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100pagesaday's review against another edition
5.0
In 1845, Eliot Saxby is a naturalist who has been booked passage upon a ship sailing to the Arctic in order to settle a bet. The bet is whether or not the Great Auk is still alive. Eliot is excited by the prospect that he may be able to see and study these wonderful birds that everyone thought to be extinct. There are two other passengers on the ship, Edward and his cousin Clara. Eliot notices that Edward is quite a character, who is a little off at times and has an interesting relationship with his Clara. When Eliot finally catches a glimpse of Clara, he thinks of her as a woman who haunts his past. The rough crew and the troubled captain of the Arctic ship, Amethyst add an element of danger that the passengers can not escape.
Written with a haunting passion, The Collector of Lost Things is a poignant novel for today. Set at the time when humans began to destroy the Arctic, our destruction continues today. Many of the hunting and killing scenes were written so vividly, that I had to put the book down for a minute. Eliot's character reacted to these scenes appropriately, and I think my emotions would be similar. An air of mystery was added with Eliot's reaction to Clara and it was interesting to learn of his past. I was glad to join Eliot on his journey to find the Great Auk, and I appreciated this story being told.
This book was received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Written with a haunting passion, The Collector of Lost Things is a poignant novel for today. Set at the time when humans began to destroy the Arctic, our destruction continues today. Many of the hunting and killing scenes were written so vividly, that I had to put the book down for a minute. Eliot's character reacted to these scenes appropriately, and I think my emotions would be similar. An air of mystery was added with Eliot's reaction to Clara and it was interesting to learn of his past. I was glad to join Eliot on his journey to find the Great Auk, and I appreciated this story being told.
This book was received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
calistaw's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition
1.0
This book intrigued me a while ago and it's taken some time for me to get round to reading it. Although the characters are interesting and mysterious, and it is well written, I've just finished reading a passage where a group of seals are massacred, in great detail and I will not be reading any more.
bookswithtaylor's review against another edition
3.0
What a strange, curious piece of literature. I was truly enchanted with the tale of Eliot Saxby and his Arctic expedition to find the possibly extinct great auk. There was an air of mystery and mental disintegration that propelled the plot forward. The prose was a bit ornate at times and there were sluggish moments aboard the ship, but overall I found Jeremy Page's novel quite a pleasant, enthralling read.
truestorydesu's review against another edition
4.0
Guy goes to look for extinct birds. Has very anachronistic conservationist views for someone in the mid-19th century. He feels bad about stuff. Plus unanswered questions.
But! It's also a 19th century dudes-on-boats book. And that's one of my favorite genres.
But! It's also a 19th century dudes-on-boats book. And that's one of my favorite genres.
jennyanydots's review
4.0
Naturalist Eliot Saxby is employed to travel to the Arctic to see if he can find any trace of Great Auk, a year after they are believed to have gone extinct. The other people on the hunting ship all have secrets of their own, and the voyage is going to be long and dangerous. This was really well written and I enjoyed it, although some of the descriptions got a bit gruesome. Fast paced and engaging.
dianevr's review
4.0
This was a difficult book to read and I must admit I skipped the really hard and cruel pages. The author’s beautiful writing and the importance of the overall message kept me reading.
imyril's review
3.0
This is one of those books I appreciate rather than enjoy.
It will take a little settling to be able to muster a review - it's beautifully written, but peopled with awful characters doing unpleasant things and narrated by a damaged man whose weakness of character and sad obsession is confused for a strength of purpose.
Not one to cheer you up. Some teeth grinding to be expected. Avoid at all costs if you cannot bear cruelty to animals (the writing is strong and your imagination will be given enough suggestion to provide yourself the gory detail it explicitly avoids).
Full review to follow.
It will take a little settling to be able to muster a review - it's beautifully written, but peopled with awful characters doing unpleasant things and narrated by a damaged man whose weakness of character and sad obsession is confused for a strength of purpose.
Not one to cheer you up. Some teeth grinding to be expected. Avoid at all costs if you cannot bear cruelty to animals (the writing is strong and your imagination will be given enough suggestion to provide yourself the gory detail it explicitly avoids).
Full review to follow.
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