The Shipping News, by Annie E Proulx

A good, solid story that really draws you in. I marginally prefer 'Another Ace in the Hole' but both books are brilliant. The author describes weather so well - and from the freezing cold of Newfoundland to the desert heat in Another Ace in the Hole.

Earthy and eccentric, heart-warming without being remotely schmaltzy. I love this book. When I finished it I felt bereft. Its setting is a chilly and inhospitable Newfoundland, but the book makes the place sound humanly magical.