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Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea
Maybe someday
40
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
63/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Bill François, Antony Shugaar
Publisher:
St. Martin's Press
Date:
August 17, 2021
Bill François takes us on a deep dive into the secret lives of the worldâs aquatic creatures, from musical whales and immortal eels to the cod that discovered America and the herring that almost caused a military conflict.
What The Reviewers Say
François eschews the usual roundup of career achievements and research milestones in favor of a compendium of observations and anecdotes from an earnest aficionado, an environmentalist devoted to the seas. It’s a voice that suits him well, and his enchantment with and affection for the watery world about which he writes radiates from every page.
Readers who appreciate nature stories will like this short, punchy book, although some transitions in the storytelling are bumpy, and readers will need some background knowledge in order to understand a few of the references. This pop science book is inflected with memoir, with François narrating his travels around the world and describing his friends in various subcultures, but there is little development of figures beyond the author. The book is really about François’s connection with marine life.
François has written something difficult to categorize: a symphony, a paean, an ode expressing his love for everything to do with the sea.
... illuminating.
