Rating: 
Summary: A very tedious, slow moving book.
Review: This was one of the worst books I have ever had the misfortune of reading. Annie Dillard manages to waste 250 pages talking about absolutely nothing. There is really no plot and no message to the reader. I would think that if she loved the enviornment so much that she wouldn't want to waste the paper it took to print this drawn out description of her lawn and stream. I would recommend it to anyone who is cold and wants paper to start a fire.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: This book is a waste of time, nothing happens whatsoever. It only takes Dillard 250 pages to describe her hack yard, something I could do in probably a paragraph. In fact, I can summerize what the book is about in one word: Nothing. There are no characters, no plot, no action, nothing, just 250 pages of pure description. How does anyone stay away reading such a book?
Rating: 
Summary: dull, dull, dull, dull, dull
Review: Too long, deliberately irritating, pretentious, disconnected, dares to be peculiar!
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: Annie Dillard has produced a beautiful and thoughtful narrative. The imagry she creates is stunning, and the lessons learned through the natural world are inspiring. I've often heard "Pilgrim" compared, on one level or another, with "Walden." Dillard, however, approaches nature from a different worldview than does Thoreau.The description of the beauty of nature is outstanding; the glimpse of the Holy behind this beauty is awe-inspiring.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Disappointment
Review: I too was forced to read this book for an AP English course. In fact, the only reason I finished reading the book was because it was required reading. Except for a few interesting stories and facts (emphasis on FEW), the book is incredibly boring. I live in an area similar to where the book is set, and I still found it uninteresting. A book only for hippies, environmentalists, and people looking to "find themselves". Save your money. There are a lot better books out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Required Summer Reading, I actually enjoyed.
Review: I was forced into reading this book for english3 AP and out of the 3 books i had to read, it was by far the best, in the first 10 pages, i could already relate to atleast 3 things that she had described, a wonderful read for any nature lover, and if you're just a student thats forced into reading this, be glad, it will open your eyes and soul much more than any teacher will.
Rating:
Summary: What all nature writing is trying to be
Review: Annie Dillard is more alive than anyone I have ever known including myself. Her words are captivating as they create images of a natural world that pulses with spirituality even in its moments of raw cruelty. She does not pontificate about nature, admitting that she is only writing as an observer. Nonetheless, her writing is wise, reminding us that events as simple as changes in the light or the unexpected sight of a muskrat for a second is like a gift from the universe. For the first time in my life, a warm fuzzy feeling of wonder and gratitude for simple existence filled me when I read this book. And I know I will feel it again every time I open Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. As a wannabe environmentalist who has read as much nature writing as I have been able to get my hands on in my 16 years, I would place Annie Dillard right up there with Rachel Carson at the top of my list.
Rating:
Summary: I keep coming back to this book...
Review: I first read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek as an undergraduate at Southwest Missouri State University, in an exposition class. I loved it then and I love it now. I am currently taking a graduate seminar on approaches to teaching literature and have been given the opportunity to design my "dream course." Annie Dillard's Pulitzer Prize-winning literary journey is at the top of my list. I am disappointed to read the few comments from readers who didn't enjoy this book--I suspect they have not taken the time to fully explore Dillard's vision. The work is rich with details that are not just there for the sake of description. It is a carefully crafted prose narrative that delves into theology, existentialism, transcendentalism, and natural history, addressing the relationship between man and God. I would recommend reading Linda L. Smith's book, entitled Annie Dillard (one of Twayne's United States Authors series), for an enlightening analysis of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and other works by the author. If you are willing to open your eyes and mind wide enough, you will surely discover Pilgrim at Tinker Creek's treasures.
Rating:
Summary: Liturgy for soul and mind, prayer and practice of observing.
Review: I am trained in both conservation biology and the ministry. Dillard uses her book to give voice and authentic language to both in an intelligent union. One of the hardest things to do is to teach people to see with new eyes. Dillard makes the process a bit easier by bringing a mastery of language to the task. I recommend the book to all who wish to seek to learn a new language of faith.
Rating:
Summary: My theme book...
Review: This book has become a comfort book for me, espcially since I'm originally from southwest VA, where Dillard wrote Pilgrim. I'm in NY at school now and reading it is cathartic in a way...it takes me home. But over and above that, it's a meditation on the Divine and on Nature and how the two relate that still resonates deeply with me. I have yet to find "the tree with the lights in it," which constitutes a large part of her discussion of Seeing. But the book itself is like a tree with the lights in it, at times. The lights of Divine inspiration. Read this book slowly and let it bring the broken parts of you back together...you won't regret it.
|
