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maitrey_d's review
3.0
Extremely overwrought prose, filled with cliches and at times repetitive statements. I really wonder if the book was ever seriously edited. And a travesty when you compare it to Corbett's own taut style of narration.
Although Huckelbridge makes some attempt at addressing Corbett's paternalism in his writings, I was struck by the fact that Huckelbridge cannot shake off his own bumbling white guy act. Particularly egregious was the not-naming of Indian/Nepali names throughout the book (although Huckelbridge thanks his native guides by name), especially the tahsildar of Champawat who played such a crucial role in Corbett's hunt of the maneater. Corbett didn't name him in his original account, and neither does Huckelbridge in this one, despite the fact that he tracks down the name in colonial records to verify Corbett's story. It left a particularly sour taste in the mouth, despite the fact that Huckelbridge is otherwise sympathetic to local environmental and conservation causes.
I only liked the bits that had a very brief and readable account of environmental changes in both Nepal and Kumaon at the turn of the 20th Century.
Although Huckelbridge makes some attempt at addressing Corbett's paternalism in his writings, I was struck by the fact that Huckelbridge cannot shake off his own bumbling white guy act. Particularly egregious was the not-naming of Indian/Nepali names throughout the book (although Huckelbridge thanks his native guides by name), especially the tahsildar of Champawat who played such a crucial role in Corbett's hunt of the maneater. Corbett didn't name him in his original account, and neither does Huckelbridge in this one, despite the fact that he tracks down the name in colonial records to verify Corbett's story. It left a particularly sour taste in the mouth, despite the fact that Huckelbridge is otherwise sympathetic to local environmental and conservation causes.
I only liked the bits that had a very brief and readable account of environmental changes in both Nepal and Kumaon at the turn of the 20th Century.
simlish's review
3.0
Sometimes you want to read a horror story featuring an apex predator. This is a good book for those times. The horror is about equal parts environmental mismanagement and how colonialism really wrecks a place and "holy shit, a tiger can run 40 miles per hour AND has a thousand pound bite strength?"
This book read like the author wanted to be writing the biopic for Jim Corbett, slayer of man-eaters and conservationist. It's heavily sourced from Corbett's writings about the experience, and therefore gets more into his head than nonfiction often tries for. It also gets very cinematic in descriptions of the tiger and how she must have felt. If that's a plus for you, or at least not a deal-breaker, it's a good book!
Huckelbridge alternated the biopic-y chapters with the ones I personally liked better, which were a wider view of the conditions that create man-eaters and allow them to thrive. Colonialism really is a horror story, and sometimes it features charismatic fauna!
This book read like the author wanted to be writing the biopic for Jim Corbett, slayer of man-eaters and conservationist. It's heavily sourced from Corbett's writings about the experience, and therefore gets more into his head than nonfiction often tries for. It also gets very cinematic in descriptions of the tiger and how she must have felt. If that's a plus for you, or at least not a deal-breaker, it's a good book!
Huckelbridge alternated the biopic-y chapters with the ones I personally liked better, which were a wider view of the conditions that create man-eaters and allow them to thrive. Colonialism really is a horror story, and sometimes it features charismatic fauna!
lanieslibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
4.0
cashleykate's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
3.75
A really interesting book that also focuses on conservation and the reasoning to why species like tigers end up attacking humans. I had never heard of anything like this but I am now ten times more afraid of tigers— thankfully I’ll never be that close to one.
jan2bratt's review
3.0
Very interesting, I learned more about tigers, but the story dragged in places. The gist of it was fascinating.
maddyb001's review
3.0
This book was a surprisingly great mix of history and ecology. I liked how he centered the local people in a story that very easily could have been a Jim Corbett show.