Books › Last Chance to See
Last Chance to See
First published 1990 · 306 pages
A hilarious, chaotic, and ultimately heartbreaking journey to the edges of the earth to witness the vanishing wonders of the animal kingdom.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like embarking on a chaotic, globe-trotting expedition with your funniest, most observant friend, only to realize halfway through that you are on a farewell tour. The pace is brisk and endlessly entertaining, propelled by a signature blend of absurdist British wit and sharp observational humor regarding the miseries of international travel. Yet, beneath the laugh-out-loud descriptions of bureaucratic nightmares and venomous reptiles lies a deeply elegiac mood. The narrative masterfully balances the sheer ridiculousness of human endeavor with a profound, aching reverence for the bizarre and beautiful creatures teetering on the brink of extinction. It is a bittersweet, unforgettable experience that will delight fans of brilliant comedic prose while leaving a lingering, poignant ache for the fragility of our natural world.
- Mood
- bittersweet
- adventurous
- awe-struck
- elegiac
- Tone
- wry
- absurdist
- empathetic
- melancholic
- witty
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- fragility of the natural world · human absurdity · tragedy of extinction · beauty of the bizarre · travel mishaps
- The writing
- Masterfully comedic and endlessly quotable, balancing sharp British wit with moments of breathtaking, earnest sincerity.
- The arc
- Begins as a chaotic, laugh-out-loud travelogue and slowly deepens into a profound, heartbreaking meditation on what the world is losing.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love brilliant comedic writing but aren't afraid to have their hearts broken by the realities of the natural world.
Content notes
- animal extinction
- animal death
- ecological grief
About the book
An interactive multimedia exploration of the authors' trip around the world in search of endangered species. Contains the unabridged text of the book Last chance to see, a reading of the entire book by Douglas Adams, and over 800 full-screen color photographs. Allows the user to either read or listen to the book, to choose any chapter within the book, and to explore the many sidebars that provide scientific information about the animals and stories about the authors' experiences as they traveled around
Description from Open Library.
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