Dinner and Acknowledgments
Roy hosted November’s Man Book Club with a seafood spread that the
characters in The Shipping News could only dream about. We feasted on
Dungeness crab bisque, three varieties of raw tuna, a pesto pasta, trays of roasted crab with
butter and garlic, warm bread, and a generous scoop of homemade paw-paw ice
cream to finish.
(Note: the frozen paw-paw was smuggled in from Indiana and had us all wondering: why isn't this delicious fruit available in California?)
Our Review and Discussion of The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The menu perfectly matched the theme of Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News, set in a rugged Newfoundland fishing village where life and livelihood depend on the sea. The Pulitzer Prize–winning novel (1994) follows Quoyle, who, after a failed marriage and the death of his wife, returns with his aunt and two young daughters to his ancestral home on a remote Newfoundland spit. There, he rebuilds his life while uncovering the legacy of his forebears.
This was the second Annie Proulx book the MBC has read—her Wyoming Stories also earned strong reviews. Though the settings are separated by thousands of miles, both works captured the group’s admiration for Proulx’s craftsmanship.
Our host Roy, an accomplished fisherman himself, began by noting that every trip to sea feels like an adventure. For the characters in the novel, though, the sea is their livelihood—often harsh and unforgiving. Roy appreciated the book overall but found Proulx’s detailed character sketches excessive. He also thought the rope knot descriptions that open each chapter were a bit much—though he did note that the bowline is one to remember.
Glenn, on the other hand, loved Proulx’s descriptive style, especially the way the story ends with two lost souls—Quoyle and widow Wavey Prowse—finding connection and hope.
Tom came to the book with high expectations after enjoying Wyoming Stories and wasn’t disappointed. He found Proulx’s depictions of daily life fascinating and admired how she often closed chapters with dark, vivid lines.
Stan, a longtime Proulx fan, gushed about her ability to create deeply human characters—ones you either love or loathe. He admitted he wishes he could write like that himself.
Paul also focused on Proulx’s descriptive power, though for him it became too much. Despite multiple attempts, he found her prose dense—at times “like reading cement.”
Dean agreed that the descriptive detail, while evocative, sometimes became repetitive. Still, it helped him clearly picture Newfoundland’s bleak, gray atmosphere. He liked Quoyle’s transformation—from socially insecure to confident journalist for The Gammy Bird, the local newspaper—and noted that parts of the book read like a film script.
Doug, usually quite contemplative, kept his comments brief. He couldn’t quite connect with the story but appreciated the range of opinions around the table and was glad he read it nonetheless.
Larry also enjoyed the novel, having read it years earlier. This time, he gave it a full reread to focus on Proulx’s craft and her portrayal of Newfoundland’s fading fishing industry. He admired her concise yet vivid character sketches, though he found the overall plot thin.
Andrew echoed many of these sentiments. He noted that Newfoundlanders are often looked down upon by other Canadians—a theme subtly present in the book. While he didn’t find the plot compelling, he appreciated how Proulx wove smaller redemption arcs throughout. Some passages were so beautifully written they will stay with him for months. He also confessed to doubting some of Proulx’s unusual word choices—only to discover, upon checking, that she used them perfectly.
Jack took a hybrid approach—reading half and listening to half. He struggled to sympathize with Quoyle early on, particularly in his handling of his wife, Petal. He enjoyed the character work but thought there were too many repetitive descriptions of the Newfoundland coast and weather. Still, he found it a solid read overall.
Rating The Shipping News
In the end, the group agreed that Annie Proulx is a brilliant stylist who occasionally overindulges in description. Yet her language and sense of place more than compensate for a thin plot, redeeming Quoyle—and the novel itself—against the vivid backdrop of Newfoundland’s harsh, sea-bound world. In appreciation, we gave The Shipping News a 7.8 rating.
Up Next: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
We meet next at Tom's to read Coelho's inspirational novella, The Alchemist. Surprisingly, none of us had read the book when it was first published in 1990. We'll see if Coelho's spiritual brand of storytelling turns lead into gold for MBC.
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