Best of the Backlist Book Club: "The Shipping News" by Annie Proulx

Schedule

Mon May 18 2026 at 02:00 pm to 03:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Bookstore1Sarasota | Sarasota, FL

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Led by Georgia Court, this book club reads what lasts, not just the latest. This month: a magical portrait of the North American family.
About this Event

The Best of the Backlist Book Club is led by Georgia Court, meant for reading what lasts, not just what's latest. May's selection is The Shipping News by Annie Proulx - a darkly funny, salt-soaked tale of loss, renewal, and the strange ways people find their way home.
After his wife's death, hapless newspaperman Quoyle relocates with his daughters to the stark coast of Newfoundland, where rough weather and roughter locals teach him how to begin again. Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, Proulx's novel is an unforgettable portrait of resilience and reinvention.
We will meet in person at our store location at The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. The book club is $18.99, which includes a copy of The Shipping News to be picked up at Bookstore1 any time before our meeting.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

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.


PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

Stephen Jones Chicago Tribune: The Shipping News is that rare creation, a lyric page-turner.

Bruce Allen USA Today: The writing 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.

Roz Spafford San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle: Annie Proulx's stunning, big-hearted The Shipping News thaws the frozen lives of its characters and warms readers.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Annie Proulx is the author of eleven books, including the novels The Shipping News and Barkskins, and the story collection Close Range. Her many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, and a PEN/Faulkner award. Her story “Brokeback Mountain,” which originally appeared in The New Yorker, was made into an Academy Award–winning film. Fen, Bog, and Swamp is her second work of nonfiction. She lives in New Hampshire.

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Where is it happening?

Bookstore1Sarasota, 117 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 20.32

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