Mink River

Brian Doyles' Mink River is a fascinating,scintillating journey through the living world that is Neawananka, Oregon. The lives, loves and tragedies of the are laid before us in poetic and mystical style and grace. Here the moments in time are more than mere incidents they are the definition of life.

Combining fabulous characters, including one who just might happen to be depicted on the cover, and Irish and First Nations stories, this is a treasure which I am savouring, not wanting it to end. Others I know are reading it several times. Anyone, who knows or wants to know how living on the northern US or BC coast is, should read this charming and beautifully written book. The news of this book is being spread by word of mouth. Read it and pass on the word.

Author Brian Doyle has written a gem in this story of a small Oregon coastal community. This mystical narrative is at times "spiritual." The style of this writing allows the reader to "digest" the story and have a great experience relishing the descriptions of nature in all her glory. So too, the telling of relationships in a small town and between "partners" be they married partners or friendship partners or newly formed / evolving partnerships. A story of life; of death; of connection and belonging, set in a magical natural surrounding. You'll not want this book to end.......because the joy of reading this, will end.

We chose this for our book club. Some others loved it, but I couldn't identify with the characters, nor did I enjoy the writing style. I forced myself to read the first fifty pages , then gave it away.

Lovely book, I cherished every moment of reading. It brought me back to my roots, growing up surrounded forest and near the sea. The book felt like reading a meditation or a prayer, yet the story was skillfully woven throughout the pages. The story of this small town in the Pacific Northwest shows us the beauty and wonder of existence, and the terrible fragility. It's a hopeful message. I didn't want this boom to end

I loved this book from the first three sentences and knew I'd have to control myself not to race through it greedily. This book is out of the ordinary. It's poetry and should be savored a section at a time. It's delicious in the details and epic in scope, if you're paying attention. It's about love and life, survival and adaptation, art, spirituality, and magical realism. It combines the author's Irish Catholic heritage with the nature and spirituality of the Oregon coast. The characters are lovingly drawn; the details of the environment are spot on.

Beautiful book! Really a poem to life. Brian Doyle writes exquisitely in a mystical realistic style. Everyone in my book club loved it and felt it was well worth reading. However, all felt it is not a book to fast-read, as you would miss much of the pleasure of this book. While reading it and long after finishing it I feel it has made me more awake to my own surroundings. So glad to have found this author. P.S. Crazy about Moses, the crow!

This book about living together with mixed Native American and Irish townspeople was poetic. Thoughtful and energetic you want to know more about these people, oh, yes, and of course Moses, the thinking man's Raven.

A lovingly drawn portrait of community. The northwest is a magical place to live and Mink River is a voyeur's look into the lifestyle up here in the magically beautiful country. Beautiful prose and fascinating characters. Hunker down, you won't want to put the book aside for anything.

Original in style, setting, story and characters, this book struck a resonant chord in my heart and mind,
led me on a fine adventure, connected me to some wonderful people and renewed my faith in good
new writers coming on the scene with a beautiful book.

This story puts a completely different light on departments of public works. Wonderful characters and a heartwarming story. The language and storytelling is superb. Doyle's writing reminds me of Tim Winton's (wonderful Australian writer) yet it is unique and has its own richness.

Doyle's language and his imagination run wild and I was happy to follow. Once read, the book lingers in the mind. The plot is fast paced. The characters are fully developed and nicely complicated. The good guys are really lovable and the bad guys are really bad.

The author paints a very detailed picture of life in this small town flooded with nature. Some lovely use of language (and some over use of language). Poetic. Unusual, well-drawn characters, including a bird with personality.

As another reviewer stated - "LUSH"! The characters, histories, language are breath taking! I want to know more about the characters and this town! I will surely look for his other books. I want more of Brian Doyle in my life!

This is definitely a northwest book! The author creates a community of eccentrics in an Oregon coastal town and the draws you into the wonder of their geography and communal spirit. Mgical realsim is coupled with a love of the coast and its history but the reader becomes a participant in the various searches for truths.

The writing style of "Mink River" takes some adjustment, but once you get used to it, it reads like a song. This is a character driven novel, the plot is slim, but the characters are huge. I loved this book and plan to read it again as it has many layers.

Lyrical and mystical with engaging characters and an affectionate view of community. The stories in this novel weave well, but are almost secondary to the strong development of a sense of place, physical, natural, and human.

With my Kindle, I found the beginning very confusing..could not remember who was who. Eventually, I enjoyed his free style of writing! I have read his essays and have loved his humor.
Plan on ordering the Plover...

a talking crow(taught ESL by a sweet (unlike many I knew) nun, great spirituality, quirkiness, immensely flawed humans with fantastic heart, prose that reads like poetry, an awe of nature that runs thematically throughout, religious symbolism across cultures that inspires rather than stultifies, great humor.......A little bit Alice Hoffman, James Joyce, Frank McCourt, and Aesop.
What's not to like?

Mink River quickly jumped to my top ten favorite books of all time. Brian Doyle brilliantly captures the toughness and tenderness of being a human with this story. This was my first experience reading his work, and now I'm a fan.

I loved everything about this book. The characters quickly became important to me, and what happened to them mattered. The setting was perfect, with plenty of history of the area included. I can't wait to read more from this author, and I will never look at a crow the same way again.