That Old Ace In The Hole

At first I thought the reader was lackluster, but once the many colorful characters were introduced, and he brought out each individual's personality with virtuosity, I was hooked. The subject matter -- the rape of the land and threats to communities posed by commercial exploitation and industrial farming -- is very current and important. I found Bob Dollar the least convincing of the characters, but cared for him nonetheless.

Annie Proulx is one of my favorite writers and this book did not disappoint me. She is so good at character development. And she teaches me about places I have never been, but have great respect for after her brilliant descriptions. She enlarges my world and touches a deep need for the feeling of intimacy that comes from small town folks.

If you loved Shipping News you will love this.. She has a way of taking the most desolate and finding the human parts and making us care.. I loved this

Weaving such characters as Hugh Doe, the bedwetting sheriff of Woollybucket, Betty Doke, the unscrupulous moneyperson for Global Pork Rinds, Advance Slaughter and his 10 daughters, his archenemy Francis Scott Keyster, LaVon Frump town gossip, land-owning brothers Ace and Tater, and the greedy Beautyroom family, into the life of feckless newcomer Bob Dollar, Proulx is in top form with this gut-bustin' funny saga of changing times in the Texas Panhandle.