jinjan's review against another edition
DNF'd @ 38%
I wanted to like this book so, so badly. I absolutely love redwood trees. I grew up in Northern California and my parent often took us camping up near Arcata and Humbolt. I almost went to Humboldt State for the purpose of climbing and studying redwood trees. I had heard so many good things about this book and I just can't get through it.
I am not a fan of Preston's writing and I feel like he he's tackling way to many stories and people in this book. There are so many details and names and explanations about things that don't seem important. There is too much talk about sex considering this is a nature/science book about trees. I'm nearly 40% if the way through and I still don't understand how Marie Antoine fits into all of this. And the way that Preston keeps jumping back and forth in time is jarring.
This book has too many characters to be a biography. There is nearly no science and nature just feels like a backdrop for this to be considered as nonfic in either of those categories. And worst of all, Preston fails at communicated the reverence and awe that old growth redwoods inspire because his writing lacks emotion and connection.
This book is unfocused and with every day I found myself reading less and less. It's my most dissapionting read of the year.
I wanted to like this book so, so badly. I absolutely love redwood trees. I grew up in Northern California and my parent often took us camping up near Arcata and Humbolt. I almost went to Humboldt State for the purpose of climbing and studying redwood trees. I had heard so many good things about this book and I just can't get through it.
I am not a fan of Preston's writing and I feel like he he's tackling way to many stories and people in this book. There are so many details and names and explanations about things that don't seem important. There is too much talk about sex considering this is a nature/science book about trees. I'm nearly 40% if the way through and I still don't understand how Marie Antoine fits into all of this. And the way that Preston keeps jumping back and forth in time is jarring.
This book has too many characters to be a biography. There is nearly no science and nature just feels like a backdrop for this to be considered as nonfic in either of those categories. And worst of all, Preston fails at communicated the reverence and awe that old growth redwoods inspire because his writing lacks emotion and connection.
This book is unfocused and with every day I found myself reading less and less. It's my most dissapionting read of the year.
xkay_readsx's review
4.0
Great book about Redwood trees. These trees exist along the coast of northern California and southern Oregon, they need fog, but not the salt so they are somewhat inland. The tallest one is named Hyperion 379.7 feet (115.7 m) tall and about 600 years old. It is fascinating that it was only discovered in 2006! These trees can live to 2000 years and has been around for over 240 million years!
howodd13's review against another edition
4.0
Preston describes the coastal redwoods and the people who know and study them. The stories of the people and their lives could have been more succinct. But in general, Preston effectively used their fascination--in some cases obsession--with the redwoods to convey how unique, amazing, and special these trees are. It makes me want to see the trees. But, unlike the people profiled in this book, I'm happy to have that view be from the safety of the ground.
nyssbomb's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail and Medical content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Cancer, Death of parent, Gore, Terminal illness, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism and Fatphobia
books17's review
3.0
This wasn't what I expected! I admit I didn't read the blurb very closely, and I thought it was more about the ecology of the giant redwoods. As it turns out, it was kind of a biography-by-proxy of a number of different 'tall tree hunters', and Steve Sillett in particular.
It was entertaining, but not exactly what I was after - my favourite parts were when it DID dip into ecology, the interesting environments that develop within the crowns of redwoods and so on, rather than all the touchy feely people stuff of the climbers themselves
Also a quite detailed description of how to have sex in a hammock hanging hundreds of feet above the ground while tied to a tree was something I probably could have done without.
It was entertaining, but not exactly what I was after - my favourite parts were when it DID dip into ecology, the interesting environments that develop within the crowns of redwoods and so on, rather than all the touchy feely people stuff of the climbers themselves
Also a quite detailed description of how to have sex in a hammock hanging hundreds of feet above the ground while tied to a tree was something I probably could have done without.
dancarey_404's review
3.0
Very interesting subjects (both human and botanical). But for a writer of Preston's caliber, this is oddly choppy in its execution.
oldswampy's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced