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The Tiger: A True Story Of Vengeance And Survival (2010)

by John Vaillant(Favorite Author)

3.95 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0307268934 (ISBN13: 9780307268938)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Knopf

review 1: In The Tiger, the author writes a story about vengeance, by a tiger and the humans who hunt it. But, it's not just about them. Using this story as a platform, the author dives deeply into the Russian psyche, explains the situation of the country - the corruption, poverty, and day to day living - and also the primal connection between animals and human. It's a very interesting book that exposes the readers to a wide field of interest. However, I find that at times, the writing can be a lot better and smoother. For example, there was a part where the author was trying to describe a tiger's roar; he used half a page to do that. Perhaps he wants the reader to really feel the chill of the roar, but to me, that interrupts the climax of the story by half a page. And this is one ... moreof many times when he does it in the book. Still, if you can take your time and go through it, I think some readers will find it a very engaging read. Personally, it was fascinating for me to read about the poverty in parts of Russia, and the psyche of the Russians. It makes me really think about a lot of the stuffs that I take for granted.
review 2: I knew I would eventually read the one book that would inspire me to write my first review for Goodreads. Yet I never expected it to be this book!!I usually don't stray into nonfiction and I honestly can't remember how this ended up on my to-read list, but thank goodness it did. This book completely captured my imagination and that's what I look for in all the books that I read. I couldn't put it down until I finished it and I gushed about it to anyone who would listen (and some who didn't want to). It's spell-binding and magical and gruesome and it changed the way I think about nature in an unexpectedly cosmic kind of way.Vaillant packs a lot of information into this book, but it never felt dull or dry. The principle story is gripping and unfolds like the best detective story - except its all real and they are hunting not just a tiger but a truly otherworldly presence. The landscape and ecosystems of the Russian Far East are fantastical and eerily sentient. The men and women who make their home there are awesome and intricate and tough as nails. The history of the regions politics and culture, the people there, the economy of their lives, and the origins of human/animal interactions is all fascinating. This book filled my head and made me dream about tigers and taigas. I felt like finished it with a better understanding of human nature, animal nature, and everything in between. Read it to be swept away and moved in deep ways towards the plight of all creatures struggling to survive in worlds both alien and ancient. less

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