50 in '08: 15
Jun. 2nd, 2008 07:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sakon76Title: Angel Tree: The Enchanting Quest for the World's Oldest Olive Tree
By: Alex Dingwall-Main
Length: 316 pages
Let's start this by saying the subtitle of the book lies. It lies in a "the cake is a lie" way. Completely aside from the fact that I didn't find this quest in the least enchanting, by page 75 or so of this 316-page book, the author blatantly admits that it's impossible to accurately date old olive trees. For one, they don't consistently form rings like redwoods. For two, they actually hollow as they age. For three, they can be cut down to the roots and set out new trunks from an ancient rootball. It is a wholly Quixotic quest! And, unfortunately, it is not a Quixotic quest in a good way... he's not doing this for any higher goal, but for an employer who wants a centerpiece to his garden. The book is written in a "literary" style. Which bugs the shit out of me. Or maybe it's the fact that the author seems to be rubbing his higher standard of living in his audience's nose; boo-hoo, you and your family get to travel to Greece on your employer's dollar in this search. I feel your pain, really. I find particularly amusing the flashback (there are a lot of unrelated flashbacks and diversions in this book) wherein an ex-girlfriend warns the author against intellectual masturbation because as far as I can figure out, that's what this book entirely is.
Verdict: Not Recommended.
By: Alex Dingwall-Main
Length: 316 pages
Let's start this by saying the subtitle of the book lies. It lies in a "the cake is a lie" way. Completely aside from the fact that I didn't find this quest in the least enchanting, by page 75 or so of this 316-page book, the author blatantly admits that it's impossible to accurately date old olive trees. For one, they don't consistently form rings like redwoods. For two, they actually hollow as they age. For three, they can be cut down to the roots and set out new trunks from an ancient rootball. It is a wholly Quixotic quest! And, unfortunately, it is not a Quixotic quest in a good way... he's not doing this for any higher goal, but for an employer who wants a centerpiece to his garden. The book is written in a "literary" style. Which bugs the shit out of me. Or maybe it's the fact that the author seems to be rubbing his higher standard of living in his audience's nose; boo-hoo, you and your family get to travel to Greece on your employer's dollar in this search. I feel your pain, really. I find particularly amusing the flashback (there are a lot of unrelated flashbacks and diversions in this book) wherein an ex-girlfriend warns the author against intellectual masturbation because as far as I can figure out, that's what this book entirely is.
Verdict: Not Recommended.
