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meme_too2's review
1.0
It took way too long to get into this book. Animals act funny. People act funny. I didn't connect at all with anything.
lavoiture's review
3.0
Great writing, and almost interesting premise. The ending disappointed me, which is why I bumped it down from a 4 to a 3.
justin_g317's review
3.0
3.5 stars... A very well written book, and an author that I'd be interested in reading again, and I liked the story between Rick and Nat growing up and Nat's redemption coming from the refuge. There was just something in the story that didn't resonate with me for whatever reason, mostly the storyline that led up to the cause of Rick's incarceration...
shelfimprovement's review
4.0
This book kind of felt like the weirdly verbose, hypermasculine love child of a Hawthorne novel and a Hemingway novel. It was interesting and compelling but, I actually stopped reading towards the end because That's something I just can't do. I realized what was going to happen and I skimmed the last forty pages or so. I think it's a good book otherwise, an interesting character study that others will surely love.
Spoiler
there's a scene in which all of the titular animals are murdered.knitter22's review
5.0
The bad news is that I finished The Animals; the good news is that Christian Kiefer has written another novel that I'm racing to the library to get as soon as I finish writing this.
I came across The Animals when I read the Kirkus review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christian-kiefer/the-animals-kiefer/ I became slightly obsessed with finding the book to read right now and ended up buying an ARC on ebay. Even though I questioned my impatience at the time, the $17.99 I spent has provided me with more value than I would have thought possible. Bill Reed runs a small wildlife sanctuary in Idaho where he cares for injured animals and has remade a life for himself after making some desperate and violent mistakes in Reno. These mistakes return to derail Bill when his friend Rick is released from prison. While the reader hopes for the peaceful continuation of the shelter Bill has built, both for his wounded animals and wounded self, Kiefer tells the gripping, powerful story with exquisite language.
I honestly don't think I've ever read a novel with such a perfect combination of thoughtfulness, action, well-told story, and beautiful prose. I like to think of myself as a reader with a slightly above-average vocabulary, but Kiefer has an extraordinary vocabulary and ability to use the perfect word at the perfect time. I found myself dog-earing pages and underlining words so I could look them up. This was not disruptive, but rather added to my enjoyment of The Animals because I could picture graupel, zerk, Sphex, twayblades, tenebrous shapes, and talus. Recondite may be my new favorite self-referential word.
I picture writers practicing their craft in isolation, but Christian Kiefer's acknowledgements dispel that notion. His research, conducted with books and many, many people, is extensive and seamlessly added to this novel. Kirkus Reviews says The Animals is “Devastatingly beautiful. This novel embodies why we write and why we read,” and I can't improve upon that truth.
I came across The Animals when I read the Kirkus review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christian-kiefer/the-animals-kiefer/ I became slightly obsessed with finding the book to read right now and ended up buying an ARC on ebay. Even though I questioned my impatience at the time, the $17.99 I spent has provided me with more value than I would have thought possible. Bill Reed runs a small wildlife sanctuary in Idaho where he cares for injured animals and has remade a life for himself after making some desperate and violent mistakes in Reno. These mistakes return to derail Bill when his friend Rick is released from prison. While the reader hopes for the peaceful continuation of the shelter Bill has built, both for his wounded animals and wounded self, Kiefer tells the gripping, powerful story with exquisite language.
I honestly don't think I've ever read a novel with such a perfect combination of thoughtfulness, action, well-told story, and beautiful prose. I like to think of myself as a reader with a slightly above-average vocabulary, but Kiefer has an extraordinary vocabulary and ability to use the perfect word at the perfect time. I found myself dog-earing pages and underlining words so I could look them up. This was not disruptive, but rather added to my enjoyment of The Animals because I could picture graupel, zerk, Sphex, twayblades, tenebrous shapes, and talus. Recondite may be my new favorite self-referential word.
I picture writers practicing their craft in isolation, but Christian Kiefer's acknowledgements dispel that notion. His research, conducted with books and many, many people, is extensive and seamlessly added to this novel. Kirkus Reviews says The Animals is “Devastatingly beautiful. This novel embodies why we write and why we read,” and I can't improve upon that truth.
jsimple's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
leaflinglearns's review
4.0
There's nothing better than a book that surprises you. When I started reading this I was sort of in a phase where I was over books about guys having feelings about things and not doing much. I wanted aliens is basically what I was trying to say. But The Animals roped me right back into literary fiction. Not only was it beautifully written, it was thrilling, page-turning, and ultimately heartbreaking.
At the beginning of the book, it's sort of hard to place the characters within a time or place. The narrative jumps around a bit, but it's so gratifying when you begin to figure out why that is and who is who. Over time the past of our main character, Bill, is revealed to us. Bill is such a down to earth guy and he's struggling to do so much good with his animal sanctuary (which is facing enormous pressure from more bureaucratic forces). It's hard to imagine what could possibly have Bill in trouble with his childhood friend who just got released from jail. And figuring it out is so riveting.
Christian Kiefer writes some absolutely gorgeous prose and raises some interesting moral questions about what being good means and how much of the past should be forgiven. He had me completely wrapped up in his story and I was sad to leave. Oh, and it totally made me cry. His depiction of the strong bond that humans and animals can have is probably the most realistic I've ever encountered. If you're looking for a dark, raw, emotional literary thriller, look no further.
Full review: http://outlandishlit.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-animals-by-christian-kiefer.html
At the beginning of the book, it's sort of hard to place the characters within a time or place. The narrative jumps around a bit, but it's so gratifying when you begin to figure out why that is and who is who. Over time the past of our main character, Bill, is revealed to us. Bill is such a down to earth guy and he's struggling to do so much good with his animal sanctuary (which is facing enormous pressure from more bureaucratic forces). It's hard to imagine what could possibly have Bill in trouble with his childhood friend who just got released from jail. And figuring it out is so riveting.
Christian Kiefer writes some absolutely gorgeous prose and raises some interesting moral questions about what being good means and how much of the past should be forgiven. He had me completely wrapped up in his story and I was sad to leave. Oh, and it totally made me cry. His depiction of the strong bond that humans and animals can have is probably the most realistic I've ever encountered. If you're looking for a dark, raw, emotional literary thriller, look no further.
Full review: http://outlandishlit.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-animals-by-christian-kiefer.html