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Anthony MarraAnthony Marra's debut novel is a marvel. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena describes, in astonishingly beautiful prose, five days in a rural... Continue »
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14 Local Warehouse Literature- A to Z

The Shipping News

by

The Shipping News Cover

ISBN13: 9780671510053
ISBN10: 0671510053
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

 

Awards

Winner of the 1994 Pulitzer Prize
Winner of the 1993 National Book Award
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When Quoyle's two-timing wife meets her just desserts, he retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters and family members all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As Quoyle confronts his private demons — and the unpredictable forces of nature and society — he begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.

A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family, The Shipping News shows why Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.

Review:

"The Shipping News tells the story of Quoyle, a hack journalist recovering from his wife's death and betrayal in his newly adopted (but actually ancestral) home, the Newfoundland village of Killick-Claw. Quoyle finds work writing for The Gammy Bird, the local paper whose editor cannily assigns his reporters stories reflecting their deepest fears. But Quoyle and his colleagues brave their bleak inner weather, winning our sympathies with their tenacity and humor. Proulx renders local color with warmth and wit, and her prose rivals Killick-Claw's weather for vigor." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)

Review:

"The writing is charged with sardonic wit — alive, funny, a little threatening; packed with brilliantly original images...and, now and then, a sentence that simply takes your breath away." USA Today

Review:

"The Shipping News is alive in every sense of the word...Proulx has George Eliot's gift of loving observation — her vision is wise and generous." The Boston Globe

Review:

"The Shipping News is that rare creation, a lyric page-turner." Chicago Tribune

Synopsis:

E. Annie Proulx focuses on a Newfoundland fishing town in a tale about a third-rate newspaperman and the women in his life-- his elderly aunt and two young daughters-- who decide to resettle in their ancestral seaside home. The transformation each of the character undergoes following move is profound. A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary American family, "The Shipping News" enlightens readers to the powers of E. Annie Proulx's storytelling genius and her expert evocation of time and place. She is truly one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.

Synopsis:

When Quoyle's two-timing wife meets her just desserts, he retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters and family members all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As Quoyle confronts his private demons — and the unpredictable forces of nature and society — he begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.

A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family, The Shipping News shows why Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.

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About the Author

Annie Proulx's The Shipping News won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. She is the author of two other novels: Postcards, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, and Accordion Crimes. She has also written two collections of short stories, Heart Songs and Other Stories and Close Range. In 2001, The Shipping News was made into a major motion picture. Annie Proulx lives in Wyoming and Newfoundland.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
gift giver, August 6, 2012 (view all comments by gift giver)
I thought I would share some advice I received prior to reading the book because I ended up really appreciating it. The advice is, keep going. The book starts out very dark and it's easy to think to one's self "oh no, what have I just committed to reading" but it really does end up getting good. Just don't watch the movie though!!!! Ugh!
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Lara Gardner, January 20, 2012 (view all comments by Lara Gardner)
Rarely has a book so completely captured the transformation of a man and the development of a life worth living. The writing is lyrical and unique, the story engaging and compelling. As Quoyle experiences moments of pure joy, so too does the reader, delighting in his metamorphosis and renewal. This is a book to read and digest, then pick up and read again. I've read it over thirty times and each time I discover something new. I could not recommend a book more.
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Jena, June 25, 2009 (view all comments by Jena)
I really enjoyed the characters in this book, and even if I wasn't so crazy about the last couple pages, it's definitely a worthwhile read. (Make sure you familiarize yourself with Newfoundland accents first--it will help.)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780671510053
Author:
Proulx, E. Annie
Publisher:
Scribner Book Company
Author:
Proulx, Annie
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Family
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Newfoundland
Subject:
Newfoundland Fiction.
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Newfoundland and Labrador
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
1994
Edition Number:
1st Touchstone ed.
Edition Description:
B102
Series Volume:
no. 104
Publication Date:
June 1994
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
352
Dimensions:
8.44 x 5.5 in 10.885 oz
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Related Subjects


Featured Titles » National Book Award Winners
Featured Titles » Pulitzer Prize Winners
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Sale Books
History and Social Science » American Studies » Popular Culture

The Shipping News Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$1.50 In Stock
Product details 352 pages Scribner Book Company - English 9780671510053 Reviews:
"Review" by , "The writing is charged with sardonic wit — alive, funny, a little threatening; packed with brilliantly original images...and, now and then, a sentence that simply takes your breath away."
"Review" by , "The Shipping News is alive in every sense of the word...Proulx has George Eliot's gift of loving observation — her vision is wise and generous."
"Review" by , "The Shipping News is that rare creation, a lyric page-turner."
"Synopsis" by , E. Annie Proulx focuses on a Newfoundland fishing town in a tale about a third-rate newspaperman and the women in his life-- his elderly aunt and two young daughters-- who decide to resettle in their ancestral seaside home. The transformation each of the character undergoes following move is profound. A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary American family, "The Shipping News" enlightens readers to the powers of E. Annie Proulx's storytelling genius and her expert evocation of time and place. She is truly one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.
"Synopsis" by , When Quoyle's two-timing wife meets her just desserts, he retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters and family members all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As Quoyle confronts his private demons — and the unpredictable forces of nature and society — he begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.

A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family, The Shipping News shows why Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.

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