Was this review helpful?

9

3

A Dense and Informative Read

by Filmgal

16 months ago

There is a lot of information presented in The Tiger- perhaps too much. Vaillant wants the reader to understand the socio-economic and political background of the people in his story as well as the details of the geographic region of Eastern Russia to paint a clear picture of the actions and possible motives for the events in the book. However, he provides too much information, chopping up what is otherwise a gripping, and compelling tale of a man-eating tiger on the hunt for blood. Just as the story of the tiger hunt would pick up, there would be 3 pages of dense Russian politics and international relations. At times it feels as if you are reading an encyclopedia entry on Russian history. Details are necessary, but not to the degree Vaillant devotes to his research of the topic. The information about tigers is fascinating and better blended into the core story of the tiger hunt. Overall, I liked the book and it was an interesting read, but not sure if it has a wide appeal.