Reviews

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

dembury's review against another edition

4.0

Part memoir, part nature writing, and all-in-all a tender examination of the world around us. Nezhukumatathil's background and skill as a poet is so clear here; she write with a fervent curiosity and appreciation for plants, animals, and even weather in a way that not only paints a beautiful picture but really advocates for humans to pay closer attention to these other lives and phenomena. Some chapters feel a bit spare, only briefly touching on something before quickly changing topics, which mean parts of this book were a little surface level. And at times the blending of memoir with scientific nonfiction were highly successful (I love the fireflies and flamingo chapters) others felt more disconnected in terms of the comparisons being made.
Overall a really lovely book, one I would definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys gentle memoirs, nature writing, or flowery prose.

abea's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

janagaton's review against another edition

5.0

impeccably brilliant how she manages to weave fun facts about nature into her personal experiences. as a filipino gal myself, i found a lot of her anecdotes relatable. I'll also forever be fascinated by animals & weird plants lol. the cassowary chapter had to be the most shocking for me. but i also learned a lot about narwhals, axolotls, and flamingos from this hah i'm so glad i finally picked this up as my first nonfiction of 2024!

marissahoney's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

5.0

clemen95's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

3.5

rinbee's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

mraejohnson's review against another edition

inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

hnagarne's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective

3.75

erintowner's review against another edition

4.0

This was so cute. It's rare that I encounter views about nature that match my own sense of wonder. I just got back from the Great Smoky Mountains where there was a firefly and salamander extravaganza so those essays brought back good memories. This is a hopeful book while still encouraging stewardship of biodiversity. The thoughts about moving a lot spoke to me too. I've already recommended this book to a few people!

marireadstoomuch's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

3.75