I have no doubt that it I will take me at least a year to get through Lucy Ellman’s Ducks, Newburyport. As such, I will return to this page periodically to share my thoughts. This will keep me accountable and, hopefully, engaged.
3.15.20
When I purchased the book, I was not aware that it was almost entirely a single sentence. As I am often guilty of, I purchased this book because of its beautiful colours and design, as well as the size. When you see a book that is over a thousand pages, you can’t help but wonder what is so special about its contents and subject that it has been allowed to exist. And, no less, become a finalist for the most prestigious awards (Booker), and winning others (Goldsmith). I was in a particularly good mood the day I decided to begin reading Ducks, Newburyport. It was March, the sun was shining, my husband was away on a work trip, the house was quiet and the dog and I were bored. The first twenty pages (all I could manage) were long, but immensely entertaining. I stopped several times to marvel at the lists of household cleaning supplies, baking ingredients, and other free associations. I even recorded myself reading some of it, just to hear how it would roll off the tongue. I laughed. A lot. I’ve since moved on to read other things, but glance at it everyday —perhaps I will pick it up again sooner than later.