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Book Review of Mink River

Mink River
Mink River
Author: Brian Doyle
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
esjro avatar reviewed on + 948 more book reviews


I have such mixed feelings about this book. On the plus side, the writing is beautiful, and the characters and their stories are at times brilliant. And there is a talking crow. However, this book was very difficult to read. There are so many characters, several who are referred to by multiple names, that it is confusing. I had to mark a chart to keep track of who everyone is and what their relationships are.

The author is a poet and although some descriptions of the natural world are stunning, at times the prose reads more like a poem with long lists of things. There are no quotation marks used, and the short chapters jump between characters and storylines. According to the reviews, many people loved this book so maybe the problem is that I am feeble-minded.