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alexan13's review against another edition
2.0
A collection of nature essays that managed to be highly pretentious and mostly uninteresting at the same time. I enjoyed a few of the essays, but I should have known from the start that this writing style is ultimately not for me.
binxthinx's review against another edition
2.0
Not finished, so won’t count for yearly total.
Got pretty far in, but while some essays were actually quite good, many were uninspired or pretentious. Usual drivel about looking at roots of words and making tenuous poetic connections between concepts. Over admiring salt of the earth working folks in a condescending way. Over analyzing and looking down on people to make it fit into the theme of the essay.
Some essays were good and had interesting facts, beautiful prose, and new perspectives.
Got pretty far in, but while some essays were actually quite good, many were uninspired or pretentious. Usual drivel about looking at roots of words and making tenuous poetic connections between concepts. Over admiring salt of the earth working folks in a condescending way. Over analyzing and looking down on people to make it fit into the theme of the essay.
Some essays were good and had interesting facts, beautiful prose, and new perspectives.
andrewbenesh1's review against another edition
3.0
Coast Range is a series of reflective essays by Nicholas Keeley, written about his experiences and observations living in the mountains of Oregon. The essays broach a wide range of topics, from the ecology of salmon reproduction and farming to the historical trends in underwater gold mining. The essays also vary greatly in style; some are documentary while others are more poetic or metaphysical. As an avid consumer of natural history writing, and fan of authors like Annie Dillard who bridge natural history with more abstract ideas, I was very excited to get this book.
Despite my excitement, I found the essay collection itself uneven and unsatisfying. In each essay the ember of the author’s ideas glows brightly, but in most it never blossoms into flame. Instead the essays often seem to wander aimlessly, or get snagged in wanting to over-explain particular phenomena. At other times the author introduces ideas or conflicts that seem deeply relevant to the essay (particularly relating to the thoughts of native children), then drops them abruptly, leaving the reader to wonder why they were included at all.
There are a few essays that do really shine in this collection, and when they do they do so brilliantly. The Garden of Earthly Delights, which explores the dynamics of human interactions with the madrones trees provides a fascinating humanization of nature and meditation on the inevitability of change. The terminal essay, on newts and fire, was particularly poetic and moving. Other stories felt like they could be excellent if given more editorial attention; the stories on the coyote, steelhead recycling, and mushroom structures felt unpolished but potentially profound.
Ultimately, this essay collection left me feeling unsatisfied and wishing the author had spent more time refining his ideas. I hope to see more work from him in the future to showcase his growth!
Despite my excitement, I found the essay collection itself uneven and unsatisfying. In each essay the ember of the author’s ideas glows brightly, but in most it never blossoms into flame. Instead the essays often seem to wander aimlessly, or get snagged in wanting to over-explain particular phenomena. At other times the author introduces ideas or conflicts that seem deeply relevant to the essay (particularly relating to the thoughts of native children), then drops them abruptly, leaving the reader to wonder why they were included at all.
There are a few essays that do really shine in this collection, and when they do they do so brilliantly. The Garden of Earthly Delights, which explores the dynamics of human interactions with the madrones trees provides a fascinating humanization of nature and meditation on the inevitability of change. The terminal essay, on newts and fire, was particularly poetic and moving. Other stories felt like they could be excellent if given more editorial attention; the stories on the coyote, steelhead recycling, and mushroom structures felt unpolished but potentially profound.
Ultimately, this essay collection left me feeling unsatisfied and wishing the author had spent more time refining his ideas. I hope to see more work from him in the future to showcase his growth!
katebelt's review against another edition
4.0
CHPC book group folks who heard me talk about my participation in the Omaha Public Library book selections - this is one of my successful contributions. I liked the writing and especially enjoyed the stories about the history of the Rogue Valley and Rogue Wars, some of which I knew and some of which I didn't, and some of which I probably did and forgot. For example: when salmon die after spawning & decompose near the river bank, they provide nutrients for the trees, which keeps humans alive. We are all part of an independent ecosystem that money can't buy.
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