The Seal Wife Audiobook

" Loved the mesmerizing prose. The story was captivating, and the historical detail fascinating. A bit too much emphasis on the protagonist's sex life...... "

" Ick. If you ever consider checking this book out, don't. "

" Strange, but beautifully written. I was more in love with the sentences than the story. "

" Desolate - but in a comfortable kinda way. "

" I give it three and a half stars. Kathryn Harrison is a great writer and I have read most of her novels and some of her non-fiction. She is very good at creating characters from various times throughout history. In this book her story is set in Alaska in the time right before WWI. The main character Bigelow comes north to track the weather for the U.S. government. While there he falls obsessively for a woman who does not speak who he calls the Aleut. Harrison's writing style was very spare in this book, which completely matches the setting and the isolation Bigelow feels every day. I liked how neither Bigelow, nor the reader, really knows much about the Aleut and how their relationship seems to be a little like a myth of a man who falls in love with a seal. "

" gets you in "

" What can I say? I love Kathryn's writing and having her at my bookclub was amazing. "

" Peculiar but strangely engaging. "

" This book is another favorite set against a bleak backdrop...a story so quirky I couldn't resist it. "

" This is a book that takes you to another world -- Alaska -- in a different century. It's a love story and a culture-mixing story that is a little hard to imagine because the writing is so spare. Nevertheless, well worth the read. "

" Beautifully written, just gorgeous. Simple but deft, glowing. It's my favorite sort of book, the kind that just sweeps you effortlessly along, bathing you in some other world. "

" Relentless, the most mysterious character-driven book I can remember reading. "

" so different from her other characters. great descriptions "

" Wanted to read the book because I thought it was a story about Silkies, and found out that it had nothing at all to do with the mythology of Silkies at all. It was an okay story. The title is misleading. "

" You know ... I didn't love this book, but I couldn't put it down so I guess it was pretty good. It's definitely a little different than what I typically read, but I think it was a fairly beautiful story. You know, if you're into scary obsessive guys. "

" a book about communication and the man-woman thing. double feature with DeLillo's Body Artist. also resonates with Amy Bloom's Away. "

" I was a bit confused by part of the story only because I didn't get it. I do love the way Harrison writes. "

" Bleak landscape, bleak lives but told so wonderfully it provides warmth and humanity in this landscape. The seal wife is pragamatic and coming to terms with how to survive in this environment without losing oneself. A kind of allegory of life... "

" Love the lyrical style of this tale of obsession. Beautiful prose. "

" I thought i would get some insight into wild alaska. The book was too involved with the details of the weatherman and his infatuation for a lost love, too slow and drawn out for me. "

" Good book that I enjoyed. "

" I loved it there was even some history in it "

" Unusual and haunting account of a passionate relationship, the stark Alaskan landscape and extreme weather is brilliantly described and creates a deeply intense atmosphere against which the love story is played out. "

" While I can't recommend this one to anyone due to subject matter, it did have some great writing. Harrison creates vivid characters, and she captured the desolation of early Alaska. "

" I enjoy Harrison's writing, particularly her descriptive language, but also always find it a little disturbing - not sure why, and in no way it discourages me from reading her books. "