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Nocturne: A Journey in Search of Moonlight
One of our favourite travel books of the past decade was James Attlee's debut, Isolarion, a journey around the author's own Oxford neighbourhood, published to acclaim by the University of Chicago Press. In this follow-up, Nocturne, the author starts again outside his own front door, but this time travels further - in both space and time - in a dazzling journey in search of moonlight and its meanings, in art, in literature, in music and in our lives. With a wonderfully original voice and style, James Attlee's Nocturne is a uniquely illuminating traveller's tale, and we are delighted to be publishing him alongside fellow writer-wanderers W. G. Sebald, Iain Sinclair and Roger Deakin.
309 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 11, 2021
Don't really feel like writing a lengthy review, but this really is a five-star read deserving more than a few dashed-off lines.
The early entries in this collection were along expected lines: the moon as it's been dealt with in art, literature, historical background, etc. These were prime candidates for losing my interest in the book… but, no! Short enough that they never felt bogged down, often related to "the real world" (everyday life). His enthusiasm for the point at hand became mine. Being a self-identified Art Nerd helps as there are many paintings referenced.
These essays transition into my favorite genre since childhood: travel narrative. Again, his excitement and interest made me care about the outcome, such as an unusual overcast night after he'd made such an effort to go to a site. Still, Attlee makes the best of things. He makes it sound like actual fun, not work (fulfilling a proposal), or a subsidized holiday junket; sadly, that can be common with travel writers. Destinations include Japan, Italy, and the American Southwest, along with a few closer to home in Britain.
Instead of raving further, I'll just implore you to read it!
The early entries in this collection were along expected lines: the moon as it's been dealt with in art, literature, historical background, etc. These were prime candidates for losing my interest in the book… but, no! Short enough that they never felt bogged down, often related to "the real world" (everyday life). His enthusiasm for the point at hand became mine. Being a self-identified Art Nerd helps as there are many paintings referenced.
These essays transition into my favorite genre since childhood: travel narrative. Again, his excitement and interest made me care about the outcome, such as an unusual overcast night after he'd made such an effort to go to a site. Still, Attlee makes the best of things. He makes it sound like actual fun, not work (fulfilling a proposal), or a subsidized holiday junket; sadly, that can be common with travel writers. Destinations include Japan, Italy, and the American Southwest, along with a few closer to home in Britain.
Instead of raving further, I'll just implore you to read it!
November 21, 2011
In Nocturne, James Attlee really pleasingly tells the stories of his various moon-focused journeys. He's interested in exploring the role of moonlight in art/culture/life, both historically and now, in a time when light pollution means people in general see less of the moon and are probably less aware of the moon than in the past. He goes to Japan for the autumn moon-viewing festival of Tsukimi; he goes to Italy and writes about Vesuvius and painters of the volcano and the moonlit Bay of Naples; he goes to Las Vegas (all neon and artificial everything, all the time) and to the Arizona desert.
Throughout, he blends his own experiences and observations with bits of art and history and literature, with a particular focus on the visual arts. (Attlee works in art publishing, and presumably has an art-history background.) His writing about visual depictions of moonlight is smart and interesting, whether he's talking about Italian paintings or Japanese woodblock prints. I loved the moment when he talks about a print in which a pair of palanquin bearers carry an empty litter, "its green curtains pulled back so that they are effectively carrying a moving frame for the landscape beyond" (141).
There are so many good bits and pieces in this book. Attlee quotes bits of Goethe, Thoreau, and Ruskin on how moonlight transforms a landscape, or a room; he talks about optics and the way we actually see in moonlight. I learned about, for example, the fact that as light fades, "the eye's sensitivity to greens and blues is enhanced, while its sensitivity to red decreases, a reversal of daylight vision known as the Purkinje shift" (71). I learned about Ginkaku-ji, a Japanese temple with a white and grey sand-garden meant to be seen by moonlight, and about Joseph Wright, an English painter who worked in Italy, and his position "on the periphery of the group of inventors, industrialists, poets and philosophers known as the Lunar Men" (159), which reminded me that I've been wanting to read Jenny Uglow's book about the Lunar Men for a while now. I learned about a British artist named Katie Paterson, who translated Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata into Morse code and bounced it off the moon and back to earth.
Attlee's writing is both graceful and good-humoured. Setting out to see the moon means having to contend with weather-related disappointments, which he manages to take in good stride without pretending they didn't happen. Setting out to see the moon also involves a certain amount of openness to serendipity: I loved an episode in which Attlee is cycling home from work and passes a table by the side of the road that's selling goggles for the next day's partial lunar eclipse, which he hadn't been aware of. He buys a pair and plans to stop to see the eclipse partway through his commute to work the next day. When he's writing about an impromptu moonlit trip to see the Uffington White Horse on a Sunday evening, Attlee writes that he is "a great believer in impulsive behaviour, as a way of grasping experiences that otherwise would be missed," which is true and a nice reminder. (31). And as for the grace, there are passages like this:
Throughout, he blends his own experiences and observations with bits of art and history and literature, with a particular focus on the visual arts. (Attlee works in art publishing, and presumably has an art-history background.) His writing about visual depictions of moonlight is smart and interesting, whether he's talking about Italian paintings or Japanese woodblock prints. I loved the moment when he talks about a print in which a pair of palanquin bearers carry an empty litter, "its green curtains pulled back so that they are effectively carrying a moving frame for the landscape beyond" (141).
There are so many good bits and pieces in this book. Attlee quotes bits of Goethe, Thoreau, and Ruskin on how moonlight transforms a landscape, or a room; he talks about optics and the way we actually see in moonlight. I learned about, for example, the fact that as light fades, "the eye's sensitivity to greens and blues is enhanced, while its sensitivity to red decreases, a reversal of daylight vision known as the Purkinje shift" (71). I learned about Ginkaku-ji, a Japanese temple with a white and grey sand-garden meant to be seen by moonlight, and about Joseph Wright, an English painter who worked in Italy, and his position "on the periphery of the group of inventors, industrialists, poets and philosophers known as the Lunar Men" (159), which reminded me that I've been wanting to read Jenny Uglow's book about the Lunar Men for a while now. I learned about a British artist named Katie Paterson, who translated Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata into Morse code and bounced it off the moon and back to earth.
Attlee's writing is both graceful and good-humoured. Setting out to see the moon means having to contend with weather-related disappointments, which he manages to take in good stride without pretending they didn't happen. Setting out to see the moon also involves a certain amount of openness to serendipity: I loved an episode in which Attlee is cycling home from work and passes a table by the side of the road that's selling goggles for the next day's partial lunar eclipse, which he hadn't been aware of. He buys a pair and plans to stop to see the eclipse partway through his commute to work the next day. When he's writing about an impromptu moonlit trip to see the Uffington White Horse on a Sunday evening, Attlee writes that he is "a great believer in impulsive behaviour, as a way of grasping experiences that otherwise would be missed," which is true and a nice reminder. (31). And as for the grace, there are passages like this:
Nothing prepares the first-time visitor for the experience of stepping through the torii, the gateway to a Shinto shrine, hung with the sacred rope of straw and zigzag flags of white paper that act as lightning conductors to attract the presence of the spirits. Having first picked up a copper or bamboo ladle and poured cool water over your hands and rinsed your mouth, there is something strangely moving about approaching the central shrine of such a place to find it empty, devoid of images, a warm breeze perhaps blowing some of the first maple leaves to fall around your feet, the bell rope hanging down and swaying gently, which you pull, after throwing a coin in the box, the bell making a small sound like an old tin kettle struck by a thrown pebble, enough merely to gain the attention of the wandering spirits, as you bow and clap your hands together twice as you have seen others do. (119-120)
March 28, 2023
Fun, eclectic mix of the personal, natural, poetical, and art historical. The essay about tskukimi
in Japan was my favorite: Basho, Tanizaki, Hiroshige, mosses, temples, and McDonalds.
in Japan was my favorite: Basho, Tanizaki, Hiroshige, mosses, temples, and McDonalds.
May 24, 2017
"......if you asked what it was that inspired me to write about moonlight I would tell you that it was not about the moon at all but an absence of moon",
Thoroughly enjoyed this book - why isn't James Attlee better known? I'd already loved another of his works (Station to Station) and this was every bit as good.
Astronomy and star gazing seem to have become more popular of late, maybe due to TV personalities such as Professor Brian Cox.
A decent telescope has become affordable, and there are many small observatories around the country that hold open nights for all ages. It seems we are starting to look upwards again.
Attlee's approach to moonlight is strictly unscientific. He explores its importance in art and literature, and travels all over the world to attend Moon festivals, eclipses etc.
One of the most fascinating trips is his visit to the Interstellar Light Collector situated in the Arizona desert. Here, for a price, you can go up in a gantry and be 'bathed in moonlight' using lens to intensify the moon's glow. This is cited as a (possible) cure for a long list of mental and physical ailments.
The owners are also experimenting with the effects of light from different stars.
Not surprisingly they are having difficulty finding endorsement from scientists!
It often seems as if Attlee himself doesn't always know the way the book will go - he's often led by coincidences and chance happenings but to me this just adds to its charm. Highly recommended.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book - why isn't James Attlee better known? I'd already loved another of his works (Station to Station) and this was every bit as good.
Astronomy and star gazing seem to have become more popular of late, maybe due to TV personalities such as Professor Brian Cox.
A decent telescope has become affordable, and there are many small observatories around the country that hold open nights for all ages. It seems we are starting to look upwards again.
Attlee's approach to moonlight is strictly unscientific. He explores its importance in art and literature, and travels all over the world to attend Moon festivals, eclipses etc.
One of the most fascinating trips is his visit to the Interstellar Light Collector situated in the Arizona desert. Here, for a price, you can go up in a gantry and be 'bathed in moonlight' using lens to intensify the moon's glow. This is cited as a (possible) cure for a long list of mental and physical ailments.
The owners are also experimenting with the effects of light from different stars.
Not surprisingly they are having difficulty finding endorsement from scientists!
It often seems as if Attlee himself doesn't always know the way the book will go - he's often led by coincidences and chance happenings but to me this just adds to its charm. Highly recommended.
October 9, 2019
I actually loved this book.
James Attlee travels all over the world discovering the relationship between humans and the moon in various cultures and settings.
The writing style is conversational yet informative and facts are sprinkled aplenty amidst the author's musings on various aspects of lunar delight.
I was particularly interested on the influence of the moon in art. The section on Turner, Pether and Whistler, their interpretations and subsequent portrayal of the lunar lit landscape was fascinating.
Also, the Japanese association with the moon is intriguing, as is the "death poetry" which it inspires:-
"I cast the brush aside -
from here on, I'll speak to the moon
face to face
(poem by Koha who died in 1897). How beautiful are these words?
A well recommended book.
James Attlee travels all over the world discovering the relationship between humans and the moon in various cultures and settings.
The writing style is conversational yet informative and facts are sprinkled aplenty amidst the author's musings on various aspects of lunar delight.
I was particularly interested on the influence of the moon in art. The section on Turner, Pether and Whistler, their interpretations and subsequent portrayal of the lunar lit landscape was fascinating.
Also, the Japanese association with the moon is intriguing, as is the "death poetry" which it inspires:-
"I cast the brush aside -
from here on, I'll speak to the moon
face to face
(poem by Koha who died in 1897). How beautiful are these words?
A well recommended book.
July 13, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the way it weaves the search for the moon in between art and poetry and everything else it can is wonderful and has even inspired me to try and find moonlight myself.
March 5, 2015
This one is a hard one to comment on.
On the cover, it says "This book may become many people's favourite." I would open this as many moonlover people's.
Besides the captivating name and cover, the content of the book is very well made for the moonlovers. There is a lot of historical information and personal experiences on the moon, which sometimes jump the track a bit, but very artistically written. Yet, all these satisfying elements couldn't help with the boredom. It was one of the books I had problems to focus on. Too much written information with lack of visuals, causes nothing but checking constantly how many pages are left.
It's telling about too many paintings. Why not one single of them is printed in the book? When I google or wiki every single visual artifact, I can't catch up with the pace of the book. And I couldn't. I never intend to finish a book as quickly as possible, I give them the time they need. But the book should flow in its own nature. This book got stuck completely. I don't know if the writer thinks we all know what he's writing about. Well, forgive my ignorance, but I'm not an art student although I'm into art. These very particular descriptions are beyond the readers' imagination. I can picture some view according to my own mind's eye, but I should picture a painting as just as it is. (Sure, if one doesn't want to know what it really looks like, can use her own imagination to paint one in her own head.) (Oh, almost the end comes one picture finally - Rudolf Hess. Thanks, that was helpful.)
Even though it's a well written book on Moon (and I would recommend it to moonlovers), I feel very happy to finally send it back to the dusty bookshelf.
On the cover, it says "This book may become many people's favourite." I would open this as many moonlover people's.
Besides the captivating name and cover, the content of the book is very well made for the moonlovers. There is a lot of historical information and personal experiences on the moon, which sometimes jump the track a bit, but very artistically written. Yet, all these satisfying elements couldn't help with the boredom. It was one of the books I had problems to focus on. Too much written information with lack of visuals, causes nothing but checking constantly how many pages are left.
It's telling about too many paintings. Why not one single of them is printed in the book? When I google or wiki every single visual artifact, I can't catch up with the pace of the book. And I couldn't. I never intend to finish a book as quickly as possible, I give them the time they need. But the book should flow in its own nature. This book got stuck completely. I don't know if the writer thinks we all know what he's writing about. Well, forgive my ignorance, but I'm not an art student although I'm into art. These very particular descriptions are beyond the readers' imagination. I can picture some view according to my own mind's eye, but I should picture a painting as just as it is. (Sure, if one doesn't want to know what it really looks like, can use her own imagination to paint one in her own head.) (Oh, almost the end comes one picture finally - Rudolf Hess. Thanks, that was helpful.)
Even though it's a well written book on Moon (and I would recommend it to moonlovers), I feel very happy to finally send it back to the dusty bookshelf.
October 3, 2018
This is just the kind of book I like, a conglomeration of travel, history, culture, science, art, and myth. On "a fool's errand", Attlee follows the moon around the world, starting in his garden in London and circling back, like his subject, to where he began--"with the moon, there are no such things as endings."
September 2, 2014
2.5 stars: I found this book tough to get through, which was unfortunate. It was beautifully written and lyrical, but I was often jarred by interjections of the author's personal observations that (I think) were failed attempts at being humorous.
I think first I'll start with the positives. I really loved what I *did* learn from the author here. He tended to focus on the moon's presence in art and literature, with an emphasis on the visual arts. I can't say that I particularly remember each of the painters that he mentioned, but I definitely found myself looking up their works as I made my way through the book. He presented all of this in incredible detail in beautifully written paragraphs envoking various mental images of the moon easily. I was particularly amused by his excerpts on Mussolini's and of Rudolph Hess' obsessions with the moon.
Maybe I'll provide a few excerpts of the author's exceptional ability to describe the night with spectacular imagery:
But now it seems that we are set to have one of those nights when the city is shut in beneath a lid of low-lying cloud that bounces the sulfurous light of street lamps back down to us, so that we are condemned to simmer in our own electronic bouillabaisse.
Human settlements light up the sky in the distance. Swindon blinks and glimmers to the west, its orange lights an outpouring of molten lava, and a train snakes across the flatlands like a brilliantly coloured millipede.
Gradually quiet colors begin to show, corresponding to the suave modulations sounding in our ears. Suddenly a note of blue sings out, and the night is all around us, azure and transparent. Light clouds take on fantastic shapes and fill the sky. They gather around the moon which casts upon them great opalescent discs, and wakes the sleeping colours.
Returning home at two in the morning, we are preceeded by our marionette moon-shadows, cast by a now-perfect disc in the icy sky. Down here in the valley, there is no snow at all. In the darkened streets the frosted roofs of a housing estate have become glowing lunar panels.
My back is turned at the moment [the moon] emerges and my shadow leaps across the field from my feet. The snow is dazzling; sprinkled across it are thousands of sparkling ice crystals, each one emitting its own lunar signal, a miniature beam of refracted moonlight.
That said, the author didn't just focus on the moon's presence in art and literature. He arranged this book as a linear (more or less) study following his travels around the world in search of the moon. As a result, he also included a lot of personal stories, including those of his failed moon watches due to inclement weather, his personal connections to do his research, and also personal observations of the places he travelled. Some authors execute this style of book well, but maybe Attlee's strong opinions were too strong for me. A few excerpts, if you're interested:
Sadly, human behavior has not improved; today the moon is at risk from more than words. Towards the end of 2009, American scientists crashed a 2,200 kg rocket into the permanently shadowed Cabeus crater near the moon's south pole. The rocket was followed into the crater by a probe ... I suppose we should not be surprised that American astronauts, commsiioned to plant their country's flag, should further mark their territory by shitting on the moon.
We would rather wax fat than dance or pray. But perhaps this is not such an irrational response to world events. As the climate changes and water levels rise, it could be that evolution is responding and turning full circle; by gaining extra layers of blubber, the people of richer nations, sleek as seals, may be getting ready to return to the water once again.
Cordes Junction is an average American fast-food hell. I sit at a plastic table in a forecourt with trucks rushing past on the highway amid the smell of gasoline. A couple fo tables down a dangerously overweight family are eating next to the trash bin that has long since overflowed on to the asphalt.
Gradually other hikers join us. All ages are represented, from a ten-year-old boy who is accompanying his mother, a lady of questionable fitness, to complete even an easy walk...
Maybe it's just me, but I did feel that most of Attlee's observations were towards Americans and american culture. The only direct observation about another country's people (as a whole, not individuals) that I noticed, other than the United States, was of the Japanese.
They must, I begin to think, be making an active effort to avoid seeing me, as if my presence is simply too inexplicable to merit acknowledgement.
Although I suppose he might just have some disgust of humanity?
It is one of the ironies of being human that we seem fated to destroy the things we love.
He also goes through a several page discussion early on in the book about whether the presence of streetlights actually reduces crime, without providing any actual evidence for his claims (which, he claims does not). I am happy to embrace a well-written and informed opinion on a topic like this, but Attlee's assertions that residents "Not of some strife-torn inner-city ghetto but of a very middle class residential area in the suburbs' are not justified in their fear of crime is sort of obnoxious and patronizing.
Lastly, the author described a few avid eclipse-watching men with the following sentence:
Perhaps [their beards] are needed to keep faces warm through the long watches of the night, or shield them from harmful gamma rays emitted by distant stars.
Let's just be real here: a beard would not provide any measurable shielding of one's face from cosmic gamma rays. The cosmos are fascinating, but putting a sentence like this doesn't really add to anybody's knowledge base at all. It's also not funny.
Okay, I'll stop complaining. Personally I would have liked more exploration of the moon's presence in folktales and how it is associated with different indigenous peoples' lore. Attlee did mention some of these in passing, but nothing was elaborated upon. I also would have enjoyed a bit more of the history of the space program and the evolution of humanity's knowledge of the moon itself. This wasn't touched on very much at all, but I readily acknowledge that I might be biased towards wanting a scientific perspective on the subject.
TL;DR: Overall, the factual information in this book was beautifully presented and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But the author's very strong opinions took from my overall enjoyment of the work. If you can compartmentalize these two things, you'll probably really like this book. I had a hard time with it.
I think first I'll start with the positives. I really loved what I *did* learn from the author here. He tended to focus on the moon's presence in art and literature, with an emphasis on the visual arts. I can't say that I particularly remember each of the painters that he mentioned, but I definitely found myself looking up their works as I made my way through the book. He presented all of this in incredible detail in beautifully written paragraphs envoking various mental images of the moon easily. I was particularly amused by his excerpts on Mussolini's and of Rudolph Hess' obsessions with the moon.
Maybe I'll provide a few excerpts of the author's exceptional ability to describe the night with spectacular imagery:
But now it seems that we are set to have one of those nights when the city is shut in beneath a lid of low-lying cloud that bounces the sulfurous light of street lamps back down to us, so that we are condemned to simmer in our own electronic bouillabaisse.
Human settlements light up the sky in the distance. Swindon blinks and glimmers to the west, its orange lights an outpouring of molten lava, and a train snakes across the flatlands like a brilliantly coloured millipede.
Gradually quiet colors begin to show, corresponding to the suave modulations sounding in our ears. Suddenly a note of blue sings out, and the night is all around us, azure and transparent. Light clouds take on fantastic shapes and fill the sky. They gather around the moon which casts upon them great opalescent discs, and wakes the sleeping colours.
Returning home at two in the morning, we are preceeded by our marionette moon-shadows, cast by a now-perfect disc in the icy sky. Down here in the valley, there is no snow at all. In the darkened streets the frosted roofs of a housing estate have become glowing lunar panels.
My back is turned at the moment [the moon] emerges and my shadow leaps across the field from my feet. The snow is dazzling; sprinkled across it are thousands of sparkling ice crystals, each one emitting its own lunar signal, a miniature beam of refracted moonlight.
That said, the author didn't just focus on the moon's presence in art and literature. He arranged this book as a linear (more or less) study following his travels around the world in search of the moon. As a result, he also included a lot of personal stories, including those of his failed moon watches due to inclement weather, his personal connections to do his research, and also personal observations of the places he travelled. Some authors execute this style of book well, but maybe Attlee's strong opinions were too strong for me. A few excerpts, if you're interested:
Sadly, human behavior has not improved; today the moon is at risk from more than words. Towards the end of 2009, American scientists crashed a 2,200 kg rocket into the permanently shadowed Cabeus crater near the moon's south pole. The rocket was followed into the crater by a probe ... I suppose we should not be surprised that American astronauts, commsiioned to plant their country's flag, should further mark their territory by shitting on the moon.
We would rather wax fat than dance or pray. But perhaps this is not such an irrational response to world events. As the climate changes and water levels rise, it could be that evolution is responding and turning full circle; by gaining extra layers of blubber, the people of richer nations, sleek as seals, may be getting ready to return to the water once again.
Cordes Junction is an average American fast-food hell. I sit at a plastic table in a forecourt with trucks rushing past on the highway amid the smell of gasoline. A couple fo tables down a dangerously overweight family are eating next to the trash bin that has long since overflowed on to the asphalt.
Gradually other hikers join us. All ages are represented, from a ten-year-old boy who is accompanying his mother, a lady of questionable fitness, to complete even an easy walk...
Maybe it's just me, but I did feel that most of Attlee's observations were towards Americans and american culture. The only direct observation about another country's people (as a whole, not individuals) that I noticed, other than the United States, was of the Japanese.
They must, I begin to think, be making an active effort to avoid seeing me, as if my presence is simply too inexplicable to merit acknowledgement.
Although I suppose he might just have some disgust of humanity?
It is one of the ironies of being human that we seem fated to destroy the things we love.
He also goes through a several page discussion early on in the book about whether the presence of streetlights actually reduces crime, without providing any actual evidence for his claims (which, he claims does not). I am happy to embrace a well-written and informed opinion on a topic like this, but Attlee's assertions that residents "Not of some strife-torn inner-city ghetto but of a very middle class residential area in the suburbs' are not justified in their fear of crime is sort of obnoxious and patronizing.
Lastly, the author described a few avid eclipse-watching men with the following sentence:
Perhaps [their beards] are needed to keep faces warm through the long watches of the night, or shield them from harmful gamma rays emitted by distant stars.
Let's just be real here: a beard would not provide any measurable shielding of one's face from cosmic gamma rays. The cosmos are fascinating, but putting a sentence like this doesn't really add to anybody's knowledge base at all. It's also not funny.
Okay, I'll stop complaining. Personally I would have liked more exploration of the moon's presence in folktales and how it is associated with different indigenous peoples' lore. Attlee did mention some of these in passing, but nothing was elaborated upon. I also would have enjoyed a bit more of the history of the space program and the evolution of humanity's knowledge of the moon itself. This wasn't touched on very much at all, but I readily acknowledge that I might be biased towards wanting a scientific perspective on the subject.
TL;DR: Overall, the factual information in this book was beautifully presented and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But the author's very strong opinions took from my overall enjoyment of the work. If you can compartmentalize these two things, you'll probably really like this book. I had a hard time with it.
April 21, 2020
I don't know how this slop got published, but it was like reading air. No substance at all. Also I was offended at the passage where Hitler's deputy was romanticized for missing being a pilot and for wanting to help the space race. Watching squirrels play outside is more interesting then whatever this shit is.
July 31, 2023
Some sections of this book were hard to get through. The author interjects his biased opinions into the chapters on numerous occasions and sometimes comes off as a rude older man who cannot tolerate advancements in technology.
December 30, 2019
Very interesting descriptions of the author chasing the moon all over the world, but there could have been some pictures or photos of the paintings mentioned in the last half .
August 12, 2023
Combination of travel writing with art history.
October 27, 2014
Sadly this book failed to live up to its thrilling premise for me. If only the book was all about moonlight!
The author (who came across as a pompous snob in many parts it has to be said) kept going off on all kinds of tangents on subjects quite irrelevant to moonlight - volcanoes, rivers, London, anyone? - but ones dear to his own heart and thereby deemed sufficient to be included. You couldn't help but feel the reader was being excluded from his obtuse ramblings most of the time.
The many short chapters on some topics smacked of under-development and their abrupt endings (especially the end of the book) were underwhelming.
There's so much more to be written about moonlight and in doing so, many more representations of moonlight in all the arts to be explored I would think. (For example, there was no mention of music in this book.) Should an author not be open to all of these while writing a book on moonlight, or just his own personal preferences? I think the latter. I couldn't help but feel the whole enterprise... a tad selfish. And as such unsatisfying and change-the-topic-already annoying (One of the last chapters is dedicated to a moon-gazing Nazi criminal - and hardly a mention of I don't know say - the moon landing of 1969.)
Saying that, there were a few good interludes. I liked his account of his journey to Japan for a moon viewing festival, the references to all those Japanese moon haikus and then a trip to the desert wilderness beyond Las Vegas to partake in a moonlight medicinal event.
Overall, interesting, but pedantic in parts. Too many facts and science, not enough moonlight magic. Was expecting better.
The author (who came across as a pompous snob in many parts it has to be said) kept going off on all kinds of tangents on subjects quite irrelevant to moonlight - volcanoes, rivers, London, anyone? - but ones dear to his own heart and thereby deemed sufficient to be included. You couldn't help but feel the reader was being excluded from his obtuse ramblings most of the time.
The many short chapters on some topics smacked of under-development and their abrupt endings (especially the end of the book) were underwhelming.
There's so much more to be written about moonlight and in doing so, many more representations of moonlight in all the arts to be explored I would think. (For example, there was no mention of music in this book.) Should an author not be open to all of these while writing a book on moonlight, or just his own personal preferences? I think the latter. I couldn't help but feel the whole enterprise... a tad selfish. And as such unsatisfying and change-the-topic-already annoying (One of the last chapters is dedicated to a moon-gazing Nazi criminal - and hardly a mention of I don't know say - the moon landing of 1969.)
Saying that, there were a few good interludes. I liked his account of his journey to Japan for a moon viewing festival, the references to all those Japanese moon haikus and then a trip to the desert wilderness beyond Las Vegas to partake in a moonlight medicinal event.
Overall, interesting, but pedantic in parts. Too many facts and science, not enough moonlight magic. Was expecting better.
June 17, 2011
Chock-full of all sorts of anecdotes about the moon.
There's everything from the author's moonlit walks in his own town, to Japanese moon festivals, to kooky New Age contraptions, to the Apollo program, to stories about artists who used the moon as a major motif in their work.
I was hooked from the start when he wrote about having an "assignation" with the moon - as if the moon were his mistress. There's some interesting thoughts about how differences in how the moon is viewed might lead to other differences in cultures, and the portion about the Chinese poet Li Po and how the poems tie into the calligraphy used was particularly good.
However, it does drag a bit when he was talking about particular paintings. Art history has never been my strong suite, so it would have been nice if there had been small reproductions of at least some of the paintings discussed. I wish there'd been a few more personal stories and a bit less paintings.
There is some hostility when the author disagreed with "useless" things such as light pollution from streetlights late at night or wind chimes but other moments that may block moonlight with purpose - like outdoor festivals under floodlights - pass by with just a shrug of acknowledgement.
Overall, it makes me want to go on another camping trip in the middle of nowhere so I can take a moonlit walk.
There's everything from the author's moonlit walks in his own town, to Japanese moon festivals, to kooky New Age contraptions, to the Apollo program, to stories about artists who used the moon as a major motif in their work.
I was hooked from the start when he wrote about having an "assignation" with the moon - as if the moon were his mistress. There's some interesting thoughts about how differences in how the moon is viewed might lead to other differences in cultures, and the portion about the Chinese poet Li Po and how the poems tie into the calligraphy used was particularly good.
However, it does drag a bit when he was talking about particular paintings. Art history has never been my strong suite, so it would have been nice if there had been small reproductions of at least some of the paintings discussed. I wish there'd been a few more personal stories and a bit less paintings.
There is some hostility when the author disagreed with "useless" things such as light pollution from streetlights late at night or wind chimes but other moments that may block moonlight with purpose - like outdoor festivals under floodlights - pass by with just a shrug of acknowledgement.
Overall, it makes me want to go on another camping trip in the middle of nowhere so I can take a moonlit walk.
July 14, 2011
His ideas and writing are very unique and I learned things, many esoteric facts I never would have stumbled over independently. His obvious art interest encouraged certain inclusions, but given my ignorance of many cited paintings, I would have loved small reproductions, even black and white. No doubt that would have required a different level of funding and permissions. Unfortunately I have little interest to explore those my own and I suppose that sums of the book: interesting for the time of reading but nothing that will stay with me for too long. I veered between admiration for his many subject discussions and wide ranging jaunts and impatience with the numerous lightly touched upon items. It felt a little as if he wanted to pack in as much as possible in a contrived, showy ploy to prove his erudition.
HIs obvious writing skills merit mention but he was a little snarky and akin to a British Adam Gopnick for me to promote this with my friends. He is smart, he knows it, and he wants the reader to know it.
And it was just a little too much of that for me, but I love this cover and I did love a lot of what he discussed and explored in this very unique little book. A shame he did not tone it down or edit some of his more irritating asides and commentary. Then I would have found it amazing as I also am entranced with the moon and loved how he wrote about it.
January 16, 2021
I looked forward to reading this book: I adore the moon. The very first and last chapter is about the author's moon watching in his home area; this was gorgeous reading, and really mirrored my own feeling of wellbeing about stepping outside into moonlight. I don't know what it is about moonlight, but things always seem brighter with a white, full moon in the sky.
The book in split into several chapters of moonwatching in selected countries: the first is London, and provides us with some background about Galileo and his telescopic discoveries, lunar influence on William Blake's and Shelley's writing, and the experiment some years ago in a Hampshire town when the council switched off the street lights. (The more I think this last item, the more I think it's a good idea, immediately saving the councils thousands of pounds, surely.)
Part two travels to Japan for the lovely sounding Autumn moon watching festival, which is the most important lunar festival in the Japan year, which falls on the 15th day of the 8th month. This is when folks in Japan make trips to the best moon-biewing places in the land and they have parties, dancing and general merrymaking (although sometimes the sky gets contaminated with party lights which somehow defeats the point).
....read more on blog....http://fictionfotos.blogspot.com/
The book in split into several chapters of moonwatching in selected countries: the first is London, and provides us with some background about Galileo and his telescopic discoveries, lunar influence on William Blake's and Shelley's writing, and the experiment some years ago in a Hampshire town when the council switched off the street lights. (The more I think this last item, the more I think it's a good idea, immediately saving the councils thousands of pounds, surely.)
Part two travels to Japan for the lovely sounding Autumn moon watching festival, which is the most important lunar festival in the Japan year, which falls on the 15th day of the 8th month. This is when folks in Japan make trips to the best moon-biewing places in the land and they have parties, dancing and general merrymaking (although sometimes the sky gets contaminated with party lights which somehow defeats the point).
....read more on blog....http://fictionfotos.blogspot.com/
April 25, 2011
A book that is literally obsessed with the moon and the night. Attlee is incredibly erudite and writes with fluid but modest elegance. The best parts of the book are when Attlee shares esoteric events/facts about something - the moment of discovery, for the reader, I feel, is as pleasant & genuine as it must have been for the writer. One jumps from Li Po to Mussolini to Basho to Rudolph Hess, and I really loved taking this detour through Attlee's book. This is very much a book for the promeneur, written by the promeneur. Love it.
I do like the discursive narrative method very much, but unlike Sebald, who also wrote discursively... Attlee's book is less elliptical. It's more straightforward, which a lot of readers might appreciate, but for me, this actually disrupted the narrative rhythm, as each chapter was too "organized" by theme/events/persona.
There is also a slight loss of poise when Attlee discusses things that are fraught with environmental import, etc. The tone becomes surprisingly hostile or shrill - surprising, because the general tenor of the book is so urbane & considerate.
I do like the discursive narrative method very much, but unlike Sebald, who also wrote discursively... Attlee's book is less elliptical. It's more straightforward, which a lot of readers might appreciate, but for me, this actually disrupted the narrative rhythm, as each chapter was too "organized" by theme/events/persona.
There is also a slight loss of poise when Attlee discusses things that are fraught with environmental import, etc. The tone becomes surprisingly hostile or shrill - surprising, because the general tenor of the book is so urbane & considerate.
August 31, 2011
I couldn't make it past page 100 of this book. In the opening chapters, James Attlee says he disagrees that urban lighting reduces crime. He even manages to accuse the old people of an estate who complained and were insecure when street lighting was turned off from midnight to 5am of being somehow out of touch with reality. He suggests (without proof) that in their "very middle-class residential area of the suburbs" crime rates would be low and they are being somehow foolish. I would suggest he go live on some mountaintop (preferably with a lot of cliffs) with no lights where he can go for walks in the dark and stop his bitching at society. WTF is wrong with lighted streets now? Couldn't take this book seriously after such idiocy.
February 11, 2012
«Attlee escribe de manera maravillosa y emocionante sobre la luna». John Banville
«Apasionante. Te apetece sacar una silla al jardín y leer a la luz de la luna.» The New York Times
«Nocturno es una buena guía que recupera los paseos nocturnos, el placer de la contemplación y la emoción de la naturaleza. Nos insta a recuperar la capacidad de disfrutar del aquí y del ahora.» The Telegraph
«Un libro erudito, sencillo, ligeramente chiflado y totalmente cautivador.» The Sunday Times
«Attlee siempre es ameno. Es erudito, pero modesto... Nocturno es una lectura que apasiona de primera a última página.» Financial Times
«El lector quedará hechizado por la lectura de este libro.» Diana Athill
«Apasionante. Te apetece sacar una silla al jardín y leer a la luz de la luna.» The New York Times
«Nocturno es una buena guía que recupera los paseos nocturnos, el placer de la contemplación y la emoción de la naturaleza. Nos insta a recuperar la capacidad de disfrutar del aquí y del ahora.» The Telegraph
«Un libro erudito, sencillo, ligeramente chiflado y totalmente cautivador.» The Sunday Times
«Attlee siempre es ameno. Es erudito, pero modesto... Nocturno es una lectura que apasiona de primera a última página.» Financial Times
«El lector quedará hechizado por la lectura de este libro.» Diana Athill
December 8, 2012
I started out really enjoying this strange book and Attlee's gorgeous way with metaphor. Until halfway through I began to feel overstuffed by metaphors, as if I'd had too much foie gras. There's a lovely meandering quality to his writing, and a gentle touch with an ethereal subject, but I have a feeling the overall memory won't last long. Side note that may have affected my judgement: By the time I was finished, I was feeling a little cranky about how nice it would be if someone paid me to travel the world writing about something so esoteric.
December 16, 2015
A pleasing read. I like the way Attlee was happy to put himself at the centre of his explorations - which made it more real and moving for me - it was a piece of dispassionate research - but his own personal quest into understanding something that had grabbed his attention. And I like the places he chose to consider moonlight.
Want to read
May 9, 2013Takes us on a journey in search of moonlight and its meanings, from the kitsch to the sublime - in the modern world, the ancient world, in art, books, music, and in science.
SUnday Times - Travel Books of Year
SUnday Times - Travel Books of Year
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2015
A whimsical and very informative worldwide tour in pursuit of the moon. Attlee is a talented writer, his style drawing one in as he details cultural and historical perspectives intermingled with his own musings on his subject. An enjoyable and distinct book.
October 9, 2011
The prose sometimes can't get out of its own way. The travelogue portions of the book, though, are quite moving.
Want to read
November 8, 2011September 21, 2012
I found the first third to half of this book to be very eye opening...then it digressed, but I was still able to slowly make my way through it.
on-pause
January 5, 2016Reading to Sara.
We put on hold 29 April 2015 as there are other things we need to get to; at p. 109. We are enjoying it but not making fast progress, although it is a fairly easy read.
We put on hold 29 April 2015 as there are other things we need to get to; at p. 109. We are enjoying it but not making fast progress, although it is a fairly easy read.
April 20, 2012
Liked it, but didn't love it. Didn't feel any guilt about returning it to the library before finishing it. Worth a quick read.
Want to read
September 6, 2012GB recco: eleanorigby "It's about finding moonlight and the treatment of the moon and moonlight throughout history and in culture. "
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