Provinces of Night

by William Gay
Provinces of Night
book data
89 ratings, 4.35 average rating, 13 reviews (more data...)
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published
2002 (first published 2000) by Faber and Faber

binding
Paperback, 348 pages

isbn
057121214X    (isbn13: 9780571212149)

description
In his second novel, Provinces of Night, William Gay re-creates the oppressive, evocative atmosphere of the American Deep South that he first explored...more




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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 153)

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Roland
02/15/09
Roland rated it: 5 of 5 stars

I love William Gay's short stories, but this was my first read of one of his novels. At first, I didn't think it worked, seemed like he was better off in the short story form, as there was a lot of characterization but little in the way of linear plot going on.

But ultimately I came away really digging this book, too. There may not be much in the way of a linear plot, but the characters are real and intriguing, the situations fraught with tension and drama, and the writing always bre...more
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Steve
06/17/09
Steve rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Horrible people doing horrible things in between the most beautiful descriptions of weather.
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Richard
03/02/09
Richard rated it: 4 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2009
Loved this book. Gay's humor relieves some of the darkness of the Gothic night.
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Denise
05/11/09
Denise rated it: 5 of 5 stars

William Gay has a flair for writing in a Hemingway style.
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King  Dinösaur
01/23/08
King Dinösaur rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: fiction
I don't know what happened between "The Long Home" and this book, but apparently Mr. Gay forgot the proper use of punctuation, or maybe he was trying to be "avant-garde" or something. Or maybe he got hit on the head and suddenly thought he was Hubert Selby, Jr.

The story is still good, but the lack of grammatical rules is atrocious.
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Matthew
01/07/08
Matthew rated it: 2 of 5 stars

Read in April, 2009
Gay clearly has an intimate understanding of life in small town Tennessee, although sometimes the writing didn't do justice to his understanding. Provinces of Night also lacked a strong sense of place, which I think would be necessary to fully capture the lives of the characters. I enjoyed it, but wish it had been a littler "meatier."
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Jess
10/25/07
Jess rated it: 4 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0385499280)

Read in October, 2007
Gay has spent most of his adult life working as a carpenter and writing on the side. He started publishing in 1999, when he was in his late fifties. In erudite, dulcet prose, he tells a semi-autobiographical story of three generations determined to destroy themselves and each other in the rural South.
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Laura
01/11/08
Laura rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0385499280)

Read in January, 2006
I have a photo of Sir Gay on my wall. His book is wonderful, gruesome, intrusive and honest. To meet him after reading this book was astonishing. He´s so very quiet and introverted but his book just screams. He lives in a trailer cabin thing in the mountains and I´ve used his bathroom.
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Marginalia2
Reading William Gay is like sitting down and listening to someone tell you a story that wends its way into a territory that is haunting. His writing, so full of images and power, is full of the cadences of the south.
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Christopher
A phenomenal writer in the tradition of Faulkner, southern gothic at its best. Think Cormac in his Tennessee phase. Similar in style to Cormac McCarthy, but a voice all his own.
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Cory
04/22/08
Cory rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in March, 2008
One of the best books that I have read in years, possibly ever. I wish more people would read this book, because it is that good. Just a true Southern gem.
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John
07/02/07
John rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2007
Best book I've read this year. If you've never read Gay, you're missing one of the best contemporary writers around.
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Mac
08/21/07
Mac rated it: 4 of 5 stars

A Southern writer- loss, love and family in the hills of Tennessee.
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Gary
07/05/09
Gary rated it: 4 of 5 stars


Chris
06/24/09
Chris rated it: 5 of 5 stars


Jim
06/21/09
Jim rated it: 5 of 5 stars


Lelia
06/01/09
Lelia rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0385499272)

Read in June, 2009

Kyle Minor
05/31/09
Kyle Minor rated it: 5 of 5 stars


Aileen
05/17/09
Aileen marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Dancinqt5013
05/13/09
Dancinqt5013 marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read


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Provinces of Night (Hardcover)
Provinces of Night: A Novel (Paperback)
Provinces of Night (Audio Cassette)










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