50 pages 1 hour read

Annie Dillard

Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1982

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard is a collection of 14 essays exploring themes of nature, God, time, and memory through diverse encounters and reflections. Each essay presents distinct experiences, from viewing a solar eclipse and attending Catholic mass, to encountering wildlife and exploring the Galápagos. Dillard uses these narratives to investigate humanity's often complex relationship with the natural world and the divine. This book includes themes of suffering and death.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard receives acclaim for its poetic and vivid prose, capturing the beauty and mystery of the natural world. Readers appreciate Dillard's contemplative, introspective style, although some find her reflections occasionally dense or esoteric. Overall, it is praised for its intellectual depth and lyrical quality.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Teaching a Stone to Talk?

A reader who enjoys Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard likely appreciates deeply introspective, nature-centric meditations. Fans of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or Mary Oliver’s poetry will find Dillard’s blend of spirituality and the natural world compelling and thought-provoking.

Recommended

Reading Age

18+years

Book Details

Themes

Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Identity: Language

Topics

Science / Nature

Philosophy

Religion / Spirituality

Genre

Philosophy