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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
A fun light easy read about the deaths of species and people.
Didn't go where I expected and kind of felt like the journey of Mammut ended arbitrarily but still a good time, and Chris makes the "Mammoth narrator concept" easy to understand and follow on his journey.
I wanted more - a richer biography of even more events and people and places, maybe have the 'present day' sections somehow add more complexity and depth to the overall story rather than functioning mainly as an enjoyable narrative device.
But if you read a novel and the complaint is you wanted more then it's done a good job I'd say.
Didn't go where I expected and kind of felt like the journey of Mammut ended arbitrarily but still a good time, and Chris makes the "Mammoth narrator concept" easy to understand and follow on his journey.
I wanted more - a richer biography of even more events and people and places, maybe have the 'present day' sections somehow add more complexity and depth to the overall story rather than functioning mainly as an enjoyable narrative device.
But if you read a novel and the complaint is you wanted more then it's done a good job I'd say.
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Mammoth is a warm, charming, disarming, and funny book. Its critiques are perfectly balanced with revelations that made me snort-laugh (such as “Egyptians have a jizz god!”, courtesy of a fossilised penguin who is, in turn, called a “deformed duck” by the mummy with whom he shares a display). It reads as if Bill Bryson turned his hand to writing fiction. This is one for the eco-conscious and sentimental among us, who are (clearly) in dire need of a good laugh and a bit of optimism about the state of the world.
My extended review of Mammoth is available on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My extended review of Mammoth is available on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
I really enjoyed the concept and there are some moments where it absolutely shines. However, I think that perhaps the author got too caught up in trying to be funny and too attached to particular moments in history. I really thought it would have benefited to focus on more of history and not just the frame of a few hundred years.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism