Journal Entry 1 by BellaMack from St Helens, Tasmania Australia on Sunday, July 16, 2006

For me this book is a 10, it has it all, once started to read I just could not put it down, the momentum never drops!!!

This is the story of a green, two row button accordion.

Its Sicilian maker has a vision of freedom and a future. In La Merica he'll make his fortune creating, with craft and consummate care, other accordions even better than this one.

Instead, in the swelter and din of New Orleans, he sees his hopes crash. One more loser is a sea of immigrant scum, he breaks his back daily for a squalid place to sleep. A dangerous turn of events knocks him into a dead end. The musician's tale ends badly, but the accordion's story is only beginning.

Out on the midwest prairie German farmers grind out music until a rock is thrown through the window. Its rambunctious music sounds in Cajun bayoux and a lonely Chicago tenement room. A Tex-Mex virtuoso conjunto player gives the accordion a secret and colours the hot Texas night with intricate runs. A French-Canadian orphan struggles to attain minimal competence on the instrument. A winner of the Polish Polka Playoffs, 1970, picks it up in a pawn shop for small change. A Basque sheepherder plays it in the mountains, a young girl rejects it for rap.

A restless nation comes alive in Accordion Crimes. Here failure and success are juxtaposed in absurd tragicomedy. For the immigrants must pay for entrance into mainstream American life by giving up identity, name and culture, most suffer ethnic hatred and contempt of their own children. Utterly original, entrancingly lyrical, Accordion Crimes is a novel which stays in the mind like and old song, tugs at the memory like a half-forgotten tune. 

Journal Entry 2 by BellaMack from St Helens, Tasmania Australia on Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Journal Entry 3 by BellaMack at Australia Post in St Helens Tasmania, International Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (10/25/2006 UTC) at Australia Post in St Helens Tasmania, International Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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Sent off today to livrecache to begin its around the world journey ... hope you enjoy it livrecache :) 

Journal Entry 4 by livrecache from Hobart, Tasmania Australia on Monday, October 30, 2006

I just love Annie Proulx's writing! I am so looking forward to reading this book. Thanks BellaMack for letting me be first. (I've been a little over-enthusiastic as a newbie bookcrosser so I have rather a lot of books to read, but somehow, this will sneak its way to the top.) 

Journal Entry 5 by livrecache from Hobart, Tasmania Australia on Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Posting the book to new Zealand today. Will journal my thoughts later . . . 

Journal Entry 6 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The book arrived today and will be read very soon.

Looking forward to seeing livrecache's journal entry about it though so please don't forget. 

Journal Entry 7 by livrecache from Hobart, Tasmania Australia on Saturday, January 06, 2007

Retrospective entry

After hanging onto this book for far too long, I found that for all that I appreciate Proulx's writing generally, I just didn't engage with this book. So for me it was a little anti-climatic and disappoointing because I had thought I'd enjoy it more than I did. I found that I was interested in some 'anecdotes' more than others. I suspect the fault was in the reader rather than the writer. Proulx's aims in writing it were probably different from mine when I was reading it: I probably needed to be reading something light to go with my my lightweight brain at the time. 

Journal Entry 8 by Sherlockfan from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Saturday, January 06, 2007

Most interested to read livrecache's retrospective entry - sorry to read of your 'lightweight brain' episode!. I am struggling with the book and now remember that a copy passed through my hands earlier. Once I realised that it was s series of short stories, not may favourite form of reading, I gave up on it. Now my feeling is that although there is a theme, and a good one as BellaMack so beautifully describes, it isn't for me. I'll try another few sections but will likely be sending it on its way as I have Honeybrook's address now.

I appreciate taking part though; thanks BellaMack. 

Journal Entry 9 by Honeybrook from Auburn, California USA on Thursday, January 18, 2007

Reading right away. 

Journal Entry 10 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Sunday, June 17, 2007

Sorry for the delay in doing this JE. This book came sometime last week, but got buried on the kitchen island (clutter, what clutter?). Thanks for sending it and the other book of poetry too. I have a few rings ahead of it. 

Journal Entry 11 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Monday, July 30, 2007

I have never read any Annie Proulx so I had no idea what she was like and if this is typical of her. I found the writing a bit, almost too descriptive, like she was trying to come up with unusual images. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it was just overwrought. The ancedotes about the people possessing the green accordion were mostly interesting but also pretty depressing. No one seems to have come to a good end, and most everyone was treated unfairly by their fellow man at some point. The ending was one of those type where I was not quite sure what happened. I guess you are supposed to draw your own conclusions. I did struggle to get through this book but I didn't exactly hate it. I would have to read at least one more of her books before I came to any conclusion about her in general.

This one is moving on to JerrilynnL in Broomfield, CO, today. 

Journal Entry 12 by JerrilynnL from Denver, Colorado USA on Saturday, August 04, 2007

Arrived in today''s mail... looking forward to reading. Thanks BellaMack for sharing. :-) 

Journal Entry 13 by JerrilynnL from Denver, Colorado USA on Thursday, November 01, 2007

Whew! This is not a novel, it's an epic story! Takes awhile to get through but keeps you hooked until the end (especially wondering about those bills...). It's on to Canada as soon as I can get to the post office. 

Journal Entry 14 by JerrilynnL at USPS in Postal Mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Friday, November 16, 2007

Released 4 yrs ago (11/16/2007 UTC) at USPS in Postal Mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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Off to Canada ... 

Journal Entry 15 by ifyouknew from Calgary, Alberta Canada on Wednesday, December 05, 2007

What a wonderful surprise to find this book in my mail today! As it happens, I'm headed to Banff tomorrow night for a relaxing long weekend of curling up by a fire in my favourite fuzzy socks and doing not much. A good book will be the perfect accompaniment, and Annie Proulx never disappoints me; I find that even the most ordinary of topics becomes exquisite in her hands. (Sorry to hear that others didn't love the book. I like short stories, including depressing ones, so I hope it is more my thing.) I'm full of eager anticipation! I'll finish it off and probably send it to Spain in a week or two. It will be relieved to get out of our cold December climate, I'm sure! 

Journal Entry 16 by BellaMack from St Helens, Tasmania Australia on Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Its actually not short stories, its the travels of the accordian during its life and the lives that it touches. 

Journal Entry 17 by ifyouknew from Calgary, Alberta Canada on Friday, December 14, 2007

I liked this book. It wasn't quite as adeptly written as The Shipping News, but it did pull me in and keep me interested to the very end. There's nothing I can say about the book that wasn't already said much better by BellaMack in her review, so I'll leave it at that.

I'll send it off to Spain tomorrow! 

Journal Entry 18 by veleta from Ourense, Ourense Spain on Monday, February 18, 2008

I've just picked it up from my mail.-

The book is huge! An excellent edition. 

Journal Entry 19 by veleta from Ourense, Ourense Spain on Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Interesting books. However, the accumulation of characters, lives, and details grew to be too much for me.

Yes, the stories are very interesting on their own, but it came to a point where I started to confuse one sad story with another. Maybe the problem with this book for me was that I LOVED each line and each nautical knot from The Shipping News, and this book didn't quite reach such quality.

I've already post the book to Bookworm-lady. 

Journal Entry 20 by Bookworm-lady from Madrid, Madrid Spain on Thursday, March 27, 2008

I fetched it at the Post office last evening... too big for my mailbox!
Thanks for sharing, BellaMack! I remember you inviting me to join this bookray some time ago...
And thanks for sending it along, Veleta!
Eva 

Journal Entry 21 by Bookworm-lady from Madrid, Madrid Spain on Tuesday, August 19, 2008

I am currently reading it, and will ask for Flambard's address...
Thanks for sharing! 

Journal Entry 22 by Bookworm-lady from Madrid, Madrid Spain on Thursday, August 28, 2008

Sorry, I cannot finish this book. I really tried! :( But I cannot get into it...
Maybe if it had been shorter...
I loved the first part, then the second one, but after a while you start thinking: What's the point? Nothing seems to be connected.
The author writes beautifully, though; I love her style and choice of words...
I would have liked to know what happened to the 18,000 dollars, mind you!
Soon to be sent to Flambard, in U.K.
Thanks for sharing, anyway!
Eva 

Journal Entry 23 by Bookworm-lady at -- Por correo -- In the mail --, Madrid Spain on Friday, August 29, 2008

Released 3 yrs ago (8/29/2008 UTC) at -- Por correo -- In the mail --, Madrid Spain

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Sent this morning to Flambard, who is next in the bookray.
Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 24 by BellaMack from St Helens, Tasmania Australia on Friday, August 29, 2008

Ahhhh bookwormlady the fate of the money is revealed at the end.

To me this book is not a series of unconnected short stories. I thought I might provide a link to an article about the book which some might find interesting :)

http://folkstream.com/reviews/smith/smith.html

I think this article pretty much sums up my view of the theme of her book and why I found it so fascinating. 

Journal Entry 25 by flambard from Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 03, 2008

What a whopper! Thanks Eva - it's arrived safely - and thanks Bellamack for arranging the ring! I'll start it as soon as I finish my current read. 

Journal Entry 26 by flambard from Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 07, 2008

A bit slow to start with, but it gathers pace and ends up as an entertaining and engaging read. Not as good as That Old Ace In The Hole, but far from being disappointing.

My favourite bit was where the surprise birthday party ended up with the birthday girl being electrocuted while washing the dishes - a laugh-out-loud moment. And by no means the most bizarre incident in the story of the travels of the green push-button accordion!

I have the name and address for RowanneM, so it will be on its way soon...

 

Journal Entry 27 by flambard at Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Released 3 yrs ago (10/8/2008 UTC) at Horsham, West Sussex United Kingdom

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By Royal Mail to RowanneM in the Kingdom of Fife!