Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

by Christopher Moore | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 006056668x Global Overview for this book
Registered by hippolein of Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on 9/10/2008
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9 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by hippolein from Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Amazon.com
In his entertaining adventure-in-whale-researching, Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, Nathan Quinn, a prominent marine biologist, has been conducting studies in Hawaii for years trying to unravel the secret of why humpback whales sing. During a typical day of data gathering, Nate believes his mind is failing: the subject whale has "Bite Me" scrawled across its tail. Events become even stranger as the self-proclaimed "action nerds," Nate, photographer Clay, their research assistant Amy, and Kona, a white Rasta (a Jewish kid from New Jersey), encounter sabotage to their data and equipment. They also observe increasingly bizarre whale behavior, including a phone call from the whale to their wealthy sponsor to ask that Nate bring it a hot pastrami and Swiss on rye, and discover both a thriving underwater city and the secret to what happened to Amelia Earhart.
Thoughtful, irreverent, and often hilarious, Moore has crafted a tale that contains a bit of the saga of declining whale populations due to hunting and habitat destruction, as well as his over-the-top, decadent wit as applied to scientific methodology and professional jealousies. Moore notes a pasty, rival scientist "looked like Death out for his after-dinner stroll before a busy night of e-mailing heart attacks and tumors to a few million lucky winners," and that killer whales (which are all named Kevin), are "just four tons of doofus dressed up like a police car." Smart, sincere, and a whale of a story, Fluke is terrific. --Michael Ferch --

Journal Entry 2 by hippolein at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, October 4, 2008

Released 15 yrs ago (10/5/2008 UTC) at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases

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One of the books going out for the hippolein Autumn RABCK!
Enjoy the book and hope you'll tell what you thought of it.


Journal Entry 3 by polenka from Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Yay, thanks for the surprise! This sounds like just my cup of tea, I love this kind of surreal happenings as back cover describes.

Journal Entry 4 by polenka from Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Monday, December 15, 2008
Wow, this really was an extraordinary book. The first half of the book was a little too slow-paced, but the latter half really got me gripped. This book was interesting, funny and really, really weird! Loved it. I can really recommend this to everyone who likes tales which combine reality, magic and weird things.

Journal Entry 5 by wingerpaxwing from Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Many thanks Polenka!
I won this Book in "RABCK lomareissun kunniaksi". I am quite sure that I will enjoy this book.

Edit:
I have read this book but I have been too lazy to journal it....


Journal Entry 6 by wingerpaxwing from Helsinki, Uusimaa / Nyland Finland on Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I finished this book already several days ago. Still, I don´t completely know what I actually thought about it. Or even more, what could I write in this journal without totally spoiling the plot of this book....

This book was absolutely bizarre. It was entertaining and quite funny although it didn’t make me burst into a loud laughter.

The main character Nathan “Nate” Quinn is a cetacean biologist whose obsession is to unravel why humpback whales sing. I suppose, everyone who finds marine biology interesting finds also this book interesting. In this context the first part of the book was definitely the best. I enjoyed reading that part of the story.

The second part, the part in which the actual fantasy begins, was sometimes just too silly for me. Even though, there were totally new insights in that part of the novel, I found it almost impossible to concentrate on. I don’t know whether it was because of some already existing whale tales back in literature or because of too weird humor...

Anyway, I am happy that the burning question of why humpbacks sing was answered! When that part of the story was achieved - when you just knew that Nate will have the answer, - you still had to turn one page more. But there was the answer, actually, a very logic one.

In the third part of the book also the mystery of Amelia Earthart was solved – although in a quite puzzling way. Also the war between genes and memes was discussed but I didn’t probably find the point.

Last but not least, in addition to this mixture of science, science fiction, fantasy and weird humor, this whale story had an agenda, a message of marine mammal conservation.


Many thanks polenka and hippolein for sharing this book! This book will now travel to Chania.

Kirja lähtee lähipäivinä Chanialle, joka nappasi tämän kirjaviestistä.

Journal Entry 7 by wingerpaxwing at Controlled Release, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Released 15 yrs ago (2/18/2009 UTC) at Controlled Release, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases

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Tänään Fluke lähti viimeinkin matkaan.

Book relay.

Journal Entry 8 by Chania from Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Friday, February 20, 2009
Thanks, erpax, the book looks very interesting! :)

Journal Entry 9 by Chania at Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Thursday, July 28, 2011
Weird, fashinating, funny, even moving ... completely crazy and well worth of reading! Some people have just so amazing sense of humour and imagination!

Journal Entry 10 by Chania at Kokkola, Keski-Pohjanmaa / Mellersta Österbotten Finland on Friday, August 26, 2011
Sending to Sumako next, enjoy!

Journal Entry 11 by sumako at Kuopio, Pohjois-Savo / Norra Savolax Finland on Wednesday, August 31, 2011
This sounded enough weird for me. Thank you, Chania!

Journal Entry 12 by sumako at Bookcrossing Convention 2015 in Oxford, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Released 8 yrs ago (4/10/2015 UTC) at Bookcrossing Convention 2015 in Oxford, Oxfordshire United Kingdom

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I found the book from wishlist.

Journal Entry 13 by wingyorkshire-lasswing at Maidstone, Kent United Kingdom on Sunday, April 12, 2015
Thanks for bring this to the Convention for me, I'm really looking forward to reading it, but as my TBR is massive it may be a while untilI get the chance to get to it.

Journal Entry 14 by wingyorkshire-lasswing at Maidstone, Kent United Kingdom on Monday, December 2, 2019
Got to it at last!
What a read!!!
This was such an unusual book, strange, funny but with a very important message. I'm so glad I read it, I will never think of whales in quite the same way again :-)

Journal Entry 15 by wingyorkshire-lasswing at Maidstone, Kent United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Released 4 yrs ago (12/5/2019 UTC) at Maidstone, Kent United Kingdom

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This going into Tanamo's Water Creatures Bookring.

Journal Entry 16 by millycat at Northampton, Northamptonshire United Kingdom on Thursday, December 12, 2019
This arrived as part of the water creatures book ring.

Journal Entry 17 by wingIcilawing at Nantes, Pays de la Loire France on Friday, February 28, 2020
Picking it from the water creatures bookring.

Journal Entry 18 by wingIcilawing at Nantes, Pays de la Loire France on Friday, September 25, 2020

Released 3 yrs ago (9/25/2020 UTC) at Nantes, Pays de la Loire France

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On the road again...

Journal Entry 19 by shdjld at Antony, Ile-de-France France on Thursday, October 1, 2020
bien arrivé merci

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