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markcastaneda's review
5.0
nearly life changing. should be read by anyone with philosophical drive to understand the world, esp with environmentalist intent
kcrouth's review against another edition
5.0
This book has been on my to-read shelf for years, and I finally got around to it, prompted by a quote from the author posted on a college friend's Twitter feed. Some books, perhaps most books, I have learned to read at a faster pace, reading for concepts, ideas, plot sequences, etc. When reading in this way, sentences are read at a glance as opposed to word for word. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is different. All the way through, I found myself reading every word. The higher altitude method would not do for me, I wanted to savor every word. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is a beautifully and intelligently written meditation and memoir about life, death, nature, the world and physical universe; how to experience and understand them and how we relate to the world in which we live. Nothing is sugar coated or kept behind the curtain. Our natural world is portrayed in all its wonder and horror, and we are invited to consider what it all means, and where we fit in. After I started reading the book, I looked up Annie Dillard on the Internet and was astounded to find that she was in her late 20's when she wrote this masterpiece. I loved it, and I recommend it to all. This is my first book by this author, but I'm now anxious to read and savor more.
kcrouth's review against another edition
5.0
I read it again, slowly. Still one of my favorite books. Love it.
drollgorg's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
I chewed on this for a lot longer than I'd have expected from the slimness of the book itself. I truly wish I had Annie Dillard's talent for observation and for a careful, methodical turning over of the possibilities for significance embedded in all those things she's observing.
As such a singularly known nature writer, it's not surprising that she concerns herself with a tension that can be found after ten minutes of observing insects interacting outdoors, and that naturalists, artists, philosophers and theologians have been chewing at for centuries. How is it that the beauty which can be observed and felt in every aspect of creation can also be reconciled with the absolute amorality of universe, in which the drive of genes to out-propagate other genes has created brutality and the raw materials for all the nightmares to have ever been dreamed, 40 percent of animals being some variety of parasite and all that. Does meaning, constructed out of the universe, stand up against the meaning-consuming competition of life multiplying within limited resources?
Unfortunately, she doesn't have a definitive answer to that one. It's not all she talks about, of course, and this isn't a book that really sets out to answer the question and more just to ponder it. Along with many other aspects of mystical experience and a life lived within nature. At points I did did feel like the book was opaque, either when Dillard is trying to express some unclear and contradictory feelings or with the density of the language solidifying into some particularly thick, intricate passages. Maybe I just haven't felt some of the things she's describing. But it was a worthwhile endeavor to make my way through- the best nature writing, I think, doesn't substitute for experiencing the world yourself but it does open you to seeing things with a new lens.
As such a singularly known nature writer, it's not surprising that she concerns herself with a tension that can be found after ten minutes of observing insects interacting outdoors, and that naturalists, artists, philosophers and theologians have been chewing at for centuries. How is it that the beauty which can be observed and felt in every aspect of creation can also be reconciled with the absolute amorality of universe, in which the drive of genes to out-propagate other genes has created brutality and the raw materials for all the nightmares to have ever been dreamed, 40 percent of animals being some variety of parasite and all that. Does meaning, constructed out of the universe, stand up against the meaning-consuming competition of life multiplying within limited resources?
Unfortunately, she doesn't have a definitive answer to that one. It's not all she talks about, of course, and this isn't a book that really sets out to answer the question and more just to ponder it. Along with many other aspects of mystical experience and a life lived within nature. At points I did did feel like the book was opaque, either when Dillard is trying to express some unclear and contradictory feelings or with the density of the language solidifying into some particularly thick, intricate passages. Maybe I just haven't felt some of the things she's describing. But it was a worthwhile endeavor to make my way through- the best nature writing, I think, doesn't substitute for experiencing the world yourself but it does open you to seeing things with a new lens.
skepticcurmudgeon's review
5.0
Beautiful writing and depth of understanding from a fellow native of Pittsburgh
bluelilyblue's review against another edition
5.0
I can't remember the last time a book felt like coming home from a day-long walk with a friend. Annie Dillard sees the intricacy of the world in her backyard, turns over a river rock and uncovers a new conception of the Divine, senses the gravity of the seemingly ordinary. She walks, waits, sees, and shows how something so uncomplicated can ground one into one's place in a world of strange and beautiful things. I enjoyed the way that the theological wonderings arising from observations of animals, plants, and landscapes echo the Romantics' approach to the sublime--accepting the interweaved beauty and horror of the living world and learning the love of what would instinctually be repulsive or frightening; awfulness, both in the new and the old sense of the word. Annie Dillard is knowledgeable and spiritual in a wholly unpretentious way, guiding the reader through the quiet rituals of paying attention and being open to the nonhuman world with such tenderness. I might have fallen in love with her and with her wonderful nature journal/ philosophical inquiry/ cabinet of curiosities.
suebrownreads's review
3.0
Some of this book I really enjoyed. Some was hard to get through. It almost seemed like a collection of essays. Many paragraphs within chapters seemed completely unrelated, and I mean completely unrelated. There was no real common thread to tie the whole book together. As a lover of nature and someone who has spent much time in the outdoors, I did enjoy many of her scientific examinations and explanations. I did have a hard time making myself finish the book, which is why it took me more than a a year to read. I am sure this book is meant to be artistic, philosophical, and revolutionary, but I prefer something more direct with a better flow of subject and character. Yes, I am aware that she won a Pulitzer prize for this book. So who am I to criticize, but I am not the only one. Some of the top reviewers of the time criticized her for the same things, and I have to agree. Did I say that some of this book I found beautiful? Well, some of it was just beautiful!