Ducks, Newburyport
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-28 11:55:08
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Lucy Ellmann
- ISBN：1913111989
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Latticing one cherry pie after another， an Ohio housewife tries to bridge the gaps between reality and the torrent of meaningless info that is the United States of America。 She worries about her children， her dead parents， African elephants， the bedroom rituals of “happy couples”， Weapons of Mass Destruction， and how to hatch an abandoned wood pigeon egg。 Is there some trick to surviving survivalists？ School shootings？ Medical debts？ Franks ’n’ beans？
A scorching indictment of America’s barbarity， past and present， and a lament for the way we are sleepwalking into environmental disaster， Ducks， Newburyport is a heresy， a wonder—and a revolution in the novel。
It’s also very， very funny。
A scorching indictment of America’s barbarity， past and present， and a lament for the way we are sleepwalking into environmental disaster， Ducks， Newburyport is a heresy， a wonder—and a revolution in the novel。
It’s also very， very funny。
Reviews
Ethan
，
dnf @ pg 20What I read so far was surprisingly good！ However， the writing is so dense that I'd need multiple consecutive hours to make any progress and sadly I just don't have that time :（ hopefully will pick it up on vacation later in July！ dnf @ pg 20What I read so far was surprisingly good！ However， the writing is so dense that I'd need multiple consecutive hours to make any progress and sadly I just don't have that time :（ hopefully will pick it up on vacation later in July！ 。。。more
Greysen
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Hiatus
Debbie Cole-Weber
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Most unusual and entertaining。 I didn't expect it to get as much of a hold on my attention as it did。 A very engaging narrative poetic voice。 Most unusual and entertaining。 I didn't expect it to get as much of a hold on my attention as it did。 A very engaging narrative poetic voice。 。。。more
Edmund Derby
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My favourite thing about books is the way they let you get inside of another person's head for as long as you commit yourself to the act of reading， it's a sense of empathy and escapism that no other kind of creative work comes close to for me。 I kind of feel like Ducks， Newburyport is the pinnacle of this kind of reading - I don't I've ever read anything that so completely catures the engrossingness， loneliness and impossibility of trying to get inside someone else's head。It's easy to look at t My favourite thing about books is the way they let you get inside of another person's head for as long as you commit yourself to the act of reading， it's a sense of empathy and escapism that no other kind of creative work comes close to for me。 I kind of feel like Ducks， Newburyport is the pinnacle of this kind of reading - I don't I've ever read anything that so completely catures the engrossingness， loneliness and impossibility of trying to get inside someone else's head。It's easy to look at the structure of this book - 1，000 pages of an almost entirely unbroken sentence， all in the mind of an Ohioan housewife， made up entirely of phrases beginning with 'the fact that'， separated only by a seemingly unrelated story about a mountain lion and her cubs - and just think of it as a wanky gimmick （one that is admittedly like catnip to dumb guys like me）， but after I'd settled in and oriented myself after 50-odd pages and gotten over the （really fun！） novelties of the writing I realised I couldn't think of a better， more moving way of communicating the avalanche of terrifying and mundane information of living in a world that can feel like it's getting shitter and angrier and busier every second。 More than anything it reminded me of bingeing someone's twitter feed， where at any instant you're just as likely to come across some frivolous anecdote about family life， thoughts about their favourite movies or heartfelt terror and anger about mass shootings， climate change， sexism， racism， pollution， cancer， death， the future of their children， the present situation of their children， history， loneliness， trauma， 。。。 and as your read it's impossible to not take all those thoughts in as your own。 I know way more about The Little House on the Prairie books than I ever would have now， I really want to watch It's Complicated now （even though I'm pretty sure I already know the entire plot just from reading this）， and I think I can understand better the love and terror that comes with being a parent in a world with all the aforementioned shitness。 I think。 Obviously even a book like this can only scratch the surface level， it can tell you details of someone's life but never the full experience。 After 1，000 pages I've got more questions about this woman's life than answers and the final emotion I have is more one of recognition of an experience that I don't have than one of understanding。 It's all part of the book's underlying sadness， that despite by most appearances living the picture of middle class American idealic family life this woman is so so lonely。 Not too sure how to express it off the cuff but there's this desparate strain of loneliness in everything here which just kind of aches。It's also pretty funny and really does have some happy bits！Unlike anything else （that I know）， really really really great。 。。。more
Anne
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Le fait que toutes les phrases commencent par le fait que。 Le fait que le livre est assez intéressant et les réflexions de la dame， permettre de bien suivre l’histoire。 Le fait que j’ai déjà deux points dans cette revue alors qu’elle n’en a mis quasiment aucun dans son livre ， gros livre， Livret， ， chapitre， château， Espagne， Le fait qu’on sent qu’il va se passer quelque chose mais qu’il faut plus de 800 pages pour y arriver ne fais qu’on se demande si à un moment elle a été payé au mot tellemen Le fait que toutes les phrases commencent par le fait que。 Le fait que le livre est assez intéressant et les réflexions de la dame， permettre de bien suivre l’histoire。 Le fait que j’ai déjà deux points dans cette revue alors qu’elle n’en a mis quasiment aucun dans son livre ， gros livre， Livret， ， chapitre， château， Espagne， Le fait qu’on sent qu’il va se passer quelque chose mais qu’il faut plus de 800 pages pour y arriver ne fais qu’on se demande si à un moment elle a été payé au mot tellement il y en a qui se répètent， Le fait que je me suis accrochée et je ne sais pas si j’ai eu raison Le fait qu’il y a tellement de bons livres à côtéle fait qu’on sait qu’elle sait écrire puisque l’histoire sur le couguar est écrit le fait que je pense qu’elle n’avait pas à nous implants posés sur pensum。Le fait qu’aucun des journalistes qui en a parlé on a dépassé la centième page puisqu’il pense toujours qu’elle est dans sa cuisine 。。。more
C。T。 Hunter
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At times really funny， at times utterly biting social commentary。 Very good， but definitely longer than it needed to be。
Harriet
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Shame but this was a DNF for me after a year on my shelf。。。 I got through about a quarter and I did think the concept was clever but to be honest it was repetitive for me and it was also pretty depressing。
Megan
，
Wow！ Definitely felt like running a marathon at times but actually fun to read。
Shiva
，
This was in fact an avalanche of words and scrambled thoughts in a continuous rambling monotone。 In fact I could not get past 40% of the book as it was a very effective remedy for my insomnia。 A few pages and I was in fact deeply sleep。 In fact my only take from this book is a cringe every time my eyes read “IN FACT”！ In fact 1 star for the time spent writing this book。
Bianca Mogos
，
The fact that I thought I’ll never write a review like this， however it seems to be the only way， the fact that this book is so relatable， the fact that it is a bit too long though， the fact that if I hadn’t listened to it on audiobook I might have given up on it， the fact that repeating the word “the fact” thousands of times makes it overwhelming， the fact that entire pages of this book are gibberish but most of it makes very good points， the fact that I expect little change in the upcoming yea The fact that I thought I’ll never write a review like this， however it seems to be the only way， the fact that this book is so relatable， the fact that it is a bit too long though， the fact that if I hadn’t listened to it on audiobook I might have given up on it， the fact that repeating the word “the fact” thousands of times makes it overwhelming， the fact that entire pages of this book are gibberish but most of it makes very good points， the fact that I expect little change in the upcoming years， the fact that it was quite an interesting experience。 Are you evil？ 。。。more
Janet
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I liked it and could have liked it a lot at 7-800 pages。 Have mercy on us slow readers。 Ellmann's style allowed us to get so close to this family without boring descriptions。 I know， that's why it is so long。 I liked it and could have liked it a lot at 7-800 pages。 Have mercy on us slow readers。 Ellmann's style allowed us to get so close to this family without boring descriptions。 I know， that's why it is so long。 。。。more
Amber
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Nope not for me no thanks
Anna
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I think this book is probably a nuanced Joycean character study， but I’m not really into that sort of thing
Brooke
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I have been putting off writing this review for weeks， because I honestly don’t know what to say or how I feel about Ducks， Newburyport。 It was such a weird reading experience。 I didn’t want to pick it up， but when I did， I would find myself immersed in the stream-of-consciousness for a brief amount of time until I felt exhausted by it。 I would find little tidbits that really resonated with me and gave me the energy to continue， but then I would find myself wading through several pages that just I have been putting off writing this review for weeks， because I honestly don’t know what to say or how I feel about Ducks， Newburyport。 It was such a weird reading experience。 I didn’t want to pick it up， but when I did， I would find myself immersed in the stream-of-consciousness for a brief amount of time until I felt exhausted by it。 I would find little tidbits that really resonated with me and gave me the energy to continue， but then I would find myself wading through several pages that just recapped old movie plots， listed random items， and endlessly repeated thoughts the narrator had already had。 I started skimming heavily in the last quarter and almost missed the only real action in the whole book。 I went back to read it， but at that point， I didn’t really care。I think this book captures the anxiety of modern life and the stream-of-consciousness works well for that， but I don’t think it presents anything new or that its length is justified。 There are important things being said in this book， but it is nothing that you can’t find written about in other novels that are more succinct and meaningful。 Overall， I can’t say that the book was worth my time or effort， but I’m giving it three stars because I managed to finish it （and because I can only imagine how exhausted the author and editors were by the time this was published）。 。。。more
Penelope
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This is a humdinger of a book！ I only got through it by listening to it on Audible。 beautifully narrated by Stephanie Ellen， whose tone is just right for the character of the narrator。 She also varies her pitch a lot so that the lists don’t get monotonous。 The book consists entirely of lists of nouns or sentences beginning with “the fact that”。 The narrator is a mother of 4 who makes her living by baking pies。 We hear her thoughts as a stream of consciousness， as she considers her children， pies This is a humdinger of a book！ I only got through it by listening to it on Audible。 beautifully narrated by Stephanie Ellen， whose tone is just right for the character of the narrator。 She also varies her pitch a lot so that the lists don’t get monotonous。 The book consists entirely of lists of nouns or sentences beginning with “the fact that”。 The narrator is a mother of 4 who makes her living by baking pies。 We hear her thoughts as a stream of consciousness， as she considers her children， pies， gun crime， the death of her mother， her recent cancer， her husband， dreams， food ， pollution and global warming， films and literature。 The trivial and deep thoughts， reality and imagination are seamlessly woven together。 By the end， I felt she was an intimate friend of mine， whose character and thoughts I knew so well， I could almost but not quite predict them。 It is a long novel， during the course of which there are only five or six actual events， some of which are dramatic and life changing， but the emphasis is firmly kept on the narrator’s state of mind rather than the events themselves。The narration is interspersed with the story of a mountain lion and her cubs。 I thought the purpose of this was to contrast nature and civilisation; a lion mother and a human mother and how each one experiences fear， courage， instinct and the changing natural world。 。。。more
Joe Avary
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Honestly， I gave upBut I really really wanted to read it。 The book was so big that it was uncomfortable to physically hold in my hands。Looks like a kinder， less problematic Infinite Jest thoI had a plan to check it out from the library and never bring it back so I could have it forever， but i thought about how heavy it was and what a pain in the ass it would be to ship it I ever moved to another continent and decided just to take it back。
Ryan
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The fact that this was the first book on my summer reading list and I put it there way back in early winter， convinced to read it by a truly deranged social media campaign waged by the guy who did Twitter for Book Culture， the fact that they fired that guy anyway a few months later for reasons never fully explained， though it might’ve had something to do with the fact that even *before* the pandemic Book Culture was hemorrhaging money so badly one of their locations got repossessed by the New Yo The fact that this was the first book on my summer reading list and I put it there way back in early winter， convinced to read it by a truly deranged social media campaign waged by the guy who did Twitter for Book Culture， the fact that they fired that guy anyway a few months later for reasons never fully explained， though it might’ve had something to do with the fact that even *before* the pandemic Book Culture was hemorrhaging money so badly one of their locations got repossessed by the New York County Sheriff and the staff had to mount a daring rescue of a pet goldfish the clerks had been keeping behind the counter because that’s how sudden the repossession happened， so quickly they couldn’t even get their pet goldfish out from behind the counter， so about a month ago I started my summer reading with this novel that's a 1000 page transcript of the stream of consciousness of a Yale-educated， twice-married Ohio housewife and mother of four， a stream littered with flotsam from the internet， lists of pie ingredients， thoughts about chemicals in Ohio rivers， about Meryl Streep， about boarlets， in between some taxing events and biographical recollections， the fact that it’s written in just this way as one long sentence broken up in some places with the story of a lioness on the prowl， written in short bursts of clear， short sentences juxtaposed against the cluttered stream of consciousness of the housewife in a way that I guess is supposed to make you think about how late modernity has deformed our minds， kind of like that scene of the hunting swan in Krasznahorkai’s Seiobo There Below， only it works better in Krasznahoraki， so these lioness passages mostly serve as milestones， and ultimately you realize the lioness is Ellman's Airborne Toxic Event， a generic floating catastrophe that could be anything， when it's finally manifested， the fact that while reviewers have compared this book to Ulysses maybe it's more like White Noise， a testament to a time when we were all waiting for something terrible to happen， "that's the main issue，" the narrator thinks， "the risk of collapse， the fact that the causes can be fracture， fatigue， crushing， tearing， rupture， shearing， deformation， and buckling，" the fact that the book is shot through with foreboding about catastrophes past， present， and future， the fact that 9/11 intrudes frequently， and Sandy Hook， and there's constantly the risk of a mass shooting breaking out， or an H1N1 pandemic， there is the continual instability of other people， of men， police tazing and shooting people， husbands erupting into generalized killing sprees， Frank Lloyd Wright's cook murdering Wright's family and burning down Taliesin， so it is strange to read this book now that the disaster has come， the thing that seemed so clearly foreshadowed by the first two decades of the 21st Century， to read this inventory of thoughts about the precariousness of a world that is now actually over and we're waiting to see what new world will replace it。（Abridged for Instagram: The fact that this was the first book on my summer reading list and I put it there way back in early winter， convinced to read it by a truly deranged social media campaign waged by the guy who did Twitter for Book Culture， the fact that they fired that guy anyway a few months later for reasons never fully explained， though it might’ve had something to do with the fact that even *before* the pandemic Book Culture was hemorrhaging money so badly one of their locations got repossessed by the New York County Sheriff and the staff had to mount a daring rescue of a pet goldfish the clerks had been keeping behind the counter because that’s how suddenly the repossession happened， so suddenly they couldn’t even get their pet goldfish out， so I started summer reading with this novel that's a 1000 page transcript of the stream of consciousness of a twice-married Ohio housewife and mother of four， the fact that it’s written in just this way as one long sentence broken up in some places with the story of a lioness on the prowl， passages juxtaposed against the stream of consciousness of the housewife in a way that I guess is supposed to make you think about how late modernity deformed our minds， like that scene of the hunting swan in Krasznahorkai’s Seiobo There Below， only it works better in Krasznahoraki， though later you realize the lioness is Ellman's Airborne Toxic Event， a generic catastrophe that could be anything when it finally comes， and while reviewers compare this book to Ulysses maybe it's more like White Noise， a record of a time when we were all waiting for something terrible to happen， "that's the main issue，" the narrator thinks， "the risk of collapse， the fact that the causes can be fracture， fatigue， crushing， tearing， rupture， shearing， deformation， and buckling，" the fact that the book is full of trauma past， present， and future， the fact that 9/11 intrudes frequently， and Sandy Hook， and there's always the risk of a mass shooting breaking out， or H1N1， husbands erupting into generalized killing sprees， so it's strange to read this book now that the disaster has come， to read about the fragility of a world that has now actually ended。 。。。more
Michael McDowell
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The fact that I can't finish it， finish line， Finnish， Swedish fish。 4% read; over and out。 The fact that I can't finish it， finish line， Finnish， Swedish fish。 4% read; over and out。 。。。more
Barry
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I tried， you guys， I really did。 If I don’t enjoy the rhythm and style after 400 pages， though， I don’t feel bad giving up。
Jacky Chan
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I tried， I really tried， but 102 pages later I simply cannot continue。 I appreciate the idea of making art out of quotidian reality as well as the potential of the stream of consciousness， but Ducks， Newburyport is no Mrs Dalloway or Ulysses。 The life and thoughts of the Ohio housewife the novel features are so unbearably boring that the experimental technique falls flat in consequence: how does one labour through 1000+ pages of this？Don't ask me; I'm out。 I tried， I really tried， but 102 pages later I simply cannot continue。 I appreciate the idea of making art out of quotidian reality as well as the potential of the stream of consciousness， but Ducks， Newburyport is no Mrs Dalloway or Ulysses。 The life and thoughts of the Ohio housewife the novel features are so unbearably boring that the experimental technique falls flat in consequence: how does one labour through 1000+ pages of this？Don't ask me; I'm out。 。。。more
Adam Schwartz
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Pretty good。 How good？ Four stars good。
Rebecca
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Needs more ducks
Sara
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I mean WOW！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ I mean WOW！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ 。。。more
Seamus Reilly
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I loved this book。 I know it is long and complicated etc。
Hannah
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thoroughly enjoyed this book and it introduced me to the word "cuckservatives" so 10/10 thoroughly enjoyed this book and it introduced me to the word "cuckservatives" so 10/10 。。。more
Sarah
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I was so intimidated by this for so long， but now （having spent 45+ hours with it） I feel weirdly protective of it。 It's the great American novel， but it's not for everyone。。。 like， I loved 'A Little Life' and think it's one of the best， most beautifully written books ever， but I don't go around recommending it to people。 Ditto Ducks， Newburyport。 If you're up for it， it's absolutely worth it， but if you're not， no guilt。 I hope it gets a place on the syllabus alongside Winesburg， Ohio， though， I was so intimidated by this for so long， but now （having spent 45+ hours with it） I feel weirdly protective of it。 It's the great American novel， but it's not for everyone。。。 like， I loved 'A Little Life' and think it's one of the best， most beautifully written books ever， but I don't go around recommending it to people。 Ditto Ducks， Newburyport。 If you're up for it， it's absolutely worth it， but if you're not， no guilt。 I hope it gets a place on the syllabus alongside Winesburg， Ohio， though， because fuck， someone needs to read this。 。。。more
Anne
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What a feast。 This is not a book for all people， but this is most certainly a book meant for me。 Thank you， Lucy Ellmann。
Julia
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I was curious about this book but didn't expect to like it。 Luckily I was wrong - I ended up loving it！ The audio narrator really brought this one to life。 The audiobook is 45 hours and 34 minutes long but it was well worth it for me。 I was curious about this book but didn't expect to like it。 Luckily I was wrong - I ended up loving it！ The audio narrator really brought this one to life。 The audiobook is 45 hours and 34 minutes long but it was well worth it for me。 。。。more
Raquel Graham
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The fact that， this book was an overload of information， the fact that it followed an Ohio woman that made pies for a living and was written stream of consciousness style in one lone rambling sentence that was periodically punctuated by “the fact that”， the fact that once you spent several weeks reading this book it kind of grew on you， the fact that this is a long book and you have to stick with it for a while， the fact that I may have zoned out when her thoughts were just bursts of words but t The fact that， this book was an overload of information， the fact that it followed an Ohio woman that made pies for a living and was written stream of consciousness style in one lone rambling sentence that was periodically punctuated by “the fact that”， the fact that once you spent several weeks reading this book it kind of grew on you， the fact that this is a long book and you have to stick with it for a while， the fact that I may have zoned out when her thoughts were just bursts of words but that fact that I still loved this book because it is beautifully woven between this Ohioan woman’s thoughts and the journey of a mountain lion looking for her Cubs and the fact that you’re rewarded for your patience with some action at the end， the fact that if you love unfiltered thoughts that are relatable and references to Jane Austen and listening to the day to day worries of a Ohioan pie maker then the fact that this is the book for you。 。。。more
Cathryn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Phew， I finally finished。 Overall I think I'm glad to have read this， but it was incredibly tough going， without very many natural breaks for 1000 pages。 There were some things I liked about it - giving a woman space to talk about her life and thoughts and family。 However， I found it relentlessly negative and stressful， with very little light。 And I really hated that there ended up being a plot in the last 50 pages。 950 pages of regular life and then 50 pages of a denouement that made sense in s Phew， I finally finished。 Overall I think I'm glad to have read this， but it was incredibly tough going， without very many natural breaks for 1000 pages。 There were some things I liked about it - giving a woman space to talk about her life and thoughts and family。 However， I found it relentlessly negative and stressful， with very little light。 And I really hated that there ended up being a plot in the last 50 pages。 950 pages of regular life and then 50 pages of a denouement that made sense in some ways， but just felt too manufactured somehow。 Anyway， mixed feelings， but ultimately， I'm proud that I stuck it out！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ducks, Newburyport
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ducks, Newburyport&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ducks, Newburyport&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0