Scan barcode
jamiezaccaria's review against another edition
4.0
A blend of personal memoir and natural history this book tells you everything you wanted to know about the eel while maintaining a beautiful narrative.
somestuff's review against another edition
3.0
highlights were def the history (loved the ira fishing rights, swedish clergy given fishing rights, mummified eels in sarcophagi and eels during initial colonization of america info) and science and the low points were the freud chapter (way too much freud for a book on eels tbh didn’t spend a chapter on every other researcher ever who had spent a year on eels so) and the section on literature about eels
but i had a good time and learned a lot abt what we’ve learned in the last 2 decades or so abt japanese eels
big plus is i’ll never forget the term sargasso sea again and will remember the stages of the eel life cycle quite well now too
but i had a good time and learned a lot abt what we’ve learned in the last 2 decades or so abt japanese eels
big plus is i’ll never forget the term sargasso sea again and will remember the stages of the eel life cycle quite well now too
overallsonfrogs's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This might be one of the best pieces of science writing/ literary nonfiction I’ve ever read
mrsmobarak's review against another edition
This book included everything and the kitchen sink.
minbokhorna's review against another edition
Jag bryr mig inte så värst mycket om ålar för att vilja läsa en bok om det på 300 sidor ish 🙄
snapbea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
justworm's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
an incredible reflection on humanity’s relationship with the eel, and what it means to the author specifically
cindypepper's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)
A charming, quirky read that is truly a memoir in a book-of-eel's clothing. It reminded me a little bit of H is for Hawk: meditative and introspective, with an animal species and familial grief as the lens for reflection. I did learn a lot about eels (I read this around Thanksgiving and was very surprised to find that eels were thiiiisclose to becoming turkey as we know it today!), and the different histories that Svensson chooses to explore (Aristotle, Freud, Schmidt) are quite fascinating. The book does tend to bop around a memoir, different historical moments involving eels, and philosophical surmising of the inscrutable nature of the eel -- perhaps in the same slippery nature of an eel! -- but it is a short enough read that the constant zigzagging of chapters shouldn't hamper the enjoyment of the book.
A charming, quirky read that is truly a memoir in a book-of-eel's clothing. It reminded me a little bit of H is for Hawk: meditative and introspective, with an animal species and familial grief as the lens for reflection. I did learn a lot about eels (I read this around Thanksgiving and was very surprised to find that eels were thiiiisclose to becoming turkey as we know it today!), and the different histories that Svensson chooses to explore (Aristotle, Freud, Schmidt) are quite fascinating. The book does tend to bop around a memoir, different historical moments involving eels, and philosophical surmising of the inscrutable nature of the eel -- perhaps in the same slippery nature of an eel! -- but it is a short enough read that the constant zigzagging of chapters shouldn't hamper the enjoyment of the book.