Her work is loved by her fans, but it's not to everybody's taste (including mine, to be honest).
Nor mine. I diligently trudged my way all through the Shipping News, and it was the most
depressing and disconcerting tale. I personally fear ever ending up with as bleak an outlook on humankind and our lives, prospects and personalities as that book conveyed to me. And as for "Close Range" - if I hadn't known exactly which short story ended it, and had just started reading from the beginning, I'd never have gotten to the end and would never have read Brokeback.
In a way I don't wonder that Annie Proulx comes across as crabby and huffy in the few interviews I've read. Having an active reflective mind occupied with creating and conveying the bleak fictional characters and ditto storylines she gives the reading world, must take a toll. I can only speak for myself, but I would be permanently depressed and robbed of all my humour, such as it is, if it were me.
Brokeback has a strange grace and light to it, compared to the other stories of hers I've read. And I'm pretty sure I won't read any more.
I do still read Brokeback fanfics though. I do admit to somewhat naively hoping for a happy ending for all, inclusive of Jack and Ennis.
I still marvel at any person clueless enough to actually send her their happy-ending stories and telling her "this is how it should have ended". She's got every right to be royally PO'd at that.