Friday, February 16, 2007

What I'm reading:
"Theatre of Fish" by John Gimlette

I recently enjoyed John Gimlette's book about Paraguay, "At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig," so when I spotted this one, about Newfoundland, I snatched it up.

Gimlette likes to mix history with his travels, which worked well in the Paraguay book, but in this case it's hard to get a clear sense of the arc of time in Newfoundland. There are a lot of snippets of different developments and political wranglings. I think it's not the best place to start for Newfoundland history But if you love the place and know some of the history already, you'll enjoy that aspect more.

I prefer the bits where he's talking about his own travels and the people he meets. A diverse group, and he is brutally honest about their flaws and charms.

No comments:

Post a Comment