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alwyshaveabook82's review
Fascinating - great to have this on my bedside table as I unwind at night.
He is an excellent informative writer. Deep Time, Geologists of the Past, and unravelling the mysteries of how Italy was formed.
I appreciate the way he clearly discusses the research, then the findings, and the new research.
He is an excellent informative writer. Deep Time, Geologists of the Past, and unravelling the mysteries of how Italy was formed.
I appreciate the way he clearly discusses the research, then the findings, and the new research.
cisko's review
4.0
A relaxed, conversational tale of the geology that formed Italy, told by a geologist who helped uncover parts of the story. Alvarez tells the stories with an (auto)biograpical bent, focused both on how he first experienced Italian geology and how its stories were teased out by geologists over centuries, understanding one piece of the puzzle at a time. Alvarez makes the stories personal and relatable, which grounds the immense forces and unimaginable time in very human experience. I do have some frustration with the book: as an avid reader of geological works, it gets tiring to have to read yet another explanation of basic concepts like deep time or thrust faults or paleomagnetism. I understand why Alvarez can’t assume geologic knowledge on the part of his readers, but I personally would much prefer stories of the investigations, findings, and epiphanies to one more explanation of the three main classes of rocks. But I might well be in the minority, and the very readable language of the book makes it a minor complaint in any case. Recommended for anyone who is curious about the geology of Italy, or who is curious about how complex geological puzzles are solved by the patient accumulation of research.
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