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Russell's review

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings
by Christopher Moore

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33441.Fluke_Or_I_Know_Why_the_Winged_Whale_Sings?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168444068m/33441.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33441.Fluke_Or_I_Know_Why_the_Winged_Whale_Sings?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16218.Christopher_Moore">Christopher Moore</a><br/><br/>
  <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13466452?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
  rating: 4 of 5 stars<br/>The primary thing I like about this book is its deft comic portrayal of field biologists. It captures something about field scientists ("action nerds," as he calls them) that most people miss-- the mix of joy and resignation built into the kind of obsession it takes to do the work.
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<br/>My favorite passage-- one that got me stared at for laughing uncontrollably while waiting at a gate in the airport-- was explaining why the whale-researcher hero only felt comfortable dating other whale researchers: "The only thing that being married to another scientist had gotten Nate was a reprieve from being asked what he was thinking about while lying in bed in a postcoital cuddle. The both knew what he was thinking about, because they were thinking about the same thing: whales."
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<br/>However, there are a few things that keep me from adoring Moore's books unconditionally. Mainly, my problem is that his characters, settings, and dialogue are all generally detailed and lovely and hilarious, but he's tied himself to the conventions of the comic novel plot, which generally involves series of escalating improbable coincidences to result in ever more outrageous situations. I'm sure it's possible to pull this off without moving away from the wry observational stuff that made the early, less intentionally wacky parts good. But I don't think he pulls it off in this one, and he lost me in the second half.
  <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/828068?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Russell's review
rating:
recommended for: research scientists and the people who have to put up with them

The primary thing I like about this book is its deft comic portrayal of field biologists. It captures something about field scientists ("action nerds," as he calls them) that most people miss-- the mix of joy and resignation built into the kind of obsession it takes to do the work.

My favorite passage-- one that got me stared at for laughing uncontrollably while waiting at a gate in the airport-- was explaining why the whale-researcher hero only felt comfortable dating other whale researchers: "The only thing that being married to another scientist had gotten Nate was a reprieve from being asked what he was thinking about while lying in bed in a postcoital cuddle. The both knew what he was thinking about, because they were thinking about the same thing: whales."

However, there are a few things that keep me from adoring Moore's books unconditionally. Mainly, my problem is that his characters, settings, and dialogue are all generally detailed and lovely and hila...more

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message 1: by Chrissy

05/12/2008 04:39AM

I agree with you. I usually like Chris Moore's wackiness, but it seemed over the top in this one. Even though I still enjoyed the read, it's definitely not my favorite of his.