Spirals in time

the secret life and curious afterlife of seashells

304 pages

English language

Published Dec. 24, 2015

ISBN:
978-1-4729-1136-0
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OCLC Number:
911071461

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4 stars (2 reviews)

Offers an examination of mollusks, their shells, and their role in human culture, as well as their susceptibility to the effects of humans on the environment.

1 edition

reviewed Spirals in time by Helen Scales (Bloomsbury sigma -- bk. 4)

Review of 'Spirals in time' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The author struggles to find a consistent voice and doesn't seem to have much of a sense for what makes a compelling narrative. There's not really a coherent overarching organization that would tie the various subjects or narratives to each other, even within the chapters she changes subjects very abruptly. She doesn't seem to know which parts of her story will actually be interesting to a casual reader, often barely mentioning a quite compelling fact or story, only to dwell for ages on the ins and outs of some minor historical disagreement among researchers, for example.

That all being said, the subject matter is inherently fascinating. I learned some interesting facts, and for $2, this was a good beach read.

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rated it

5 stars

Subjects

  • Mollusks
  • Shells