Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

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Summary: How to see-literature on high beam
Review: We once revered those naturalists, who saw what was, but what we couldn't see. For the most part, they are gone. Imagine Darwin sailing and seeing for five years. What he learned and then taught to generations! And Dillard is is a "seer"; and a teacher as well. Oh, and its not that pretty picture we expect. We see the McGonigles whacking off the bodies of frozen ducks, stuck in the ice, so the family can eat during winter. Or we're with Annie as she watches, in horror and awe, as the life of a frog is sucked out by a giant water bug. I love this book. It's required reading in my biology classes. It should be required reading for all of us who can't see.

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Summary: never see nature the same again
Review: Annie Dillards Pilgrim atTinker Creek is one of my favorite books because it forever changed how I see nature and our place in the universe. She is so observant and so informative that you feel you have had a warm conversation with a wise friend. Libby Wojasinsk

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Summary: Awesome
Review: Annie Dillard has outdone herself. This is a wonderful book to read and re-read. Each time you notice more. The little details, the atmosphere. The fact that the air we breath is not just there, but that it exists, it is alive

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Summary: An Expedition of the Spirit
Review: Dillard's masterpiece is a sense-fest, a journey of the soul into the mysteries and wonders of nature as she observes Tinker Creek. Dillard's use of language is gymnastic, and her sense of the spiritual, moving. This is not a book for the faint-hearted, or those merely expecting to hear her wax rhapsodic about the beauties of the world. Dillard sings a siren song from the shores of Tinker Creek, luring us in to the wonder and the horror of nature. It is a work of courage, of substance. Rarely does one encounter a book which literally changes the way we see the world. This one does.

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Summary: The View of Tinker Creek
Review: When our teacher first told us about our new reading assignment, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek", I was afraid I was going to be stuck reading something similar to Henry David Thoreau's "Walden", which I disliked. Yet, to my surprise Annie Dillard's approach to nature was completely different to that of Thoreau. "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" was actually enjoyable and at times even funny.
One of the first aspects of Dillard's writing style that caught my eye is the way her writing structure and diction reflects her mood. Throughout the book she goes through various emotions, from child-like to semi-depressed. Her writing went hand in hand with her feelings. If whe was in a playful, child-like mood her sentences would be simple and easy to comprehend. Her diction would be light and airy. If Dillard was feeling a little upset or full of rage at our great creator her style took a more frantic turn. The sentences would consist of many questions and the words used would be very scientific and consisting mainly of negative connotation.
"Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" is full of neat little tidbits of scientific information. Annie Dillard is definitely an extremely intelligent, well read woman. She definitley knows her Eskimo facts! If there is one thing you'll gain from the book it will be a better knowledge of the Eskimo culture.
Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" is a far cry from Thoreau. Her awareness of the world around is somehow put into a mural of words. Dillard takes the reader on a journey through her backyard into a wilderness of words and images one can begin to imagine. The book was a great choice and I can't wait to try to read another of Dillard's books. She is definitely a talented writer.

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Summary: More Personality than Walden
Review: With Spring Break approaching, my high school Advanced Placement Language & Composition class had one thing impending after the break from school: our class study of Annie Dillard's, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. We had just read Henry David Thoreau's, Walden. Personally, I found Walden unbearable because of Thoreau's detailed, scitific language. Many critics have drawn similarities between the style and intention of Walden and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek; therefore, I feared that PaTC would be another Walden. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Dillard's style that mimics the writings of Thoreau, but in a more personal, poetic manner.
Dillard is noted for her easily recognizable crisp, precise diction and unique sentence structure. She continually employs similes, metaphors, and imagery to bring life (and the reader) directly to Tinker Creek: the sound of birds flying is "a million shook rugs". One of my favorite aspects of her writing is her characteristic, one-word, telegraphic sentences: "Fine," adds spunk and certainty to Dillard's point; "Knock; seek; ask," completely epitomizes Dillard's many philosophies in a nutshell: it's your responsibility to take charge of your life. It is this and many other aspects of her writing that make her so poetic; she develops a personal relationship with the reader and "invites" them to join her at Tinker Creek.
Dillard and Thoreau have some similarities, but they are also very different. Sure, they are both two adults trying to learn about their surroundings and themselves near a body of water, but Thoreau communicates through science and logic and Dillard communicates with personality and her heart. I recommend you read Walden if you are looking for a more difficult, trying read about studying nature, but I would recommend Pilgrim at Tinker Creek if you are looking to discover something about yourself and your view the world.

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Summary: All form, no substance
Review: Annie Dillard is indeed a talented illusionist. She deftly mixes random facts, poetic phrasing, and a mystical bent into a sticky sugary mass, wraps it around a core of fuzzy thinking, and presents it as a meaningful work of art. If you are easily dazzled by turns of phrase or impressed by scientific facts you may not already know, then you may think, for a fleeting second, that she's actually saying something. Let me save you some time: she's not. She's just really into nature, that's all. What are the implications? She's not even sure. She has plenty to say about it though. She drones on and on about a world of private feelings and fantasies that only she can truly fathom. Its like reading about the elaborate delusional world of a highly intelligent shizophrenic. The more she writes, the more the sensitive reader will feel that she is just pouring forth a stream of pretty, but ultimately meaningless, words. This book should be approached as simple entertainment and nothing more. Content-wise, there is as much to live by here as you'll find in the latest John Grisham novel.

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Summary: Brilliant book that rewards for years to come
Review: I read this book for the first time nine years ago. I was captivated by Dillard's exploration of the world around her. I read one quote on the book that says she rushes in with "headlong urgency" and I couldn't agree more. There are passages in this book that I have read and re-read over the years, even ones that I packed with me on a pilgrimage of my own across Spain. I found a new level of understanding in the words and was unable to unlock the true wonder of her writing. Not necessarily an easy read, a butterfly flying over a building can take two pages, but this book is as gorgeous and profound as the story is timeless.

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Summary: Genius!
Review: For all lovers and admirers of Henry David Thoreau, this book is a great revival and devlopment of the general love of nature that seems all too lacking in our society today. Dillard's prose is so unique, she is one of the very best! Every line reads like poetry, using eloquent words and uncovering deep epiphanies about life. It's a fresh look at nature and the philosophy of mankind in our place on this earth.

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Summary: Can't Sleep? Don't have ambien? Read Annie Dillard.
Review: I know this is well-written, but that doesn't make it a good read. Our weekly book group recently dove in to Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, we unanimously decided that it might be best if we moved onto something else.

If you are ingtrigued by botany and biology, this is probably your book, but if you enjoy reading about human relationships, trust me, don't bother.

This is the only 'highly recommended' book that I've ever given up on.