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Strandings
Confessions of a Whale Scavenger
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Check link for latest rating. ( 82 ratings, 16 reviews)
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Strandings
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See moreSearching for a woman who took a souvenir from a whale carcass, a Melville scholar loses his grip on reality.
Searching for a woman who took a souvenir from a whale carcass, a Melville scholar loses his grip on reality
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Wild and wonderful ... I doubt anyone will ever match Strandings for its sheer bravura, its wry insight, and its absolute, engulfing, and brilliantly enlivening whaleheadedness - PHILIP HOARE, ALBERT AND THE WHALE
When Peter Riley was thirteen, a woman with blue hair and a comet tattoo asked him to help load the jaw of a sperm whale into the back of a Volvo 245. The encounter set Riley on a decades-long quest to make sense of what had happened.
Enter the secretive world of whale scavengers. When a whale washes up on one of Britain's coasts, a fugitive community descends to claim trophies from the carcass. Some are driven by magical beliefs. Some are motivated by profit: there is a black market for everything from ambergris to whaletooth sex toys. But for others, the need goes much deeper.
Join Riley on a tour of a stranded kingdom's weird outer reaches, where nothing is as it seems. Meet witches, pedlars, fetishists, conspiracy theorists and fallen aristocrats. And prepare for a final revelation, as the mystery of the comet woman tangles with the enigmatic symbol of Leviathan itself, beached on Britain's fatal shore.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Strandings by Peter Riley has been praised for its captivating and unique exploration of whales and their cultural significance. Reviewers highlight the author's insightful and witty narrative, blending personal anecdotes with historical context, creating a work that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The book's mix of humour, erudition, and emotional depth captures the complex relationships between humans and whales, drawing readers into a world of mystery and fascination.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781788166072
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 24 February 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Profile Books Ltd
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 30.0mm
Width: 144.0mm
Height: 220.0mm
Weight: 420g
Pages: 256
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About the Author
Peter Riley has been investigating stranded cetaceans and their afterlives since his teens. He lectures in American literature at Durham University, with a special interest, naturally, in Herman Melville. Strandings won the inaugural Ideas Prize for nonfiction.
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