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myriadreads's review against another edition
5.0
In her first novel, Becky Mandelbaum transports readers to an overwhelmed animal sanctuary in western Kansas. The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is a story about second chances, the bonds between animals and humans, and the way that family impacts our lives.
It’s 2016, just after the presidential election. Tensions are high across Kansas and the nation. Mona runs an animal sanctuary with the help of one hired man, Gideon. Together, they save many animals from abuse and death, but the work is intense and the bills are high. It looks like Mona may have to sell her land and give up the sanctuary, especially after a neighbor sets fire to her barn and vandalizes her property with hate speech. Mona’s daughter, Ariel, has lived in Lawrence since she ran away to attend college years before. She hasn’t been home or called her mother since she left, but when she hears about the fire, she knows that she has to go home, help her mom, and mend fences.
The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals seems like it could be very political or divisive, as it is set during an election year and was published just before another Presidential election. Instead, it’s a very human book. The big picture is framed around the election that has just concluded, then the story zooms in to how people live their everyday lives on the ground in our state. Mandelbaum seems to deliberately set us up with stereotypes and expectations for her characters, only to knock those presumptions sideways or out from under us with complex, flawed, loveable personalities.
It’s 2016, just after the presidential election. Tensions are high across Kansas and the nation. Mona runs an animal sanctuary with the help of one hired man, Gideon. Together, they save many animals from abuse and death, but the work is intense and the bills are high. It looks like Mona may have to sell her land and give up the sanctuary, especially after a neighbor sets fire to her barn and vandalizes her property with hate speech. Mona’s daughter, Ariel, has lived in Lawrence since she ran away to attend college years before. She hasn’t been home or called her mother since she left, but when she hears about the fire, she knows that she has to go home, help her mom, and mend fences.
The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals seems like it could be very political or divisive, as it is set during an election year and was published just before another Presidential election. Instead, it’s a very human book. The big picture is framed around the election that has just concluded, then the story zooms in to how people live their everyday lives on the ground in our state. Mandelbaum seems to deliberately set us up with stereotypes and expectations for her characters, only to knock those presumptions sideways or out from under us with complex, flawed, loveable personalities.
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
4.0
The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals // by Becky Mandelbaum
"It was one thing to talk about forgiveness, but it was another to forgive with the body, with the bones and skin and blood. It was something the animals understood instinctively, that the deepest emotions could not be translated into language, for they existed in the body and not the mind."
The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is in trouble - not only is it up for sale but it was also victim to an anti-semitic attack orchestrated by Ariel's childhood friend Sydney. Ariel has not been back to the sanctuary since she ran away six years prior but after finding out that news, she feels drawn back to her childhood home. She knew coming home to her mom would be complicated. They have not even talked once in the whole time Ariel has been away and she knew that there would be some resentment on all fronts back on the farm where her high school crush still lived. Add a clumsy fiance into the mix and the tension may turn into more than she can handle.
It wasn't until I reread the description for this book that I remembered that the entire story played out over just a single weekend because there was enough feeling and excitement and tension to last us several weeks! If you are looking for a book with a grand adventure and a big climax at the end - then this is not the one for you. But if you are a fan of character-driven novels that explore the deeper meaning of feelings and focus on how the characters arrive at the choices they make, then this is just the one for you. It is hard to believe that this book is Mandelbaum's debut novel because the feelings she evokes are deeper than I have come to expect even from some more seasoned writers. Ariel and Mona took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with their complicated relationship while Dex, a character I expected to dislike from the start, turned into someone far more caring than it would seem at first glance (or even all throughout Ariel's point of view). Sometimes having more than one or two narrators can feel overwhelming but Mandelbaum did an excellent job switching between her characters at just the right moments. While the ending is rather open-ended with some unresolved issues, I rather like that in this case because it feels so full of possibility. I'm excited to see what else we will see from her in the future.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
"It was one thing to talk about forgiveness, but it was another to forgive with the body, with the bones and skin and blood. It was something the animals understood instinctively, that the deepest emotions could not be translated into language, for they existed in the body and not the mind."
The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is in trouble - not only is it up for sale but it was also victim to an anti-semitic attack orchestrated by Ariel's childhood friend Sydney. Ariel has not been back to the sanctuary since she ran away six years prior but after finding out that news, she feels drawn back to her childhood home. She knew coming home to her mom would be complicated. They have not even talked once in the whole time Ariel has been away and she knew that there would be some resentment on all fronts back on the farm where her high school crush still lived. Add a clumsy fiance into the mix and the tension may turn into more than she can handle.
It wasn't until I reread the description for this book that I remembered that the entire story played out over just a single weekend because there was enough feeling and excitement and tension to last us several weeks! If you are looking for a book with a grand adventure and a big climax at the end - then this is not the one for you. But if you are a fan of character-driven novels that explore the deeper meaning of feelings and focus on how the characters arrive at the choices they make, then this is just the one for you. It is hard to believe that this book is Mandelbaum's debut novel because the feelings she evokes are deeper than I have come to expect even from some more seasoned writers. Ariel and Mona took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with their complicated relationship while Dex, a character I expected to dislike from the start, turned into someone far more caring than it would seem at first glance (or even all throughout Ariel's point of view). Sometimes having more than one or two narrators can feel overwhelming but Mandelbaum did an excellent job switching between her characters at just the right moments. While the ending is rather open-ended with some unresolved issues, I rather like that in this case because it feels so full of possibility. I'm excited to see what else we will see from her in the future.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
ja3m3's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jin662's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I genuinely enjoyed this story about forgiveness and love. As an animal fanatic I was initially drawn in by the idea of the sanctuary, but it was written in such an honest, real way. The struggle, the drive to care and protect for something you also had a painful history with hit on so many levels. The characters were well written, full, and wonderful and you felt as though you had developed a real relationship with the, by the end. At turns funny, sweet, and moving I would definitely recommend this book.
jademelody's review against another edition
2.0
I want to start off by saying thank you to NetGalley for this Advanced Copy that I should have read ages and ages and ages ago...
Now, I guess I have to talk about my dislike of this book. This book did not have any point. No plot. The reason I liked the first 30% of this book is because I felt some sort of direction of where the plot was going to go... no. Everything I thought could've happened, came no where close to happening. The only plot points, if I can even call them that, are when Ariel comes back to the sanctuary, when the dogs get out, the end. For all the loose ends of this barely salvageable plot, I am disappointed. This could've been so much more than it was. But in reality we were left with nothing. The characters weren't enjoyable. The only reason I kept reading is because I wanted to see if there was actually going to be some sort of resolve. By 95%, I knew that it was a lost cause but there is no way I can justify myself DNFing an Arc at 95%... so I kept going until the story just ended.
This book was not satisfying. It could've been so much better than it was and for that, I am thoroughly disappointed.
Now, I guess I have to talk about my dislike of this book. This book did not have any point. No plot. The reason I liked the first 30% of this book is because I felt some sort of direction of where the plot was going to go... no. Everything I thought could've happened, came no where close to happening. The only plot points, if I can even call them that, are when Ariel comes back to the sanctuary, when the dogs get out, the end. For all the loose ends of this barely salvageable plot, I am disappointed. This could've been so much more than it was. But in reality we were left with nothing. The characters weren't enjoyable. The only reason I kept reading is because I wanted to see if there was actually going to be some sort of resolve. By 95%, I knew that it was a lost cause but there is no way I can justify myself DNFing an Arc at 95%... so I kept going until the story just ended.
This book was not satisfying. It could've been so much better than it was and for that, I am thoroughly disappointed.
qkitten's review against another edition
2.0
I honestly liked this book until about 3/4 of the way through. It feels very unresolved and like the author wrote this whole story trying to make some kind of point but then the point is never made. Instead, characters who had just started to reveal themselves and their complexities are now left hanging and even the main few characters feel like they were just abandoned mid thought.
brieasweat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Don’t read if you’re an animal lover. Didn’t like the main character. Ending was disappointing as well.
erikas_reads's review against another edition
3.0
The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is the story of Mona, the owner of an animal sanctuary in Kansas, her daughter Ariel, and her boyfriend Dex. Ariel and Mona haven’t spoken for years, but Ariel decides to come back when the sanctuary is the target of an anti-Semitic hate crime. As Ariel and Mona are reunited, we are introduced to the humans and animals that play big parts in their past and their future. The relationships in this book were well written and realistic. Becky Mandelbaum does a great job of describing the characters and settings. The main characters were very flawed and sometimes arguments would be frustrating to read, but I think that’s part of the purpose of this book. Without spoiling anything - as an animal lover, I wasn’t satisfied with the ending of this book or some of Ariel’s thoughts and actions with the animals. Unless there’s going to be a second book, I don’t know why some of the loose ends weren’t tied up, especially the story lines with the animals.
dentaldiva's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Very good story but the character development seemed inconsistent. It also finished with lots of loose ends which was a disappointment after the story had unraveled so nicely. Thank you to Netgalley for an unedited copy in exchange for my honest feedback.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This is a better book than three stars, objectively speaking. But the rating reflects how I feel about it, so three stars it is. This is a book about abandonment, belonging, and going home again. It's about mothers and daughters and love and relationships. Ariel grows up with her mother (her father abandoned them when Ariel began high school) on the Bright Side Sanctuary in Kansas. Her mother doesn't want her to leave to go to college, but Ariel leaves anyway and has no contact with her mother for the next six years. Then a neighbor sets one of her mother's barns on fire, and Ariel gets engaged, and Ariel returns to the Bright Side. This story looks simple, but it accurately depicts the complicated and painful nature of family relationships. The story was well-plotted and well-executed, but it kind of darkened my mood, which I don't need right now. So, three stars, but it's really better than that.