionally charged results. Though the reader may see the conclusion of the photographically themed "Negatives" coming, it is still a fun story. The characters of these short stories are often simple people, making it difficult for the reader to connect. But in these stories, the reader is only an observer without emotional attachment.

None of the short stories in this collection are exactly uplifting. In reality, many lack a definite plot line. However, the stories are an unflinching sample of rural life. It is almost as tough Proulx chose random scenes to write about in these stories.

You won't find a better book of short stories. The characters in this gorgeously written, profoundly observed collection are down-to-earth, real-life people with perplexing issues that they deal with in quirky, sometimes desperate ways. Annie Proulx's early work sings, period. The way she describes the countryside and the people, down to the last detail, you know she has lived it, but more importantly, she has seen the poetry in it. Highly recommended.

Mrs.Annie uses wordy at right places.
This knows very good because must translate the every word and look for the fabula plot.
Do not talk the English language.I livnig in Croatia.
Stories are when they discover gorgeous..All stories:))

Gretings from the little island on the Adriatic sea

P.S.We not have "Mud below",hve rock,sea,and hurricane winds but live is same

You'll stick with these stories the same way you'd stick with a gruesome late night news piece about some local horror (and you feel about equally uplifted when you're through reading). A much better read by Proulx, with some light shot through the darkness, is her story The Shipping News. Now there's a novel worth your time.