That Old Ace in the Hole 
A brilliant novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning Annie Proulx, author of The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain. That Old Ace in the Hole is a richly textured story of one man's struggle to make good in the inhospitable ranch country of the Texas panhandle, told with razor-sharp wit and a masterly sense of place.
Before reading That Old Ace in the Hole, one should read the first sentence. In late March Bob Dollar, a young, curly-headed man of twenty-five with the broad face of a cat, pale innocent eyes fringed with sooty lashes, drove east along Texas State Highway 15 in the panhandle, down from Denver the day before, over the Raton Pass and through the dead volcano country of northeast New Mexico to the Oklahoma pistol barrel, then a wrong turn north and wasted hours before he regained the way, it
Even when I don't love the story she is telling, Proulx's writing is so familiar and true that I love to read it. It nver fails that I will read a phrase, pause, read it over and over and be amazed that she has stumbled on a such a simply worded truth. Proulx is a writer I will always read. No matter what the story, her words are compelling.

I've read most of her books and I liked this better than The Shipping News, which is a favorite re-read and says a lot. Her writing, research and historical skills are at their peak, and the subject matters are vastly interesting to me. The random threads she weaves into the story (mid-century modern design, 1970's phone phreaking, etc.) are so detailed and factually accurate it's almost painful (in a good way.) Few other authors compare.Addendum: Proulx's writing is not for everyone and I don't
Before reading That Old Ace in the Hole, one should read the first sentence. In late March Bob Dollar, a young, curly-headed man of twenty-five with the broad face of a cat, pale innocent eyes fringed with sooty lashes, drove east along Texas State Highway 15 in the panhandle, down from Denver the day before, over the Raton Pass and through the dead volcano country of northeast New Mexico to the Oklahoma pistol barrel, then a wrong turn north and wasted hours before he regained the way, it
I resent myself a little for not liking Annie Proulx more than I do. I WANT to like her. I read the descriptions of her books and I want to read them. I buy her books. I start reading. And that's it.I just can't get into them.Her use of language is brilliant, her ideas interest me - and yet, I'm unable to relate emotionally to anything she writes. This is the third of her books that felt like that to me. I found myself enjoying her short stories quite a lot, but her novels just can't hold my
I didn't know much about this author or this book going in. I certainly wasn't grabbed by the title. But when I saw in the blurb that That Old Ace in the Hole was about hog farms, I thought it was going to do damage to the pork industry...and that did get my attention. The clincher was that Annie Peroulx won the Pulitzer once, and so I bought the Audible edition.I was wrong in one way. This book is not about hog farms. I doubt its publication back in 2002 did any damage. But Peroulx writes like
Annie Proulx
Paperback | Pages: 384 pages Rating: 3.75 | 4871 Users | 518 Reviews

Particularize Containing Books That Old Ace in the Hole
Title | : | That Old Ace in the Hole |
Author | : | Annie Proulx |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
Published | : | January 1st 2002 by Harper Perennial |
Categories | : | Fiction. Westerns. Literature. Literary Fiction |
Narrative In Favor Of Books That Old Ace in the Hole
Folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar is determined to see his new job as hog site scout for Global Pork Rind through to the end. However he is forced to face the idiosyncratic inhabitants of Woolybucket and to question his own notions of loyalty and home.A brilliant novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning Annie Proulx, author of The Shipping News and Brokeback Mountain. That Old Ace in the Hole is a richly textured story of one man's struggle to make good in the inhospitable ranch country of the Texas panhandle, told with razor-sharp wit and a masterly sense of place.
Define Books During That Old Ace in the Hole
Original Title: | That Old Ace in the Hole |
ISBN: | 0007151527 (ISBN13: 9780007151523) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Containing Books That Old Ace in the Hole
Ratings: 3.75 From 4871 Users | 518 ReviewsColumn Containing Books That Old Ace in the Hole
Before reading That Old Ace in the Hole, one should read the first sentence. In late March Bob Dollar, a young, curly-headed man of twenty-five with the broad face of a cat, pale innocent eyes fringed with sooty lashes, drove east along Texas State Highway 15 in the panhandle, down from Denver the day before, over the Raton Pass and through the dead volcano country of northeast New Mexico to the Oklahoma pistol barrel, then a wrong turn north and wasted hours before he regained the way, it
Even when I don't love the story she is telling, Proulx's writing is so familiar and true that I love to read it. It nver fails that I will read a phrase, pause, read it over and over and be amazed that she has stumbled on a such a simply worded truth. Proulx is a writer I will always read. No matter what the story, her words are compelling.

I've read most of her books and I liked this better than The Shipping News, which is a favorite re-read and says a lot. Her writing, research and historical skills are at their peak, and the subject matters are vastly interesting to me. The random threads she weaves into the story (mid-century modern design, 1970's phone phreaking, etc.) are so detailed and factually accurate it's almost painful (in a good way.) Few other authors compare.Addendum: Proulx's writing is not for everyone and I don't
Before reading That Old Ace in the Hole, one should read the first sentence. In late March Bob Dollar, a young, curly-headed man of twenty-five with the broad face of a cat, pale innocent eyes fringed with sooty lashes, drove east along Texas State Highway 15 in the panhandle, down from Denver the day before, over the Raton Pass and through the dead volcano country of northeast New Mexico to the Oklahoma pistol barrel, then a wrong turn north and wasted hours before he regained the way, it
I resent myself a little for not liking Annie Proulx more than I do. I WANT to like her. I read the descriptions of her books and I want to read them. I buy her books. I start reading. And that's it.I just can't get into them.Her use of language is brilliant, her ideas interest me - and yet, I'm unable to relate emotionally to anything she writes. This is the third of her books that felt like that to me. I found myself enjoying her short stories quite a lot, but her novels just can't hold my
I didn't know much about this author or this book going in. I certainly wasn't grabbed by the title. But when I saw in the blurb that That Old Ace in the Hole was about hog farms, I thought it was going to do damage to the pork industry...and that did get my attention. The clincher was that Annie Peroulx won the Pulitzer once, and so I bought the Audible edition.I was wrong in one way. This book is not about hog farms. I doubt its publication back in 2002 did any damage. But Peroulx writes like
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