Carol in CO

Monster Story- Don't Choose for Yellowstone or Wolf Science

Revisado: 11-25-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I wanted to love this book- I have spent up to a month every year in Yellowstone for two decades, observing wolves and other predators and have recently enjoyed several stories involving endangered and rediscovered extinct creatures. Perhaps I am too familiar with this genre.....I was disappointed and tempted to DNF but continued reading as I was gifted the book in exchange for an honest review
The plot is intriguing but the setting was not described well enough to feel familiar and the description of typical behaviors of both animals and humans within this space was laughingly stereotypical and annoying. The bouncing poobs of women, the sneering of teens, the fear of wildlife managers.. made me cringe and detracted from the storyline
I am glad I stuck with it until the end, though, as the action quickened and actual places in the park were referred to to give some context. It was an exciting "monster story" but the science of wolves and the nature of managing wildlife within this national park was misrepresented Read it for the intrigue but don't count on credibility.

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Disappointed on several levels

Revisado: 12-14-22

While I preordered and anxiously looked forward to the arrival of this third adventure of wildlife biologist Alex Carter, I have to admit my disappointment on several levels. The local community distain of conservation efforts and the mental derangement of the opposition is becoming too predictable. While the blow- by- blow description of every conflict reads like a movie script, it becomes exhausting when the climax of the book is bathed in the constant physical violence. And finally, the narrator is infuriating with her constant fluctuation in volume and quizzical intonation.... it was impossible to listen to this while driving as the volume needed to be so loud to hear the end of each sentence- making the beginnings painful.
I did learn a bit about mountain caribou and I enjoyed the description of the wilderness areas but I won't be anticipating future volumes quite so anxiously... especially the audio version.

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Interesting perspective

Revisado: 12-04-05

Listening to Jane Fonda read her own autobiography is a treat. Her perspective of events that are so memorable- whether personal accounts of people we all know of, or events in the news- her story takes us through a tumultuous time. Her defensiveness shows through in the most threatening accounts, but overall she presents a clear narration from her viewpoint and experience. Interesting.

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Memorable characters and situations

Revisado: 12-04-05

Smithy takes off on his journey rather awkwardly, to say the least. Getting to know his family and reliving significant lifetime events is yet another journey. Along the way, we meet seemingly unrelated characters in situations that are unexpected and vastly varied. Smithy faces a call for closure, and meets it in all aspects of his life. The narration was simply satisfying- enhancing the experience of the story itself.
The story becomes nearly unbelievable in spots, and is conspicuously predictable on a large scale- which is why my rating is not a 5

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An unusual life story

Revisado: 02-21-05

David Winkler spends his life in places and situations that seem extreme contrasts- from Anchorage to Ohio to Caracus and St. Vincent. Water in all its forms is the unifying theme- encompassing childhood wonder, adult concern, distance, danger, scientific investigation and fascination with life in general. I was drawn in by the dreams- but in the end was captured by the lives of each unique character and the challenge of each unique setting. I found the story unpredictable and deep, with connections to the past finding there way into every unusual situation. There is a strong, somewhat unorthodox message about family, friends, and what it means to care about others. A nice mix of science, travel and the complexity of humanity.

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Fascinating facts and the stories behind them

Revisado: 07-24-04

Wonderfully enlightening, pulls together the history and evolution of scientific knowledge on a wide range of topics. Light, yet factual. I particularly appreciated the glimpse into the lives and personalities of the people who have contributed to our understanding of the world around us! Frequent opportunities to relate this to conversations, news and observations every day.

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Spellbinding

Revisado: 07-24-04

One of the most unique stories I have ever read. I tend to prefer books with a basis in science- Crichton, Cornwell types- and can be critical if facts don't mesh. This story kept me spellbound- with time as a variable, it seemed inevitable that something would seem out of place along the way- but the author is amazing! Her sense of personality development over time, and the complexity of what has and has not happened in the lives of each character at a given moment provides delightful encounters within the story and fascinating revelations for the reader. I was in awe at how time travel wove the story together out-of-order, but so strategicly . . .the significance of each scene is revealed subtly as the story unravels. Only two regrets- the ending seemed hollower than I expected (I suppose life is that way)- I wanted more of a sense that the story continued . . . and I often wished I could refer back to previous chapters - to follow the sequence of events more closely for each character. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more by this talented writer!

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