bibliobabe94's review against another edition
2.0
I can see how people liked this for a book club, but it's not really my type of book.
dellydoos's review against another edition
2.0
Ceridwen Dovey’s Only the Animals is a collection of short stories, told posthumously by animal narrators. Uncannily charismatic, flawed and curious, the animals and their voices provide an allegory of humans, their wars, conflicts and their relationship with the world around them. There are ten stories within Only the Animals and at the end of each the animal narrator dies as a casualty of human conflict. And if that sounds bleak to you- that's because it is.
It's safe to say that I thoroughly disliked this book. Whilst I cannot deny how well researched and written it actually was, the actual contents of these short stories haunted me. It's a book on animal cruelty, plain and simple. From a camel being shot by his drunken master, to a dog forced to become a suicide bomber during World War II, to that fucking weird story about a chimp being in love with a human woman; it was just too much for me. I was visibly upset by the end of this book, crying over how cruel and stupid humans are with the lives of animals.
The strength, at least for me, came in the joyous, precious lives each of these innocent animals lived before the inevitable end. Their voices were tender, playful and curious of the world around them. And god, I wish I had all the money in the world to buy a large block of land and let these animals run, swim and fly around in ecstasy and in freedom. 2/5 stars for me.
It's safe to say that I thoroughly disliked this book. Whilst I cannot deny how well researched and written it actually was, the actual contents of these short stories haunted me. It's a book on animal cruelty, plain and simple. From a camel being shot by his drunken master, to a dog forced to become a suicide bomber during World War II, to that fucking weird story about a chimp being in love with a human woman; it was just too much for me. I was visibly upset by the end of this book, crying over how cruel and stupid humans are with the lives of animals.
The strength, at least for me, came in the joyous, precious lives each of these innocent animals lived before the inevitable end. Their voices were tender, playful and curious of the world around them. And god, I wish I had all the money in the world to buy a large block of land and let these animals run, swim and fly around in ecstasy and in freedom. 2/5 stars for me.
nood13's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
saiha's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jem_of_the_brew's review against another edition
5.0
You can also read this review on my blog at: http://oddfeather.co/2017/01/01/review-ceridwen-doveys-only-the-animals/
The skill and the purpose to reading and writing fiction is the ability to empathise with the inner lives of creatures outside of ourselves. This collection of incredible short stories takes this premise and runs with it, guiding the reader on an extended journey through the inner lives, culture and nature of ten vastly different animals. From the matriarchal herd culture of elephants hunted in Mozambique, to the hundred-year introspection of a tortoise who began and ended its journey in Russia, to the strange case of the chimpanzee who has been taught to live as a human, these stories delve deep into the soul of the animal, and along the way reveal far more about the human species than we may care to know.
This book is for those who want to smile and cry as they take an extended tour of what it means not to be human in a world often wrought with human conflict. The characters and personalities of only the animals could reveal so much and take us so far.
The skill and the purpose to reading and writing fiction is the ability to empathise with the inner lives of creatures outside of ourselves. This collection of incredible short stories takes this premise and runs with it, guiding the reader on an extended journey through the inner lives, culture and nature of ten vastly different animals. From the matriarchal herd culture of elephants hunted in Mozambique, to the hundred-year introspection of a tortoise who began and ended its journey in Russia, to the strange case of the chimpanzee who has been taught to live as a human, these stories delve deep into the soul of the animal, and along the way reveal far more about the human species than we may care to know.
This book is for those who want to smile and cry as they take an extended tour of what it means not to be human in a world often wrought with human conflict. The characters and personalities of only the animals could reveal so much and take us so far.
georgias_libraryyy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mia_arianne's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a compulsory school literature book. I enjoyed reading most of the short stories however all of them ended with death and housed some aspect of cruelty towards animals, the morals were incredibly clear. I would not read the chimpanzee one again as it just didn’t feel right and made me feel so violated that I felt distressed for days after. Overall I did really enjoy this book, especially as it opened opportunities for me to read more short stories in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, War, Suicide, Cannibalism, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
antoinettetran's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
coachadnyc's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic! Highly recommend! Such an interesting idea for short stories. Many of them really spoke to me and were quite emotional. Loved the Mussel, Dolphin and Parrot stories in particular. Animals are just better than humans and reading what their perspective of humanity might be is so interesting.