Customer Rating: 
Summary: Powerful Prose and Tough, Gritty stories!
Comment: Excellent collection of short stories by one of the very best short story writers, set in rural landscape where poor country folk struggle to eke out a living. Tough, gritty stories focussing for the most part on hunting and fishing, activities that give full play to the author's gift for capturing the rugged, rural landscape in all its moods and also provide an unusual backdrop for the human dramas played out. Revenge, ill-will, greed, infidelity, passion and jealously, violence and death are all strong presences in these stringent stories so don't be misled by the tame hunting and fishing reference. Annie Proulx creates a cast of vivid characters - eccentric, downtrodden, down and out, malicious and conniving - bringing them alive in the space of a striking image or phrase!A strong theme threading through several stories is the clash of values of two very different worlds: the world of wealthy outsiders from the city with their flash guns, flash hunting gear, flash cars, flash houses and flash improvements impinging on the land, customs and traditions of the poor rural community, the actions of the outsiders often appearing naïve, clumsy, even foolish. My personal favourite is Stone City: a hunter stumbles on a remote, derelict farm high up on the snow-covered wooded hillsides but senses an atmosphere of evil pervading the abandoned ruin, Stone City, once owned by the Stone family, old man Stone and his brood of wild, unruly offsprings. Gradually, more shocking revelations about the Stones and the grim past of Stone City come to light. Try also Annie Proulx's other superb short story collection of Wyoming stories, Close Range. Both books highly recommended!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Astonishing
Comment: Having read all her books, the Shipping News being the best, all I can say is that time and again she draws me deep into her world and leaves me breathless and wanting more. Her prose put some more famous authors to shame. As a woman writing mainly about men she appears to know me better than i know myself. Enjoy.
