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Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 - Community Reviews back

by Simon Winchester
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Url Phantomhive
Url Phantomhive rated it 7 years ago
With Krakatoa Simon Winchester gives a very interesting account not only of the actual eruption of the Krakatoa and its immediate aftermath, but also spend a lot of time to set the scene and look into consequences of the eruption. It was the first book I read by Simon Winchester and I enjoyed it a l...
Batgrl: Bookish Hooha
Batgrl: Bookish Hooha rated it 11 years ago
For much of my reading of this book I've been all "squee" over science and science history. However! I am still the same person who bought and read Death in Yellowstone and Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon (seriously, you would not believe the stupid things people do in these parks), so I ca...
Lisa (Harmony)
Lisa (Harmony) rated it 11 years ago
The book deals with the explosive eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia on August 27, 1883, an event that led to over 36,000 deaths, mostly due to the resulting tsunami, which was heard almost 3,000 miles away, caused spectacular sunsets and affected the climate globally for months--and whic...
nouveau
nouveau rated it 11 years ago
when I first saw KRAKATOA some eight or whatever years ago, I flipped through it at the bookstore and thought it unimpressive. hardcovers are what, $25 these days, and if you think about it, that's four or five movies (depending on the theatre/ netflix or blockbuster) or it's a lobster dinner or its...
JasonKoivu
JasonKoivu rated it 12 years ago
Simon Winchester could turn your decrepit granny's boring old stories into lively, magical tales. He has a way of putting the reader into the past while making them feel as if the historical subjects he writes about are fresh and very much of the present. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded is no e...
Books etc.
Books etc. rated it 13 years ago
I'm not really sure what I think about this. I don't mind him going all over the place zig-zaging subject to explain about Krakatoa, but despite his diverse angles on this subject I feel there's something missing on it.There's also this ghost of a smirk I kept on seeing each time he's talking about ...
willemite
willemite rated it 13 years ago
Reading Simon Winchester books is a bit like reading a web page. You start in one place, but soon succumb to sundry alluring links. On-line, of course, we are all much likelier to then wander off on yet more linked tangents, but thankfully, in his actual, paper and ink book, Winchester keeps bringi...
Clif's Book World
Clif's Book World rated it 14 years ago
The reader of this book learns about plate tectonics, bio-diversity, the Wallace Line, and history of the Dutch East Indies Company before reaching the big explosion. Then there's the false start, followed later by the big blast, and then all sorts of stories follow. Then there's more science less...
Telynor's Library, and then some
Telynor's Library, and then some rated it 14 years ago
A very well written, smart book on the famous eruption of 1883 that is hauntingly similar in devastation to the more recent tsunami in Indonesia. Recommended for anyone who wants their science to be understandable by the non-academic. For the complete review, please go here:http://www.epinions.com/r...
Marvin's Bookish Blog
Marvin's Bookish Blog rated it 14 years ago
I must admit that after about 280 pages I ended up skimming the rest. The author did an enormous amount of research for this book. However, just because you have the research doesn't mean you need to place every bit of it in your book. Also I did not find his writing style all that involving. I came...
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