egreiner reviewed Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Dope
5 stars
Taught it to my students
paperback, 288 pages
Published June 1, 2000 by McGraw-Hill College.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
4 stars
(19 reviews)
Review of 'Pilgrim at Tinker Creek' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This is a poetically written book with acute observations of the natural world, scientific explanations of what she sees, and theological and philosophical meditations on the meaning of it all.
She is particularly interested in the problem of theodicy (how could a loving God create a world full of suffering). "Certainly we give our infants the wrong idea about their fellow creatures in the world. Teddy bears should come stuffed with tiny bear-lice". The sheer volume of parasites and death is something that she is very struck by.
But this is by no means a miserable book. It is saturated with a radiant wonder at the marvels of nature. Although clearly inspired by Christian theology (and she works for a Wesleyan University), with many direct and indirect references to the bible, it is not narrow, and other religions are also included. "What if I fell in a forest? Would a …
This is a poetically written book with acute observations of the natural world, scientific explanations of what she sees, and theological and philosophical meditations on the meaning of it all.
She is particularly interested in the problem of theodicy (how could a loving God create a world full of suffering). "Certainly we give our infants the wrong idea about their fellow creatures in the world. Teddy bears should come stuffed with tiny bear-lice". The sheer volume of parasites and death is something that she is very struck by.
But this is by no means a miserable book. It is saturated with a radiant wonder at the marvels of nature. Although clearly inspired by Christian theology (and she works for a Wesleyan University), with many direct and indirect references to the bible, it is not narrow, and other religions are also included. "What if I fell in a forest? Would a tree hear"?
The seasons are used as a framework, but there is not really much of a narrative. The book is short enough that that doesn't matter.
The book was published in 1974. How come I only just heard about it in 2022?
Fionnáin reviewed Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
A perfect landscape painted in words
5 stars
Annie Dillard is a writer who takes joy in writing, in learning, and piecing it all together. In her most well-known book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, she perfects the art. The book is like Thoreau's Walden revised for a 20th Century audience (in fact, Dillard references the American philosopher several times) but with a more playful voice. Dillard explores the world around Tinker Creek, where she lives for the duration of the book, and interacts with the place, from watching a praying mantis egg sac hatch to standing in a field so full of grasshoppers the entire thing is moving, to a neighbour boy carrying a snapping turtle with leeches on it, to lying under the stars and considering their vastness.
Within all this, Dillard maintains a wit and a clever storytelling that is endlessly enjoyable. Every sentence drips with her own sharp prose. She is an avid reader, …
Annie Dillard is a writer who takes joy in writing, in learning, and piecing it all together. In her most well-known book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, she perfects the art. The book is like Thoreau's Walden revised for a 20th Century audience (in fact, Dillard references the American philosopher several times) but with a more playful voice. Dillard explores the world around Tinker Creek, where she lives for the duration of the book, and interacts with the place, from watching a praying mantis egg sac hatch to standing in a field so full of grasshoppers the entire thing is moving, to a neighbour boy carrying a snapping turtle with leeches on it, to lying under the stars and considering their vastness.
Within all this, Dillard maintains a wit and a clever storytelling that is endlessly enjoyable. Every sentence drips with her own sharp prose. She is an avid reader, and intersperses religious texts, philosophy, nature writing and obscure historical books with her observations and ideas. She moves from micro to macro, and paints a landscape image of this place beautifully and excitingly. Wonderful.
Matto reviewed Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Review of 'Pilgrim at Tinker Creek' on 'GoodReads'
4 stars
A young woman's writings during a spiritual year in nature. Nice to read.
drizzy reviewed Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Review of 'Pilgrim at Tinker Creek' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
It was quite fun watching the seasons change with the author. It certainly helps to have a vivid imagination while reading this book. It is full of trivia and biological information which I would not expect in a book about beauty of nature. But it shows the "ugly" side as well and shows that we can enjoy even those brutal, inexplicable parts of it.
Things that were bugging me were mostly around overly philosophical parts which are sprinkled throughout Pilgrim and last but not least - unnecessarily (from my point of view at least) complex language. It felt as if author was sitting with a dictionary next to the typewriter. But maybe that just shows how much I have yet to learn...
BethOwl 📚✍🏻🦉🇺🇦🌈 reviewed Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Review of 'Pilgrim at Tinker Creek' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
One of the best books I ever read; it changed my life. It might have helped that Tinker Creek is just a few miles away from the place I spent my childhood summers - pretty much alone with the woods and apple trees and enchantment of the mountains near Roanoke, Virginia.
