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271 reviews for:
The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion - Surprising Observations of a Hidden World
Peter Wohlleben
3.68 AVERAGE
271 reviews for:
The Inner Life of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion - Surprising Observations of a Hidden World
Peter Wohlleben
3.68 AVERAGE
Excellent - I learned things in a very easy, very documented and a very pleasurable way. I thought that animals were nocturnals, yes, but I didn't know why - now I do !
I also thought the book might be harder to read, but no - Peter Wohlleben is a great story teller that catches your attention and never drops it.
I also thought the book might be harder to read, but no - Peter Wohlleben is a great story teller that catches your attention and never drops it.
Great for any animal lover OR for anyone skeptical as to the depth of emotions animals are capable of.
"He is writing not as a scientist but as an observant animal lover."
- Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, introduction to Inner Life of Animals
Peter Wohlleben, who brought us the [b:The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|28256439|The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|Peter Wohlleben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464281905l/28256439._SX50_.jpg|48295241] is back with the Inner Life of Animals. My same critiques of his last book are still here. I think Peter tends towards a heavy anthropomorphism when dealing with both trees and animals. I get it still. It is hard to view other species outside of our own viewpoint. In his enthusiasm FOR trees and animals, he wants to give us a reason to love them. We naturally love ourselves, so why not talk about how animals share common traits with man? But I think that can be a dangerous precedent.
That said, Wohlleben is a natural observer. And his enthusiasm is a delight. This book was just not nearly as smooth or as surprising and delightful as the Hidden Life of Trees. Still good, just not great.
Oh, and this is just Part II of Wohlleben's 'The Mysteries of Nature trilogy'. The other books are:
1. [b:The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|28256439|The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|Peter Wohlleben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464281905l/28256439._SX50_.jpg|48295241] - my review
3. [b:The Secret Wisdom of Nature: Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things ― Stories from Science and Observation|40656946|The Secret Wisdom of Nature Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things ― Stories from Science and Observation|Peter Wohlleben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530119708l/40656946._SX50_.jpg|63189382] - my review
- Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, introduction to Inner Life of Animals
Peter Wohlleben, who brought us the [b:The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|28256439|The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|Peter Wohlleben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464281905l/28256439._SX50_.jpg|48295241] is back with the Inner Life of Animals. My same critiques of his last book are still here. I think Peter tends towards a heavy anthropomorphism when dealing with both trees and animals. I get it still. It is hard to view other species outside of our own viewpoint. In his enthusiasm FOR trees and animals, he wants to give us a reason to love them. We naturally love ourselves, so why not talk about how animals share common traits with man? But I think that can be a dangerous precedent.
That said, Wohlleben is a natural observer. And his enthusiasm is a delight. This book was just not nearly as smooth or as surprising and delightful as the Hidden Life of Trees. Still good, just not great.
Oh, and this is just Part II of Wohlleben's 'The Mysteries of Nature trilogy'. The other books are:
1. [b:The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|28256439|The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World|Peter Wohlleben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464281905l/28256439._SX50_.jpg|48295241] - my review
3. [b:The Secret Wisdom of Nature: Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things ― Stories from Science and Observation|40656946|The Secret Wisdom of Nature Trees, Animals, and the Extraordinary Balance of All Living Things ― Stories from Science and Observation|Peter Wohlleben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530119708l/40656946._SX50_.jpg|63189382] - my review
Not as amazingly amazing as his The Hidden Life of Trees, but once again Wohlleben uses his no nonsense logic and sweetly humorous real life examples to demonstrate what we all know or should know anyway. Highly recommended.
This book is terrible and I would give it 0 stars - I couldn't even finish it, it was so bad. Ticks apparently have "feelings" of Love. It has an interesting premise but a terrible execution, and it 100% does not belong in the science section of the bookstore. He uses anecdotes, conjecture and false logic to try and give his opinions the veneer of "fact". I gave up when I noticed that instead of going to primary sources (scientific journals), he instead used secondary reporting on the primary source, and cherry picked the results.
This would be the perfect audio book to take on a family road trip. The book is sweet, informative and full of entertaining anecdotes. The narrator has a very distinctive British delivery and although it works for a children's book after awhile it began to drive me crazy. Pleasant and worth a look. Having driven across country with a car full of animals and children I would have relished this listen.
Lost steam after a while.
Whilst I realise the lack of research is to blame, the overabundance of flimsy anecdotal evidence became a bit wearing towards the end. However, I do believe that animals think and feel more than we give them credit for. I just think a serious work of non-fiction needs a stronger foundation.
Whilst I realise the lack of research is to blame, the overabundance of flimsy anecdotal evidence became a bit wearing towards the end. However, I do believe that animals think and feel more than we give them credit for. I just think a serious work of non-fiction needs a stronger foundation.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Animals of all kinds have played a part in the human story from way back; they have been companions, used for work, providing and actually being the food in a lot of cases too. Whilst some have been cherished, lots have been treated as pure commodities and we have often been quite cruel usually because people thought that they were not capable of communicating or had emotions.
The latest scientific research and observations though is uncovering a very different story. Lots are known about dolphins and whales though we and not very far down the road of understanding what is being said, and it turns out there are a lot of other animals that communicate in one way or another but there is another world that is slowly being revealed. They have discovered instances of animals feeling shame, sadness, regret and as well as the way they can consciously select partners.
I really enjoyed Peter Wohlleben's first book, The Hidden Life Of Trees, a subject he knows a lot about having been a forester for around three decades, and the intimacy of his knowledge there shines like a blade of sunlight through the glade. With this, he is out of his comfort zone somewhat and even though he is drawing on personal experience and scientific research to highlight just how animals behave. Whilst it may have a grounding in science, this is primarily anecdotal evidence and also shows how we as humans project our not fully understood emotions and habits onto all sorts of different species. Still worth reading as some of the stories in here are quite entertaining.
The latest scientific research and observations though is uncovering a very different story. Lots are known about dolphins and whales though we and not very far down the road of understanding what is being said, and it turns out there are a lot of other animals that communicate in one way or another but there is another world that is slowly being revealed. They have discovered instances of animals feeling shame, sadness, regret and as well as the way they can consciously select partners.
I really enjoyed Peter Wohlleben's first book, The Hidden Life Of Trees, a subject he knows a lot about having been a forester for around three decades, and the intimacy of his knowledge there shines like a blade of sunlight through the glade. With this, he is out of his comfort zone somewhat and even though he is drawing on personal experience and scientific research to highlight just how animals behave. Whilst it may have a grounding in science, this is primarily anecdotal evidence and also shows how we as humans project our not fully understood emotions and habits onto all sorts of different species. Still worth reading as some of the stories in here are quite entertaining.