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How To Mellify A Corpse: And Other Human Stories Of Ancient Science And Superstition (2010)

by Vicki León(Favorite Author)

3.5 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0802717020 (ISBN13: 9780802717023)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Walker & Company

review 1: It took me forever to finish this book. Portions of the book were really interesting to me, especially the parts that dealt with ancient art and philosophy. I am very glad to have learned some of the things in this book, and I'm sure that I will reference some aspects of it in the future.The writing, however, was too cheesy and campy for my taste. Reading this book also was a bit exhausting because of León's tone. As a reader, I felt like I was hosting a know-it-all dinner guest who felt pressure to be unceasingly witty and entertaining.Additionally, León sometimes construes her sentences in a confusing way; I had difficulty following her train of thought because of the way she treats (or mistreats) the subjects within several sentences. It sometimes felt like a chore to... more pick those difficult sentences apart.
review 2: I'll be honest: this book does not belong on my "read" list. I only got to page three in How to Mellify a Corpse, and I can't see myself continuing it. I did receive it from the goodreads giveaways, however, so I feel I owe the website a review.I did not give up on this book because of horrible writing or a boring plot; on the contrary, I found the book easy to read and great for the casual history buff. I can just tell that this book isn't for me. I must admit, I was a tad offended by Leon's introduction. While I understand her point that superstitions could have limited the scientific growth of the ancient world, as a Pagan I found her 'look at the stupid little savages who believed in divination and fate' (note: NOT an actual quote) attitude insulting. This may have tainted my opinion of this book but really, I just don't want to read it. less

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