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fallonc's review
4.0
You’ll never look at an egg the same way. Walker’s crack at this quirky series lies in a category of its own—which I suppose could be said about every addition to the Object Lessons series.
The structure of “Egg” may seem a bit jumpy to some readers, yet this seems to be Walker’s very intention: like an egg, the parts of the book could have been separated, but once put together as a whisked egg is, the parts are inseparable. From her ominous, mysterious, and unexplained broken then mended friendship with Rebecca which is never fully explained to her (purposeful) grammatically incorrect egg story excerpts from international colleagues, Walker’s “Egg” follows precise directions for ”Egg stuff” in book form.
A reader can expect to cover many topics in “Egg.” Modern hot topics such as the argument over cage free, free range, and plain old caged eggs; difficulties, successes, and failures with fertility; childhood trauma; eggperiments conducted on hot summer days; and the horror of a failed hollandaise sauce are all present in “Egg.” Yet, Walker’s storytelling technique does not result in an academic thesis on these topics, but rather a personal and highly creative narrative filled with her voice and the voices of others whom she highlights.
Deemed as fertility literature by some, “Egg” is that, and more. Walker’s book is culturally inclusive and socially conscious. The book is not for potential or failed childbearers, but for any and all. If anything, take a crack at “Egg” for a few eggcellent recipes found in the book.
The structure of “Egg” may seem a bit jumpy to some readers, yet this seems to be Walker’s very intention: like an egg, the parts of the book could have been separated, but once put together as a whisked egg is, the parts are inseparable. From her ominous, mysterious, and unexplained broken then mended friendship with Rebecca which is never fully explained to her (purposeful) grammatically incorrect egg story excerpts from international colleagues, Walker’s “Egg” follows precise directions for ”Egg stuff” in book form.
A reader can expect to cover many topics in “Egg.” Modern hot topics such as the argument over cage free, free range, and plain old caged eggs; difficulties, successes, and failures with fertility; childhood trauma; eggperiments conducted on hot summer days; and the horror of a failed hollandaise sauce are all present in “Egg.” Yet, Walker’s storytelling technique does not result in an academic thesis on these topics, but rather a personal and highly creative narrative filled with her voice and the voices of others whom she highlights.
Deemed as fertility literature by some, “Egg” is that, and more. Walker’s book is culturally inclusive and socially conscious. The book is not for potential or failed childbearers, but for any and all. If anything, take a crack at “Egg” for a few eggcellent recipes found in the book.
ametie's review
3.0
I should've paid more attention to the words "personal reflections" in the description because I was expecting a history and scientific examination of eggs. Eggs through the ages. What I got instead was eggs as metaphor, egg recipes, stories involving eggs eaten while dramatic life events transpired. Which is fine but not what I was hoping to read at the time.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review
paisleygreen's review
4.0
What a delightful book! If you're not already familiar with the Object Lessons series out of Bloomsbury, they're short (roughly 150-page) books centering around a single object: bread, passwords, hoods, glass, and so on. In the words of object-oriented ontology, this series gives objects their due, exploring how the agency of things affects us and shapes our encounters with the world. This edition, written about the humble egg, comes from Nicole Walker, an essayist and creative nonfiction teacher known for her past works Quench Your Thirst with Salt, Bending Genre, and Micrograms. For Walker, eggs are "full of potential, fragility, and fertility"--and her quixotic collection reflects these same principles (132). A master of the braided essay, Walker's prose vacillates between discussions of eggs and personal memories, relationships, or thoughts on an increasingly fragile planet. For example, in the essay "Experiment with eggs by making a hollandaise in the time of global warming," she alternates recipes for various egg dishes (souffle, poached eggs, scrambled eggs) with abstract recipes for a planetary disaster: global warming, turtle extinction, an apocalyptic novel. Other standouts: "All the eggs in China," "So many eggs, one small basket," "The incredible, edible egg," and "'The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell'-Zora Neale Hurston."
For those who prefer drier nonfiction or the more analytical prose of the Object Lessons series (like Password, one of the driest in the bunch), this book may be something new. In a strict sense, this book isn't primarily informational; it's essayistic. No, the gaps between the braids are not neatly filled in; the reader must make some inferences about how composting eggshells and an elementary school balance-the-egg-on-the-spoon game. Most of the time, these braids work. Often, they're affecting in ways that surprised me: how could I get misty-eyed at a book about eggs? In any case, this is an unusual entry in the Object Lessons series, but it's one worth picking up if you're into really skillful creative essays.
For those who prefer drier nonfiction or the more analytical prose of the Object Lessons series (like Password, one of the driest in the bunch), this book may be something new. In a strict sense, this book isn't primarily informational; it's essayistic. No, the gaps between the braids are not neatly filled in; the reader must make some inferences about how composting eggshells and an elementary school balance-the-egg-on-the-spoon game. Most of the time, these braids work. Often, they're affecting in ways that surprised me: how could I get misty-eyed at a book about eggs? In any case, this is an unusual entry in the Object Lessons series, but it's one worth picking up if you're into really skillful creative essays.
voraciousreader's review
1.0
I've enjoyed most of the books in this series, but sadly I found this really disjointed and difficult to get into.
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