Accordian Crimes

381 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 1996 by Scribner.

ISBN:
9780684832821

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1 star (1 review)

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Annie Proulx brings the immigrant experience to life in this stunning novel that traces the ownership of a simple green accordion.

E. Annie Proulx’s Accordion Crimes is a masterpiece of storytelling that spans a century and a continent. Proulx brings the immigrant experience in America to life through the eyes of the descendants of Mexicans, Poles, Africans, Irish-Scots, Franco-Canadians and many others, all linked by their successive ownership of a simple green accordion. The music they make is their last link with the past—voice for their fantasies, sorrows and exuberance. Proulx’s prodigious knowledge, unforgettable characters and radiant language make Accordion Crimes a stunning novel, exhilarating in its scope and originality.

15 editions

I couldn't even.

1 star

I had no choice but to DNF this book; I couldn't continue to force myself to read it, even if I liked the concept of it. There were just too many times you could skip parts and still have a coherent story. In fact, if a lot of the unnecessary details were dropped? It would've been more fun to read.

Part of what made me at least read half of this book was that it was as if there were multiple short stories tied to this accordion and that it, somehow and without communicating, was the main character. I liked that the book was supposed to give views into multiple immigrant experiences in the US, though I found it odd that their negative experiences kept getting tied to the accordion rather than the xenophobic Americans.

But this book had too much superfluous detail. There were moments where things that weren't …