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4.5★
Most enjoyable. (Don't be put off by the ew! remarks.) A wonderfully detailed, and obviously well-researched fictional autobiography of Elizabeth Gould. In her Author’s Note, Ashley says:
“Virginia Woolf observed that ‘Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of a man at twice its natural size.’”
In the early 1800s, when John Gould was establishing himself as a zoologist and taxidermist, taxidermy had become some ...more
Most enjoyable. (Don't be put off by the ew! remarks.) A wonderfully detailed, and obviously well-researched fictional autobiography of Elizabeth Gould. In her Author’s Note, Ashley says:
“Virginia Woolf observed that ‘Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of a man at twice its natural size.’”
In the early 1800s, when John Gould was establishing himself as a zoologist and taxidermist, taxidermy had become some ...more
Sep 22, 2016
Brenda
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
read-on-kindle,
aussie-authors,
net-galley,
own-read,
historical-fiction,
arc,
2016-release
It was the 1800s and Elizabeth Gould started off working alongside her brother Charles, illustrating the many exotic birds where he worked. There she met her husband John, a zoologist and over time became prolific in her illustrations. They worked together during which time Elizabeth eventually gave birth to eight children. Her juggling of the intricacies of the job as well as her family life, plus the support she gave her passionate and dedicated husband meant she was constantly busy...
The Bird ...more
The Bird ...more
3.5. First up: this book is such a beautiful object - it's got possibly my favourite cover ever, and the inside pages are just as gorgeous. I'd have picked this up on the strength of the book design alone. Luckily though, it's a good read as well - an impeccably well researched fictionalisation of Elizabeth Gould's life. The largely overlooked wife of ornithologist extraordinaire John Gould is revealed here as an incredible woman - ambitious, talented and brave, taking on situations frowned upon
...more
3.5★
I enjoyed this all the way through until the end, which seemed a bit anti-climactic. I had an inkling of what the end would be - because I went googling Elizabeth Gould not too long into the book. But even though I figured I knew what the ending would be, it fell a bit flat, in my opinion. I really enjoyed this book, but the ending let it down a little, in my opinion - it was a 4★ read until then for me!
I'd never heard of Elizabeth Gould, a renowned watercolourist, primarily of birds, until ...more
I enjoyed this all the way through until the end, which seemed a bit anti-climactic. I had an inkling of what the end would be - because I went googling Elizabeth Gould not too long into the book. But even though I figured I knew what the ending would be, it fell a bit flat, in my opinion. I really enjoyed this book, but the ending let it down a little, in my opinion - it was a 4★ read until then for me!
I'd never heard of Elizabeth Gould, a renowned watercolourist, primarily of birds, until ...more
At first I loved this book, since I love birds and also enjoy drawing and painting birds. However, it became a depressing read with the account of Australian birds and mammals captured, imprisoned, killed and eaten. I guess that was just the way it was but I read every subsequent chapter with trepidation. I'm not into taxidermy either so didn't want to read about it. Towards the end I began to skim read just to get it over with.
...more
Aug 04, 2016
Chris
marked it as to-read
Oct 09, 2016
Stuart Barnes
marked it as to-read
Nov 01, 2016
Jules
marked it as to-read
Dec 10, 2018
Lauren
marked it as to-read
Jan 07, 2019
Kate Forsyth
marked it as to-read
Jan 11, 2024
Gillian
is currently reading it
