That Old Ace in the Hole : A Novel (edit title/settings)

• Rated 4 stars

“Annie Proulx is a master of immersing you in a setting. She builds this town and characters on solid foundation, weaving in the regional dialect, portraying their philosophies, laying bear their flaws as well as their virtues, making them real to you. She's also hilarious. However, she delves into the town's history, each family line's history, in great detail. I think this is what makes the story good, what makes each plot move engaging, but some people might find it tedious. I found it a good way to escape into a book. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Proulx has a wonderfully sneaky way of bringing me around to loving her characters. I especially recommend the audio edition read by Arliss Howard; he brings these panhandle voices alive, and does an amazing job with conversations involving a roomful of voices! ”

• Rated 2 stars

“I cannot say that i did not like this book but i cannot bring myself to say that i thoroughly enjoyed it either. I do not consider reading it a waste of time because i listened to it on audio while i was doing a chore and it did capture my attention. It was just different from what i would normally read and it brought insight to another world that i would normally not be exposed to.”

• Rated 3 stars

“After reading the Shipping News I would have to say this book came as a bit of a disappointment. I don't believe I even finished it.”

• Rated 4 stars

“I had ambivalent feelings about Proulx's "The Shipping News." Interesting venue for a book and I wanted to like it more than I did. I was very glad I took a flyer on That Old Ace in the Hole. She evokes a barren landscape for her narration and proceeds to fill it with gritty, fascinating life. A reminder to all of us to look carefully beneath the surface where stories linger and lives are lived just out of sight. ”

• Rated 0 stars

“I got burned out about 3/4 way through though I loved the setting. Was it just me?”

• Rated 4 stars

“Very fun book by Annie Proulx. I liked the setting and the characters in this one. Actually is probably my favorite Proulx novel yet.”

• Rated 4 stars

“It took me a LONG time to get into this book but I found myself really enjoying the wonderful, rich characters that the author built!”

• Rated 5 stars

“Another wonderufl novel from Annie Proulx. Like most of her works, it reads like a collection of short stories, and the setting (in this case, the Texas/Oklahoma panhandle) is far more important than any of the characters. Although the mood shifts from dark to light (as in all her works), this book is perhaps more lighthearted than her usual.”

• Rated 1 stars

“This story was PAINFUL to get into. I plugged through because I was reading it for book club. In the end, it was OK. I finally started relating to the character toward the very end. This is not a book I'd pass on to friends I like.”