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reebsforspace's reviews
216 reviews
Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver
3.5
If you love the natural world and literature and if finding yourself amongst comfort, in a library, a bookstore, a cafe in which you come across this book, I implore you to read the first section, that is all you need. Oliver captures the creative, the individual, the world, with carnal, breathy thoughts. It is not a 'squishy,' heart eyed love affair, it is a viewing of the human mind. And thus the desire for art, the calling of the forest floor, the necessity and the crazed, lurching towards complete unity with mother earth. Eventually, this leads to demolition, dissonance harbored in the human mind, of course Oliver does not recognize in the heat of it. Do you blame her? I do, just a little. The beginning of Upstream is absolutely gorgeous, and the rest, perhaps some may figure, predictably, fizzles out.
I believe Oliver was genuine in her desire to take her reader with her, upstream, but somewhere, in a marked place, let them go, and towering over such things, sharing with her, where is there to go but down when she does so?
I believe Oliver was genuine in her desire to take her reader with her, upstream, but somewhere, in a marked place, let them go, and towering over such things, sharing with her, where is there to go but down when she does so?
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
3.75
I want to make it clear my rating is for the structure and writing of this book not to be conflated with the life of the people it is speaking about.
Krakauer constructs a gripping story about McCandless’ life. I connected much with the outlook McCandless’ had. His end is harrowing.
Overall, the book was well structured in the beginning but deviated towards the middle and end. Krakauer began to go on tangents, some of which connected with the main story of the book, but much of which was filler.
Definitely an interesting read, I’m happy I got the chance to come across it.
Krakauer constructs a gripping story about McCandless’ life. I connected much with the outlook McCandless’ had. His end is harrowing.
Overall, the book was well structured in the beginning but deviated towards the middle and end. Krakauer began to go on tangents, some of which connected with the main story of the book, but much of which was filler.
Definitely an interesting read, I’m happy I got the chance to come across it.