liz_svo's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0


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quarcusrubrum's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.25


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sierrabowers's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

If you like reading about science and taxonomy, this would be a good book for you. If you’re loosely interested, maybe you would as well. I am not interested in these subjects but the way the author tied the subjects into her own story about life and how the universe is not as it seems… well I was interested to know why fish don’t exist. It was good book! Definitely not what I was expecting but it was enlightening and relaxing. 

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newandhorrible's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny informative medium-paced

5.0

I suggested this book to my book club after another friend said that HER book club read it and really liked it. It was short (5ish hours on audio), and nobody had any glaring objections, so we chose it.

And let me tell you. I had NO IDEA what I had gotten us into.

This book defies every genre you try and put it in.

Part biography, part taxonomy textbook, part memoir, part coming-out story, part history-of-eugenics-and-its-ramifications, part MURDER MYSTERY???


I enjoyed it SO MUCH, way more than I thought I would based on the description. I'm so thankful my friend recommended it, and I will definitely be looking to her for more recommendations.

She lost me a little bit with justification of "fish don't exist". I'm not quite ready to give up the fish yet, but maybe someday.

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strawberrymoonceci's review against another edition

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informative reflective

4.5

This was an incredibly interesting book. She paints such a vivid picture in all the scenes, even the ones she didn't witness. I was very curious about the name of the book, I was also curious about the importance of this taxonomist. It was a gripping read, fascinating really. The audiobook version is wonderful, and I found the little nugget included at the end so heartwarming. This definitely made me want to read more book about natural history.

I absolutely did not expect the plot twists to include murder and eugenics! I think it's very interesting how Robert Starr Jordan went from allegedly covering up a murder, feeling wracked with guilt about it, to making eugenics his new purpose in life. What an absolute monster. The book is a masterclass in how to write a villain. In the beginning you hear mostly praise for him, there are definitely criticisms but you can see the author choosing to focus in his great capacity for perseverance, only for it to take a dark change, and for him to end up being responsible for the death, torture and mutilation (amongs other things) of tens of thousands in the US alone. Also, the US was the first country to make eugenics into national law. Which is so interesting considering the national narrative about it role in WW2. Not the least surprising though. I am surprised at how engaging this book was, considering I didn't like the author at all. Her writing is great, but she did not pass the vibe check. Also, fish dont exist as a category, that's the answer to the title. And Robert Starr Jordan can suck on that!

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toffishay's review against another edition

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5.0

I could not have guessed that I would be adding another 5-star reading at the tail end of the year. But each page of this book brought me new insight, new pain, new joy. And in another sense, it was nothing new. We are faced with our own lives and our natural world and we take what we can get. The writing is intense and thoughtful. It afforded me some additional perspective about the world around us and made me want to learn more about nature. And it made me cry!

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1414's review against another edition

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4.0


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adeliab's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5


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meliacoletta's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

The audiobook, read by Miller, is delightful! 

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emhunsbaker's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.75


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