Carolyn O'Neal
asked:
I enjoyed Flight Behavior and felt it struck a nice balance between science and story. How did other readers feel about this balance? Was there enough science? Too much? Did you skip through the science to get to the story? Or the other way around? My books also integrate science into the story so I am interested in what other readers thought.
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Mom
I am not a scientist but I appreciated the science. Did find myself skimming the science sections a few times to get back to the story, so for me, a bit less science would've been fine.
I appreciated the sociological insights the most.... how/why some people can doubt climate change and resist scientific information. The book increased my understanding of those who don't think as I do.
I appreciated the sociological insights the most.... how/why some people can doubt climate change and resist scientific information. The book increased my understanding of those who don't think as I do.
Karen Malin
I feel it had a great balance between the two. The story was not side tracked by the science and was needed to show Dellarobia's growth. I also hope it was enough to make some people who don't believe in global warming to start understanding that it s real and is a threat to our existence.
Judy
If anything, I liked the science better than the story. A great book - I loved it.
Kim
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Jim
It was enough science to make the story plausible and keep Ovid and the students there for as long as they were.
Cat
I am as far from a scientist as can be imagined, yet I'm not having any issues following the scientific dialogue. Of course, I'm only halfway through so far...
Eithne Carter
I liked the balance, but I'm an environmental scientist. I can imagine that the detail in the book might be a stretch for anyone who isn't familiar with the scientific terminology.
I'm wondering if this book raised anyone's concerns about climate change? Or do Barbara Kingsolver's readers already have that kind of environmental awareness? (Maybe I should pose this as a separate question on this forum?)
I'm wondering if this book raised anyone's concerns about climate change? Or do Barbara Kingsolver's readers already have that kind of environmental awareness? (Maybe I should pose this as a separate question on this forum?)
Cathy Johnson
I found the balance to be a bit heavy on the science side, particularly considering Dellarobia's educational background. Clearly she is intelligent and a quick learner, but even so, I just found it a little difficult to imagine many of the things a little hard to imagine. Having raised monarchs myself over the last couple of summers and following ecological changes that have been stressing them, I still had a little difficulty with some of the science.
Tempe Luvs Books
The science is what kept my Interest. I almost abandoned the book but the science kept me going because of my love of Monarchs and wanting to know how the book ended.
Liesl Bailey
Oh yes, I thought they were beautifully balanced. It was like attending a thoughtfully combined course of Sociology and Zoology.
Greg
The science was a mixed bag. The books offers much to learn about the butterflies and their behavior, but the idea that the butterflies would move their winter home from Mexico to Tennessee, from one year to the next, stretches the science beyond the breaking point. The location is too contrived. It was chosen so the author could make a social statement as well as an environmental statement.
Some animals and insects have started migrating north due to climate change, but the migration rates are on the order of 20 miles per decade, not 1000 miles per year...
Some animals and insects have started migrating north due to climate change, but the migration rates are on the order of 20 miles per decade, not 1000 miles per year...
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