tries to do too much and ends up doing too little

The Three Ages of Water is a book that tries to do too much and ends up doing too little. It claims to be a comprehensive exploration of water’s role in the cosmos and civilization, but it is really a call for action on the current water crisis. The author, Gleick, seems to have a genuine passion for this topic, but he fails to deliver a clear and convincing message. Instead, he wraps his advocacy in a vague and confusing framework of the three ages of water, which are not well-defined or justified. As a planetary scientist, I found this concept arbitrary and misleading. The book could have been a fascinating look at the history of water on Earth or a compelling analysis of our water problems. Instead, it is neither.

The book also suffers from a lack of focus and coherence. Many chapters feel like filler, such as the one on water-based diseases, which is essentially a history of disease. The book tries to connect everything to water, but the connections are often weak and irrelevant. The book does not tell a cohesive story, but rather a series of stories that vary in their relevance and depth. Gleick should have chosen a more specific and relevant theme for his book, instead of trying to make it into a grandiose and superficial saga that dilutes his main point with unnecessary details.