Times reviewer Sam Kean asks if rope has the heft to be a main character in history (of course, the answer is yes!) And he points out a key aspect of the rope story.
“Like all good books about technology, then, ‘Rope’ is ultimately about human beings at their best and worst.”
Read the full review here.
The WSJ reviewed Rope in its Aug. 9 – 10 weekend edition. Reviewer Bill Heavey, an editor at large at Field & Stream magazine, wrote that the time has come for rope to get its due as one of humanity’s greatest inventions.
“Tim Queeney makes the case for cordage, and as you read his book you may find yourself thinking that it’s about damn time.”
A perceptive take from Heavey that I have to agree with!
Reviews of one’s book are something of a “Be careful what you wish for” situation. Every writer eagerly seeks them but when they arrive you can have the understandable urge to dive under the covers and plug your ears.
We’re still a few months out from Rope‘s August 12 pub date, but Kirkus Reviews’ take on Rope dropped yesterday and thankfully there was no need to hide out. Here’s a quote:
“Queeney demonstrates that a seemingly prosaic subject is anything but. Tying our planet together with cordage, he surveys the history of rope … The next time readers hold a length of rope in their hands, it will be with heightened respect and admiration … Not simply a history of rope, but of the coils of whole peoples.”