Accordion Crimes by E. Annie Proulx

Monopoly Book Challenge - Tennessee Ave. - A book with a character in the music industry.
Oldest book on TBR

I have had this book for-ev-er!! I've tried to start it a number of times but it just never seemed to grab me. Yet, I refused to give up on it, believing that I enjoyed this author. Well, I have only read 1 other book by Ms. Proulx - The Shipping News - and while I enjoyed that book immensely, this book did nothing to endear me to Ms. Proulx. Though I can't say it is entirely her fault. She writes beautifully, but I was misled by the book jacket to Accordion Crimes. It is described as a novel, spanning a century and a continent. Actually, it is a book of short stories loosely connected by a green accordion. Goodreads describes it better: "divided into nine sections", but in the end its 9 short stories. I have tried time and time again and I simply am not a fan of short story collections. Maybe if I read 1 story each day I could separate the characters, location, etc. but in each story my mind was recalling the characters from the prior story and getting frustrated that they weren't fitting into the current story. The only continuous character in this aptly titled book was the accordion itself (hence why I made it fit the Monopoly challenge!) And the only reason I didn't give up on this book was because I was waiting for something to be found. I won't spoil it in this review, but I was unsatisfied, but not for the reasons one may think.

While there was some language and xenophobia that made this book uncomfortable, as well as some graphic descriptions of violence - I can appreciate Ms. Proulx's writing.

I did learn some things as this book did span a time period of 1890 to 1980s, from Italy to America to Paris, following immigrants from Poland, Germany, Norway, their food and their polkas!

This Life magazine cover photo of the popular college stunt of phone booth stuffing (though Proulx did not attribute it to the correct photographer?)

And the beautiful Appaloosa horse which was confiscated by the US Government from the Nez Perce tribe and cross-bred almost out of existence.

Summary from Goodreads: Divided into nine sections and spanning a century and a continent, this novel illuminates the lives of the founders of a nation, descendants of Mexicans, Poles, Germans, the Irish, Scots and Franco-Canadians. Through the music of the accordion they express their fantasies, sorrows and exuberance.

Quotes: "Americans understand nothing of how to live, only to get and get and get."

"...he talks too much, they must have vaccinated him with a Victrola needle when he was a baby."