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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Quick easy read, like his writing style. If you are looking for an in depth travelogue of Oaxaca this isn't it, he spent 10 days there doing the normal touristy things plus looking at a lot of ferns. Personally I liked the botanical lean of the book and the random science facts and discussions had by him and his fellow fern loving travelers but this book is definitely not for everyone in that regard.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
[…] [I] prefer the green and scentless world of ferns, an ancient green world, the world as it was before the coming of flowers. A world, too, with a charming modesty, where reproductive organs – stamens and pistils – are not thrust out flamboyantly but concealed, with a certain delicacy, on the undersides of leafy fronds. (p. 42)
Récit délicat de fougères & de ferveur botanique à Oaxaca, au Mexique. Sacks est un observateur empathique, d'une timidité un peu touchante, qui détaille les scènes qu'il voit sans s'y imposer. Ce que j'ai le plus aimé des journaux qu'il recopie ici, c'est que son regard est empreint d'une poésie qui, sans être involontaire, garde toujours une part d'émerveillement qui semble comme merveilleusement authentique. Doux & juste un peu pédant.
Love Oliver Sacks' perspectives and thoughts on life, loved reading about Oaxaca. And I learned his middle name is "Wolf". :)
It was only toward the end that Sachs seemed to finally fall under the spell of this amazing, magical region of Mexico. Granted, he was there with a bunch of fern fanatics collecting specimens and looking mostly at plants, but still.
Despite his slow response to Oaxaca, it is nice to read in some detail about the landscape of the area.
Despite his slow response to Oaxaca, it is nice to read in some detail about the landscape of the area.
The eminent neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks visits Oaxaca, Mexico, with members of the American Fern Society. Sacks was an inveterate journal writer,and with enthusiasm writes about ferns, Mexican culture and spending time with his fellow travellers. Oaxaca Journal is a short book, just shy of 120 pages, but it's loaded with insight and makes for a wonderful read. I loved this book and lingered in it's pages longer than I normally would. Highly recommended for just about anyone.
The reason I read this book, is because I'm visiting Oaxaca and I thought it would give me some insight into the culture in the town, the area, etc. Well, it did that and it also had a bunch of stuff about ferns that was honestly pretty boring.
I liked the writing, and the perspectives on Monte Alban, Mitla, the Tule Tree, etc but I glossed over the latin names of ferns that the author was constantly dropping. As a journal about Oaxaca, I'd say it was about 60% interesting about the town, the area, the culture, the people, etc.
Overall, a quick and enjoyable read with good introductory info about Oaxaca and the surrounding area. Recommended for botanists and people visiting Oaxaca.
I liked the writing, and the perspectives on Monte Alban, Mitla, the Tule Tree, etc but I glossed over the latin names of ferns that the author was constantly dropping. As a journal about Oaxaca, I'd say it was about 60% interesting about the town, the area, the culture, the people, etc.
Overall, a quick and enjoyable read with good introductory info about Oaxaca and the surrounding area. Recommended for botanists and people visiting Oaxaca.
A lightly amusing read that serves as a good warm-up for someone heading to Oaxaca. Amazing to me that someone can get a whole book out of journal entries written on a one-week prepaid botanical tour; the fact that it succeeds in being readable is credit not only to Sacks' fame in other fields, but probably also to his skill as a writer and a thinker. And the micro-culture he describes (of the fern aficionados, not of Oaxaca itself) is appealing.
I’m such a sucker for quiet, introspective nature-focused books. I had no idea this one would hone in on ferns while Sacks visited Oaxaca on a trip with the American Fern Society. I love his reflections on his fellow travelers, the local flora, and the contemporary and historic cultural heritage of the area: they are astute observations that reckon with time and place. Even before he leaves Oaxaca to head home, the reader encounters a sense of yearning for a place he hasn’t even yet left behind.
If you like this, try Susan Hand Shetterly’s Settled in the Wild, which is one of my absolute favorites of all time.
If you like this, try Susan Hand Shetterly’s Settled in the Wild, which is one of my absolute favorites of all time.