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A review by hanarama
The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World by Patrik Svensson
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
Cw: animal death, discussion of extinction and climate change
The Good:
• Interesting overview
The Bad:
• Too much memoir
You Might Like This if You Like:
• Single topic scientific nonfiction
• Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
This book is filled with interesting information about eels. It feels almost like the more you learn, the less you really know about these weird creatures. By taking us from the beginnings of humans studying eels to the present day, Svensson illustrates how mysterious these slimy fish really are.
Sprinkled throughout the scientific information are memoir-esque stories that reveal the author's personal relationship to eels and how eels played an important role in his and his father's relationship. I found these moments interesting to start, as it underlined the continuing importance of eels to humans. However, as the book went on, I felt these stories didn't add much. As a memoir, they're fine, but I picked up this book to learn about eels, not read fishing stories
The Good:
• Interesting overview
The Bad:
• Too much memoir
You Might Like This if You Like:
• Single topic scientific nonfiction
• Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
This book is filled with interesting information about eels. It feels almost like the more you learn, the less you really know about these weird creatures. By taking us from the beginnings of humans studying eels to the present day, Svensson illustrates how mysterious these slimy fish really are.
Sprinkled throughout the scientific information are memoir-esque stories that reveal the author's personal relationship to eels and how eels played an important role in his and his father's relationship. I found these moments interesting to start, as it underlined the continuing importance of eels to humans. However, as the book went on, I felt these stories didn't add much. As a memoir, they're fine, but I picked up this book to learn about eels, not read fishing stories
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent