Reviews

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller

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devakijayal's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

As someone who is pursuing a degree in science, I felt very heard by the existentialism of the narrator, and her relentless search for meaning. The way in which these scientific terms seeped into the semantics of the book was also stylistically very enjoyable. David Starr Jordan starts off as this galactic, enigmatic character that I felt incredibly drawn to - which was the point, I suppose. I think the delving into of his character, and Miller's obsession with his life becomes very gripping, especially when it goes into the detail of his relationship with Jane Stanford and his involvement in her death. It is a passionate, glimmering book, but at times felt a little mopey, a little whiny. Overall, I did enjoy it, and found the illustrations eerie and interesting.

simplymattis's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective

5.0

searssarah's review against another edition

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informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

dylly_gee's review against another edition

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3.0

At it's best, this is an enlightening account of David Starr Jordan and the shockingly little talked about effects of eugenics in this country, expertly intertwining biography, history, and biology. At it's worst, it is a trite, over-personal, and less clever than it thinks, combining grandiose philosophical musings on the meaning of life with a completely out of place recollection of a sexual encounter of the author. I'll remember this book as much for providing me valuable information as for annoying me while reading.