Whoa! I guess KarenW really didn't like this book! It has been on my bookshelf for quite a while and I thought I would get it into the completed pile....so after reading all these comments, I'm not sure what to expect! Stay tuned! Started Dec 20.....Dec 24 on page 232 and I am finding it hard to put down...started a bit slow and weird, but kept getting better and better. I'm liking it!......Dec 27, finished it today, and I'm a little sad about that. Found this story "delightful" and I didn't want it to end. I've put the movie on a hold and will be looking forward to watching it......Jan 5, watched the movie, and I must say it was a nice compliment to the book, but if I hadn't read the book, I might have found it boring, or just weird!

Okay, I don't know why I keep trying to like stuff like this, but I really should stop. And this should be my warning sign. This book is so full of that special dish that so many horrible authors keep serving that I can't believe some readers keep lining up for another helping. It is called GARBAGE! Trite, naval gazing, chest beating, woe-is-me stuff that should be thrown as hard as it can into the trash can.

I am a fan of quirky characters and unique writing styles. Could not put this book down. I was taken to a new, dangerous, harsh weathered place. I loved how Quoyle started as a pathetic good for nothing blob and ended up finding a place in the world where he could look himself in the mirror. There were those moments with the children that just broke my heart as they began to understand life and who they were, especially Bunny and her interactions with Wavey. The descriptions of the world of this particular Newfoundland coast were breath taking, I wanted to be there to see! I can certainly see why this author and this book are so celebrated and I look forward to reading more by her.

1993 National Book Award - Fiction

Be warned, Proulx has a choppy style to her writing, and I had to push myself to read through the first couple of chapters, then whaM! I did not want to set it down. It's on the sad, slightly dark side, yet I felt good about the story once I'd read it all. So much so I checked into her next book, but the storyline appears to be even gloomier and I'm not sure I can read that. I loved this one though.

This story was so sad and so very, very good. I loved every word.

One of my favourites. The author's writing style is absolutely delicious, probably the main reason why I enjoyed this so much: short, vivid flashes of imagery mixed with a sharp sharp wit. The plot was borderline-absurd and rich with east-coast culture.

Written in short sentences. Jarring. Makes it hard to become absorbed. Easy to skip ahead a few lines. Won’t miss anything if the sentences are so short. But I probably did. Since I can’t understand why this book won the Pulitzer Prize.

Wonderful book

Winner of the 1994 Pulitzer prize for fiction.