gsisk reviewed on 8/12/2009 + 193 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 6

This story often caused me to roll my eyes, thinking: "What? Are you crazy to get yet another pet?!?" Most of them are acquired thanks to the author's wife, who seems to be heavily into anthropomorphization of animals. The author appears somewhat more rational, questioning why he does not put up more of a fight. Besides the fact that both have a genuine love of animals, he is also somewhat depressed, and the book also recounts his struggle with doctors who would just like to increase his Zoloft doses.

The main and most amusing part of the book (I would not say it's a laugh-out-loud book) are the descriptions of the daily chores, and the idiosyncrasies of the various animals - most of which are of the bird variety.

In part this book reads like a summarized journal - the author gains valuable insights about his personality, and one also learns quite a bit about parrots, bunnies, and ducks (and geese, turkeys, doves, starlings, parakeets). The bit about how there is a definite turning point in a relationship with an animal, once it finally trusts you, was quite touching (and true, I've had that experience myself).

Overall, I liked this book - the second half more than the first.

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