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tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
4.0
Some books demand to be devoured; others need to be nibbled. Natural Prayers is a nibbling book. It's divided into eight sections, each one covering part of the year from a solar quarter day (Solstices and Equinoxes) to a cross-quarter or vice versa. Though the brevity of each section and the accessibility of the writing would have made this an easy three- or four-day read, I held myself to one season per day; reading slowly made me feel immersed in the progression of time and seasons.
Raymo's interests hew from the first seconds after the Big Bang to the life cycle of the malaria parasite. In all cases, he is well-schooled and well-spoken, treating his subjects with the respect and curiosity that makes both good science and good writing.
The frustrating thing about the book is its brevity, which doesn't allow Raymo a lot of depth in exploring his subjects. Or perhaps the breadth of his knowledge also limits his depth on any subject. I was also frustrated by the use of metaphor as main attraction, with the science more as a jumping-off place for memory and digression.
Natural Prayers is a lovely book, one I'm so glad to have read and am likely to read again. But it could have been a great book and misses its mark.
Raymo's interests hew from the first seconds after the Big Bang to the life cycle of the malaria parasite. In all cases, he is well-schooled and well-spoken, treating his subjects with the respect and curiosity that makes both good science and good writing.
The frustrating thing about the book is its brevity, which doesn't allow Raymo a lot of depth in exploring his subjects. Or perhaps the breadth of his knowledge also limits his depth on any subject. I was also frustrated by the use of metaphor as main attraction, with the science more as a jumping-off place for memory and digression.
Natural Prayers is a lovely book, one I'm so glad to have read and am likely to read again. But it could have been a great book and misses its mark.
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