Tigers & Ice: Reflections on Nature and Life

by Edward Hoagland

Edward Hoagland was legally blind for three years until surgery miraculously changed his

Genres: Nonfiction

206 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Edward Hoagland (born December 21, 1932, in New York, New York) is an author best known for his nature and travel writing. His non-fiction has been widely praised by writers such as John Updike, who called him "the best essayist of my generation."

Reviews

[Andre J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a junior in high school for a class but it didn’t really resonate with me then. So after 8 years I found it on my bookshelf and thought I’d give it another try. It wasn’t my favorite book but it wasn’t an awful book

- hoaglands descriptiveness. This man has a very sharp memory and is able to really create an image with his writing
- further to my point, the nature descriptions were well written out.
- I really enjoyed the Antarctica chapter “I have seen the elephant” - the description of the whales and the penguins more specifically - and the perceptions of the other people on the trip with him as well
- authors descriptions of his circus days were def interesting especially regarding the “massaging” of certain animals in certain areas. Very questionable but i can understand it was a different time and circumstance that I’ve never and probably will never relate to
- it may have just been me, but at times it felt that Hoagland got lost in his own thoughts when writing. Some of the essays made more sense than others, and there were moments when it seemed like he let his stream of consciousness take over.
- reading this in 2023, I kind of enjoyed his predictions of the use of technology, many of which are correct. As someone who grew up with the internet, I think it’s fascinating to hear an assessment and opinion of someone who has lived most of their lives without it.

Overall not a bad book. Definitely deviates from what I would usually read. I do quite enjoy nature writing, so I may begin looking into different authors, or maybe even explore Hoagland’s other works. Hoagland is kind of a kooky writer tho.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book because it was sitting on the shelf in a used bookstore next to a book I was looking for and it looked interesting. At first I was not quite sure what the book was about, as the author was discussing phylosphy for the first 50pages or so....but then the book changes to a more of a first series of nature stories and became quiote entertaining. There are many stories of the author during his younger years and later years, and it is a good mix. The book finishes with an essay about a trip to the backcountry of india and his experiences there meeting tigers as well as other large animals as well as otherlarge animals that were roaming freely around the country side. His descriptions of the people there was also very fascinating.

There is a book this author actually mentioned about an actic explorer that I have been searching for....but never seems to be on the shelf in the stores that have it....

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoagland is one of our genuine masters of the essay, and this is a very strong collection. The opening piece alone is worth the price of admission -- evincing an emotional range and depth that would stretch most other writers' prose beyond the breaking point.