Reviews

What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri

markcastaneda's review

5.0

phenomenal!!! i kept crying!! straddling poetry and beautiful prose.

had the potential to be very gaudy but wasn't

Kolluri speaks about exploring tameness and wildness, but there's so much more at play here. climate change, increased human-wildlife interactions, non-human perception on daily atrocities, convalescence and health, grieving loss, etc.

I thought the arrangement was so effective at providing a painfully realistic telling of the present word both human and not without killing any resolve to maintain the bits of beauty in the world. as many reviewers have said, not a dud in the bunch, each story is phenomenal which is shocking for a collection of 9 (to me anyways).

I'll probably re read this several times

koseto_tliterature's review

adventurous informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

shaunie991's review

4.0

4.5 stars

I actually wish this book could be longer! Having two separate narrators wasn’t really necessary though. It is difficult to understand or know what animals are thinking, so this book is great to open your mind. I’d consider having a physical copy of this book in my personal collection.


(ALC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you!)

potassiumgod's review

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.75

Every story didn't wow me like I wanted, but there are several that are very good. If you are interested in animals, unique perspectives, or environmentalism, I would recommend this. 

moth_dance's review

4.0

21st-century animal fables for a world in turmoil.

These fauna tales blend the fantastical and factual, the somber and silly. A stellar short story collection to dip into during triple-degree summers.

Random: At the time of writing this review, there's a pod of pilot whales beaching themselves in Australia. 52 have died so far. And I immediately thought of Talia writing their story into existence.

skylover's review

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This is a book that's going to stay with me for a while, in all the best ways. I felt a deeper connection to the wildlife around us and a newfound sense of appreciation for the circle of life. Perspectives of animals I never once considered has me by the heartstrings. Highly recommend for animal and environmental advocates, as this story will open the eyes to a whole new perspective of the world. 

triforcefusion's review against another edition

Not really into these stories. There's nothing wrong with the stories or the writing. Just not holding my interest. 

kentucky_kfc's review

5.0

beautifully tragic and then finally hopeful

bibliojax's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

binnybeenreading's review against another edition

• the good donkey 
  • i am actually sobbing and i started sobbing like 2 pages into this story good god
  • that was devastating 
  • i feel like i just got gut punched 
  • one of the favs
• what we fed the manticore
  • climate change commentary  
• someone must watch over the dead
  • it was aight 
• the dog star is the brightest star in the sky 
  • ☹️