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Shipping News

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Shipping News

By: Annie Proulx
Narrated by: Paul Hecht
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About this listen

 Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Shipping News is a vigorous, darkly comic, at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family, and "a rare creation, a lyric page-turner" (Chicago Tribune).

At thirty-six, Quoyle, a third-rate newspaperman is wrenched violently out of his world when his 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 all play a part in Quoyle’s struggle to reclaim his life. As three generations of his family cobble up new lives, Quoyle confronts his private demons—and the unpredictable forces of nature and society—and begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.

The Shipping News “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). Classics Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt
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I didn’t think I’d like this, but I got drawn in by all the characters and this story which ultimately says - given the right encouragement and opportunities, even the biggest no-hoper can become something marvellous.

Strangely Compelling

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I loved everything about this book. Beautifully told and able to get into the shoes of each character. An absolute gem.

The gentle pace and sensitive narrative

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This has long been one of my favourite books, by my no1 author. Paul Hecht is absolutely superb. He tells this dark but brilliant tale with such a perfect maritime voice. It will not disappoint!

Incredible narration for a beautiful tale

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Enjoyed this so much. It’s very quirky and unusual but a really great story. Newfoundland is somewhere I knew nothing about but now I feel I have a strong sense of it. The characters are all gnarly and a little gothic but they still find a place in your heart- even Petal!! I loved the performance- a tiny bit over the top but that was perfect.

Loved it!

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I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, a wonderful uplifting story, the narrator was excellent.

Beautifully written and narrated

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