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A review by joe_fru
A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman
4.0
More so than any contemporary book I’ve read, this one made me want to be a fly on the wall when Ackerman’s editors discussed the book. I wonder what early drafts looked like in terms of prose and examples/research.
There’s a lot of rich, interesting material in A Natural History of the Senses—such as the parts about music in the “Hearing” chapter, fascinating stuff about how some famous painters likely had vision problems, or discussions of perfume-making in “Smell.”
And yet:
There’s also some self-indulgence, overwrought prose, meandering paragraphs, overstated points, and occasional thinkyness. “You’ve made your point. For real,” I kept wanting to say to the author when she provides a flurry of examples about a particular sense.
I say this as someone who loves Walt Whitman’s work: this book is similar to Song of Myself in its poetry and excess. Even if her delivery isn’t for you, the material is rich and thought-provoking.
There’s a lot of rich, interesting material in A Natural History of the Senses—such as the parts about music in the “Hearing” chapter, fascinating stuff about how some famous painters likely had vision problems, or discussions of perfume-making in “Smell.”
And yet:
There’s also some self-indulgence, overwrought prose, meandering paragraphs, overstated points, and occasional thinkyness. “You’ve made your point. For real,” I kept wanting to say to the author when she provides a flurry of examples about a particular sense.
I say this as someone who loves Walt Whitman’s work: this book is similar to Song of Myself in its poetry and excess. Even if her delivery isn’t for you, the material is rich and thought-provoking.