Postcards
E Annie Proulx
Bob's initial impressions were not good. Although apparently
authentic, the names of the characters were irritatingly bizarre
(e.g. Blood, Mink, Dub) and some of the similes irritatingly
unhelpful. However, as the story of Blood's lifelong career as a
drifter across America unfolded and the farm and family he left
behind developed, Bob's opinion of the book became more positive.
In the end, this was an interesting story, well told, and is
recommended.
Bob 30/3/03
Gill enjoyed this. Although the names are silly they didn't
really annoy her because Americans do have silly names. The story
begins with a farm in the 1940s. One of the sons leaves and
becomes an itinerant worker and sends postcards home. He does all
sorts of jobs and as Gill (and a number of the rest of the group)
had seen a TV programme about the author and her research methods
she could imagine how much time she'd spent on this book
researching all the characters' different occupations. Gill
couldn't read the postcards themselves, they were too difficult
to make out. Rory (our resident philatelist) remarked that all
the stamps were the same and none of them had been cancelled).
Gill 4/5/03
By the same author
The frames have
gone all funny - click to make it good.