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mslaura 's review for:
Timothy; Or, Notes of an Abject Reptile
by Verlyn Klinkenborg
I loved this lyrical book, written as the musings of Timothy, a tortoise relocated from the Mediterranean to England in the eighteenth century to live out his life in the garden of the naturalist Gilbert White. The author's observations on the human condition as seen through the eyes of a tortoise are perceptive and poignant. This is a lovely and somewhat sad little book.
Ratings (1 to 5)
Writing: 5
Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Emotional impact: 5
Overall rating: 4.5
Favorite quotes
"So it is with humans. Quickness draws their eye. Entangles their attention. What they notice they call reality. But reality is a fence with many holes, a net with many tears. I walk through them slowly. My slowness is deceptively fast."
"I wish to be out of human reach. Out from under the constant stir. Laborious turmoil of this breed. Endless bother of humans. Toil inherent in their mere existence. Dizzying inability to bask or muse."
"But I wish to live in the ancient disorder of nature again. Where everything grows according to its kind. As it will or won't, without the work of human hands."
"I wish to live again in a place that is not a map of the gardener's mind. Book of nature, as humans love to think of it. But where I wish to live is not a book at all. Not an argument for the being and attributes of an unnecessary god. Not a theorem, hypothesis, or demonstration. Merely itself."
Ratings (1 to 5)
Writing: 5
Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Emotional impact: 5
Overall rating: 4.5
Favorite quotes
"So it is with humans. Quickness draws their eye. Entangles their attention. What they notice they call reality. But reality is a fence with many holes, a net with many tears. I walk through them slowly. My slowness is deceptively fast."
"I wish to be out of human reach. Out from under the constant stir. Laborious turmoil of this breed. Endless bother of humans. Toil inherent in their mere existence. Dizzying inability to bask or muse."
"But I wish to live in the ancient disorder of nature again. Where everything grows according to its kind. As it will or won't, without the work of human hands."
"I wish to live again in a place that is not a map of the gardener's mind. Book of nature, as humans love to think of it. But where I wish to live is not a book at all. Not an argument for the being and attributes of an unnecessary god. Not a theorem, hypothesis, or demonstration. Merely itself."