Fionnáin reviewed The Life of Birds by David Attenborough
Birds, observed
3 stars
David Attenborough writes some of his books in the same tone and method that he writes the narration for his television shows. This, for me, doesn't really work for a book. It becomes strangely empty, missing the moving images that make the words make more sense. While some of Attenborough's reflections are fresh to the book, most of the observations of bird behaviours are TV-ready.
As a personal bugbear, as much as I love Sir David his observations are still rooted in breeding, food, and other survival motivations where I prefer writers who consider complex behaviours and interpersonal relationships between nonhuman creatures.
David Attenborough writes some of his books in the same tone and method that he writes the narration for his television shows. This, for me, doesn't really work for a book. It becomes strangely empty, missing the moving images that make the words make more sense. While some of Attenborough's reflections are fresh to the book, most of the observations of bird behaviours are TV-ready.
As a personal bugbear, as much as I love Sir David his observations are still rooted in breeding, food, and other survival motivations where I prefer writers who consider complex behaviours and interpersonal relationships between nonhuman creatures.
