Skip to content

Read With Us: The Winter 2023 Announcement

As you might surmise from the title, today is the day that Bonny, Kym, and I are disclosing our Winter 2023 Read With Us book and it is . . .

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

Yes, this is an older book and many of you have probably read it already. And that’s okay because you get the pleasure of reading it again. And if you haven’t read it, you now have a great excuse to pick up this multiple award winner. That’s right, this book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994, the National Book Award for Fiction in 1993, and more.

I tried (and failed) to summarize this myself (it’s been years and years since I read it and all I really remember is that I loved it) so instead I’m sharing the summary from GoodReads:

When Quoyle’s two-timing wife meets her just deserts, 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.

We will be doing promo posts during the month of February and our online discussion will take place on Tuesday, March 21st at 7pm. I hope you will join us and read The Shipping News.

This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. I read this years ago – I grew up in Newfoundland, it was almost a requirement!

    But it has been so long, I think it is indeed time to read it again!

    (have you read Random Passage? It’s also set in Newfoundland. CBC (Canadian Television) turned it into a series. As always, the book is better!)

  2. I don’t remember the story now either but l know l LOVED and inhaled this read! I HIGHLY recommend The Shipping News!! It is riveting and the house could burn down for all l care

  3. I read this in 1994 and again in 2015. It’s a great book and I love Quoyle so much. Looking forward revisiting this classic!

  4. I thought I had read this but I really don’t know. It would have been pre-goodreads. I’m thinking maybe I confused it with The Pilot’s Wife as I do remember reading that one. I just read The Day The World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland and it’s a place I always wanted to visit so I look forward to reading this one.

Comments are closed.

Back To Top