Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile

-- Library Journal, 12/6/2005

Klinkenborg, Verlyn. Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile. Knopf. Feb. 2006. c.192p. ISBN 0-679-40728-6. $16.95. NAT HIST

This is a true story—so states author Klinkenborg (The Rural Life), a member of the New York Times editorial board. That it is told by a female tortoise named Timothy in no way discredits the fact that Gilbert White was indeed an 18th-century curate in the rural English town of Selborne and that a tortoise did reside in his garden. White, considered England’s first ecologist, recorded careful observations of nature that made their way into his The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, a nature-writing classic that has remained in print since its publication in 1789. Timothy offers her own perceptive observations of life in the parish, adding an ironic and sometimes humorous twist to the assumptions humans make about life. For example, White sees the tortoise shell as a prison rather than a house that fits perfectly, while Timothy thinks human houses are extremely out of proportion to their inhabitants. Short, lyrical phrases flow like poetry, and there is much to ponder in this delightful little book. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.—Maureen J. Delaney-Lehman, Lake Superior State Univ. Lib., Sault Ste. Marie, MI