jodiboe's review against another edition
4.0
Picked this book up at a used bookstore in Whitefish, MT on a ski trip. So glad I did. Although I didn't understand a lot of the terminology or concepts related to the geology referred to in the book, I thoroughly enjoyed its intertwining of science and history. Altogether this was incredibly interesting read and I cannot wait to drive through Wyoming once again and take a look at the landscape through a new lens thanks to the perspective gained from this read.
danjewett's review against another edition
5.0
As I move closer to the end of the dizzyingly quick years allotted for a lifetime on this planet, it is comforting to let McPhee’s exquisite storytelling place that lifetime in a context comprised of millions and millions of years of slowness.
ben_todd7's review against another edition
3.0
Solid geology. Story is a little all over the place and it was hard for me to get into the story.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Book 3 of this series I am slowly making my way through. This one was a mixed bag, which is what I expect. The geology is hard to follow but intriguing. The history of one geologist in Wyoming and hist family was fascinating. Maybe I like westerns more than I think I do. And then we were back to talking geology - hot spots and the some mining and my brain turned off and every page took forever to read. But the other parts of the book definitely made up for the end parts. Pretty writing as always.
barnaclethereal's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
So far the best of the bunch. I love the way he bounces back and forth between the stories. Incredibly well written. Feels like reading this book is like someone cranking an electromagnet in Wyoming, dragging me willingly to the geology. I love it.
autumn_dannay's review against another edition
4.0
Much more enthralling than Basin and Range. I enjoyed the intertwining of Dr. Love's personal history and the geologic history of Wyoming. Throughout, I felt just as conflicted as Love does about the changing nature of our planet's resources and the changing face of Earth.
jackieeh's review against another edition
5.0
About an area I know very well, read in one sitting mere miles from that very area. I definitely heard “geology,” and went, “no thanks,” for many years until I ran out of books on vacation and this was the one left. Very happy to be wrong.
rhogregoire's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I like how this mixes a semi-biography with the geology of Wyoming. I think it can get a little jargony at times, but I liked reading it partway through the Stretch, when I hadn't been to Wyoming but did know most of the jargon that sometimes got thrown around. It gives a good idea of what the 1986 understanding of the region's geology was, and how that was mapped and understood. The last section on Basin and Range formation was a little painful to read after learning how B&R formed. Our understanding of the region has developed a lot from the '80s: plate tectonics was only barely understood, and poorly linked to the topography. Otherwise pretty good