Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
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.
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This book was so riveting that it completely changed my attitude toward non-fiction!
informative
medium-paced
I flew through the first two sections. Johnson provides a history and tells the heist story in a way that makes feathers fascinating. The last section, though, which tells his story of his obsession, was less interesting to me and a shift from telling the story to personalizing the story; the end didn't work for me but the book is well worth the read.
Sometimes cheesy and overly dramatic, but overall a very interesting look at a subculture and hobby I didn’t know existed.
medium-paced
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
You would think a book about fly tying and birds wouldn't keep my attention but this one sure did. Thought this was well written. Part one gets into the history of fly tying and ornithology and I enjoyed listening to the background of of all of it. It paints the picture of what happens in part 2 and 3. Part 2 is the background of our thief and how he goes about his heist. Part 3 is the detective part. True story and found it fascinating and a good audio book.