The publisher reached out to me after reading my review of Spying on Whales and offered me an advance digital galley through NetGalley. Originally published in France in 2019 (as Éloquence de la sardine), this reads at times like a children’s book. And yet, any adult who has an affinity or connection to the ocean, though really... anyone ... should enjoy it. François is a physicist who was working on his PhD at the time he wrote/published. His thesis? “fluid mechanics applied to the swimming of schools of fish.” I have a couple of degrees in mechanical engineering and have had multiple fluid mechanics courses, including at the graduate level, and I can't imagine the models he had to create. The good thing for the reader of this is that you won't have to imagine any of that either. You’ll find this to be lyrical... poetic prose...

"With a plastic tube in my mouth and a Plexiglas screen over my eyes, this world, so blurry beneath its reflective surface, was suddenly unveiled, crisp and crystal clear. Once I was over its thin border, this inhospitable element suddenly became transparent and buoyed me gently. I could fly, look, and breathe through it. But I couldn't speak. The snorkel had transformed my voice into bursts of crude, primordial breathing sounds."

...with facts of course (though they are uncited..."When they gathered for the night, these herring engaged in a rather unique form of chitchat. They communicated among themselves by means of flatulence!") Antony Sugaat is responsible for the English translation and I am sure François’s native French is just as lyrical. He certainly is passionate about the subject - it comes through in the short stories he crafts about the different creatures under the sea.

The author is a curiosity. His writing reflects a deep love of the ocean and the inhabitants he's encountered since childhood (plus more than the titular sardine he's learned about and shares here), and he talks also about seafood. I thought this humorous:

"In fish soup, or bouillabaisse, there is a blend of stories, if you're willing to listen closely. Every port on the Mediterranean will tell you that it alone uses the authentic recipe: extra saffron, less white wine, more aniseed, longer cooking time, leeks... I won't reveal my own recipe here for fear of starting a long and tiresome debate, and because a secret recipe should remain secret."

But, he says, the recipe contains the rules "our ancestors imposed to protect the sea" - variety of ingredients. Don't overfish. But that was before Homo sapiens came into his most destructive modern self. He said at one point "We may have come down from the trees, but we never truly conquered the sea." (Emphasis mine.) I am not fond of that word from the human species perspective as it relates to the world, but that's me. And it ties probably accidentally on François’s part (or at least the translated word does) to the loss of protection of the oceans. At any rate, in that context, François was relating a theory that aquatic environments played a role in human evolution.

"I spent years in the city trying to regain my place in nature, attempting to grasp the stories of fish amid the noise of the streets. I had no idea just how close to me nature really was. I didn't have and inkling of the surprising discoveries I would make, just a few yards from my apartment, and the incredible species I would encounter beneath the concrete of the city's sidewalks and streets."

François talks of the street-fishers who work the rivers beneath the streets. And he give the inhabitants a touch of flair:

" Like terrestrial Parisians, aquatic Parisians are Parisians first and foremost. They even share the same personalities, so typical of the French capital.
Aquatic Parisians are elegant snobs, especially in the nice neighborhoods."


I have only touched a micro-sampling of the stories in this short book. The author sums it well with a wish: "I hope these aquatic reveries leave you with a few dreams, a few ideas, and the desire to share them with friends." Once I got over my irrational fear years ago (I can't explain it ... I freaked the first time snorkeling off of Cozumel when the clear water showed the bottom dropping 40 feet below me as I passed the shallow breakers), I love snorkeling with the fishies. I won't scuba - not fond of paying every time I want to play - but I've seen some wonderful creatures off the Honduras, Belize, Mexico, St. Martins, the Gulf of Mexico, and other places.

This book reminded me of many ocean-exploring documentary shows I have seen over the years. It captures that sense of awe for the open waters and the creatures that live in them. The author takes on the history of the ocean and a bit of a peek into the future as well. The book was informative but also a bit dreamy and delightful. I would have liked to have had a bit more of a biography of the author as well as resource citations to follow up on some of the specifics of species that were mentioned. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. The review is my honest opinion.

I would have sworn when I read Patrik Svensson's "The Book of Eels" that I had read what would undoubtedly be my most unique reading experience of 2021.

I was wrong.

Bill Francois's "Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea" is a sublime weaving together of poetic and profound centered around Francois's lifelong adventures beneath the sea.

"Eloquence of the Sardine" begins with an introduction of sorts to Francois. An anxiety-ridden child ruled more by his fears than his curiosity, a chance encounter within the sea changed his life forever and, in return, it changes ours as well.

It's difficult to describe the experience of reading "Eloquence of the Sardine," a book that somehow creates a dreamlike state where sea creatures big and small are not just given voice but genuinely approached with a goal of understanding. Francois, a marine scientist and orator, is utterly enchanting here as he brings to life the eloquent worlds of sardines and other sea creatures he's encountered over the years.

The idea of an eloquent sardine seems absurd. Doesn't it? If you're paying attention, Francois explains himself and he explains his discoveries as we experience the world of the sea in a unique and wonderful way.

"Eloquence of the Sardine" is ultimately nature writing both fantastic and factual. One could say that "Eloquence of the Sardine" is also part memoir, though I'd dare say it's more a memoir of a sardine than Francois. Francois takes us deep into the eloquent lives of not just sardines but also a lonely musical whale, a herring that very nearly caused a military conflict, and those fabulous eels.

I really do love eels.

When Francois writes about the conversations of lobsters, one can't help but feel immersed in a world that at least feels previously undiscovered. Francois is a believer in communication, ours and those of the sea creatures, and he seeks understanding that defies comprehensive translation.

There are fleeting moments in "Eloquence of the Sardine" when it feels as if Francois is starting to lose his grasp of this grand task.

But then, he rights himself and his words and he brings it all back into a beautiful balance as both our intellect and our emotions become enveloped by this world that he creates.

So, there you have it.

At less than two hundred pages, "Eloquence of the Sardine" is a relatively quick yet engrossing read that leaves you with new knowledge and desperate to experience this world that seems to have defined so much of Francois's life. You will be changed by this experience and contemplate it whether you are seaside or lakeside or simply about to devour a plate of calamari or even simply a fish sandwich.

"Eloquence of the Sardine" is an extraordinary encounter with Bill Francois and the creatures that live beneath the sea in ancient myths, the pages of literature, and in our everyday lives.

Poetic Narrative More Memoir Than Hard Science. This is a memoir of a man who was afraid of the sea as a small child and who had one chance encounter that turned his life around... and inspired his life long study of the sea. This book really is as much about the author's own experiences and thoughts as it is the actual scientific facts he states throughout, which is seen perhaps most glaringly in the extremely short bibliography (at least on this advance copy I read). But truly poetic and beautiful regardless, one is almost inspired to pursue a career (or perhaps second career) in something that gets one out in, on, or under the water just from the sheer awe Francois shows here. All of this noted, I do have a bit of a bone to pick with the actual title: "eloquence" is "a discourse marked by force and persuasiveness", according to Webster. And while I found quite a bit of beauty, wonder, and awe within this narrative, I found little truly forceful or persuasive. Francois doesn't seem to be making any major point or trying to persuade anyone to any particular position other than the sheer wonder of all that exists under the seas. Truly an excellent work, even with the quibble over a part of the title. Very much recommended.