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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
A fascinating story, including all the historical background. Really compellingly written, too.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
That was marvelous! Who knew there was so much history and drama behind bird feathers? If you love history and true crime, but also love and want to protect what's left of the natural world, you won't be able to put this down.
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Such an interesting read on a topic I didn't knew nothing about-- feathers, fly-tying, exotic birds and the obsession they cause!
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Told in 3 parts I found the beginning to be slow but it picked up. The information was interesting. The second part was the story of Edwin himself. I got a little bored with his story. Finally it is wrapped up with the search for answers. Unfortunately the end is very anti climatic.
Part true-crime, part natural history, this book makes it to 5 stars because it manages to make the theft of feathers from a natural history museum and salmon fly-tying so incredibly interesting. I realize that those topics don’t sound very enticing, but trust me, this book is really good. Great on audio as well. Highly recommend.
I wanted to like, I really did! It was just so unbelievably boring!! I will trudge my way through my books but I think I stopped this one three times. The second hald did pick up a little but by then I was lost. Unless you have a real love of birds (not history or true crime) or have insomnia, I would keep this off of your reading list!
4.5/5
What an absolutely fascinating rabbit hole to descend down. I went from knowing absolutely nothing about salmon fly tying (and in fact, actively disliking the notion of fly fishing) to being totally drawn into this wild caper and its fallout. It is simultaneously incredibly low and high stakes in such a fascinating way, and I found Johnson’s storytelling and the way he folded himself into it, almost as therapy, to be very compelling. There are a few times where the narrative strays a bit or the focus gets a tiny bit muddled, and I did wish at times that some of the supporting players were a bit more distinctive to make them shine outside of Edwin’s orbit, but overall, this was very enjoyable, and quite unlike anything I have read/listened to before. It’s not true crime in the way you might expect, but beyond the crime and punishment, there’s something deeper about fixation and obsession, and the lies we tell ourselves to keep our consciences clean.
What an absolutely fascinating rabbit hole to descend down. I went from knowing absolutely nothing about salmon fly tying (and in fact, actively disliking the notion of fly fishing) to being totally drawn into this wild caper and its fallout. It is simultaneously incredibly low and high stakes in such a fascinating way, and I found Johnson’s storytelling and the way he folded himself into it, almost as therapy, to be very compelling. There are a few times where the narrative strays a bit or the focus gets a tiny bit muddled, and I did wish at times that some of the supporting players were a bit more distinctive to make them shine outside of Edwin’s orbit, but overall, this was very enjoyable, and quite unlike anything I have read/listened to before. It’s not true crime in the way you might expect, but beyond the crime and punishment, there’s something deeper about fixation and obsession, and the lies we tell ourselves to keep our consciences clean.