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276 reviews for:
The Secret Life of Animals: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discovering a Hidden World
Peter Wohlleben
3.68 AVERAGE
276 reviews for:
The Secret Life of Animals: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discovering a Hidden World
Peter Wohlleben
3.68 AVERAGE
A great overview of studies mixed with the author’s opinion and experience that show many people do not give animals the credit they are due. I fear the people who need to read this are the ones that will not.
Like all of Peter Wohlleben’s books, he makes no attempt to hide his disdain for hunters. No issue is black and white, but if you wanted a book that shows hunters in a terrible light for your anti-hunter debates, here it is.
Like all of Peter Wohlleben’s books, he makes no attempt to hide his disdain for hunters. No issue is black and white, but if you wanted a book that shows hunters in a terrible light for your anti-hunter debates, here it is.
I preferred The Hidden Life of Trees to this book, but it was still a wonderful read with some great insights. It made me reflect on past experiences with animals and really think about the surrounding world which I appreciate.
informative
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
"The Inner Life of Animals" is a lovely exploration of the emotional lives of animals. Wohlleben's book is made up of anecdotal evidence with some inclusion of scientific studies. I like this approach, and it fits well with his professional background. The writing is easy to follow and digest as well. I'll definitely be reading his next book.
Good narrator voice. Not as good as inner life of trees.
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
A good read for an animal lover, slightly gorier/graphic than the fun read I was expecting
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Really lovely and inspiring, full of anecdotes to confirm what you (someone who is interested in a book like this) already intuitively thought - that animals have a much richer and intricate inner life than we give them credit for. Pacing was brilliant, chapters are very brisk and loosely strung together to weave together a tapestry of concepts. Really nicely tied together the philosophical concepts with a real grounded perspective you'd get from a German ecologist.
I'm sorry to be harsh but this book has been such a disappointing read. After reading Wohlleben's marvelous book about trees, my expectations were quite high (albeit prematurely). I was excited to see what other gems I'd learn from him. What a letdown!
I do agree with him on so many things from hunting animals to animals having emotions and feeling love and compassion (maybe not all animals; we don't know, but still); there's no question of all that (at least for me). I'm of the same mind. However, this is not a book truly about "animals as emotional and feeling beings"; it is in fact a book about "whether humans should eat animals," a topic which I really wasn't looking forward to reading about. I was interested in the facts, which Wohlleben tries to support by only giving us his rather unsubstantiated claims and mostly emotionally driven opinions on certain things. He does indeed cite studies and research on animal behavior and all that, but they are given only to support his own opinions, not facts. His tone is not harsh but its subtle condescension and patronizing approach when lecturing us got too annoying too quick for me.
I did not buy this book to read on someone else's view on a topic on which I also had almost 100% similar views. I need my brain to be challenged, which this book failed to do so. I guess my main problem with the book is its misleading title. It should have been called "My Opinions on Whether We Should Eat Animals." With that honest title, I wouldn't buy the book.
I do agree with him on so many things from hunting animals to animals having emotions and feeling love and compassion (maybe not all animals; we don't know, but still); there's no question of all that (at least for me). I'm of the same mind. However, this is not a book truly about "animals as emotional and feeling beings"; it is in fact a book about "whether humans should eat animals," a topic which I really wasn't looking forward to reading about. I was interested in the facts, which Wohlleben tries to support by only giving us his rather unsubstantiated claims and mostly emotionally driven opinions on certain things. He does indeed cite studies and research on animal behavior and all that, but they are given only to support his own opinions, not facts. His tone is not harsh but its subtle condescension and patronizing approach when lecturing us got too annoying too quick for me.
I did not buy this book to read on someone else's view on a topic on which I also had almost 100% similar views. I need my brain to be challenged, which this book failed to do so. I guess my main problem with the book is its misleading title. It should have been called "My Opinions on Whether We Should Eat Animals." With that honest title, I wouldn't buy the book.