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sarahareinhard's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so amusing and entertaining that it doesn't even matter to me that it's a memoir. (I want to like memoirs, but the fact is, I usually don't.) McGrory's a skilled writer and the tale is woven, with a rooster right smack dab in the middle of it. I laughed, and I may have even sniffled a time or two. I loved it.
beastreader's review against another edition
1.0
I have had this book on my to be read pile for a while. This is one book where I was really looking forward to reading this book. I used to raise chickens and turkeys. For a brief time we even had a rooster. Yet he went to a good home as living close to neighbors is not always a good mix. Plus, my dad did not enjoy being woken up by the crowing of the rooster. I loved my chickens. In addition, it has been a long while since I have read a good chicken story.
Sadly, this book was not what I was looking for. There was one brief moment early on where Buddy and Brian had "guy" battle to see just who was boss. Buddy won. As I read this, I had a smile on my face and even had to read this to my husband. Yet, this was the last time that Buddy would make an appearance in a long time. I can't tell you when he appears again as I got to chapter nine and put the book down. Not to take anything away from Mr. McGrory but I really was only intrigued in Buddy and his encounters with him and not so much about his life. Which if it had been more interesting then maybe I would have been more invested.
Sadly, this book was not what I was looking for. There was one brief moment early on where Buddy and Brian had "guy" battle to see just who was boss. Buddy won. As I read this, I had a smile on my face and even had to read this to my husband. Yet, this was the last time that Buddy would make an appearance in a long time. I can't tell you when he appears again as I got to chapter nine and put the book down. Not to take anything away from Mr. McGrory but I really was only intrigued in Buddy and his encounters with him and not so much about his life. Which if it had been more interesting then maybe I would have been more invested.
des_lea's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly delightful book. Picked this up for a roadtrip because it sounded like a fun, light book. Sometimes hysterical, sometimes tragic......many times finding myself "falling in love" with the author through his love for his dog Harry. Found myself basically falling in love with the whole family.....and the whole process of separate lives weaving into one. The authors candid insecurities I could somewhat relate to. Delightful.
mmc6661's review against another edition
4.0
Very charming entertaining story of a man, a family and a very personable rooster named Buddy !
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
1.0
It was hard to get into this one because of the voice of the author- he seemed like an obnoxious human being throughout the story, self-important and pompous. The writing wasn't very good, and his portrayals (or at least I hope these were augmented portrayals of people he knows personally,because the behaviors of the people/characters within this book were hideous) of main characters were very blah.
Also his wife must be a terrible veterinarian if she couldn't tell that Buddy was bred as a meat chicken...
Also his wife must be a terrible veterinarian if she couldn't tell that Buddy was bred as a meat chicken...
heartofoak1's review against another edition
5.0
a fantastic read for anyone who loves animals. I had originally read an excerpt from the book (turns out it was the last chapter, which was odd for an excerpt, I think) in the boston globe. while the story is ostensibly about buddy the rooster it's really, as the title suggests, about how the rooster made brian mcgrory a family man. don't read it in expectation of a "this is what happens when one keeps chickens" experience because it's absolutely NOT that, it's more of a love story. mcgrory loves harry (his beloved golden retriever) mcgrory loves pam (harry's vet and soon to become mcgrory's fiancée/wife) mcgrory loves pam's daughters, pam and daughters love buddy the rooster and finally there's mcgrory and buddy the rooster...well, they don't really love each other BUT buddy does teach mcgrory about what it means to be loved (and loveable.)
mnboyer's review against another edition
4.0
If you've never fully loved an animal (any animal) then it is going to be hard for you to understand this book, considering at its core it is indeed about how animals shape and change our lives. As an avid chicken lover (and breeder working with the American Poultry Association and American Bantam Association, alongside other breed clubs) I had to pick this book up when I saw it on a shelf at the library. How can you resist a book about a rooster (which in my profession is a cockerel if it is under a year old, and a cock once it reaches a year or older).
This autobiography begins with McGrory discussing his dog, Harry, thus leading some previous reviewers to feel a bit betrayed since they thought they were only getting a story about Buddy the Rooster. But let me assure you, it is important to understand how Harry shaped McGrory's life and changed it. Later, he will indeed compare Harry to Buddy, and for those that have lived with dogs and chickens--you'll know that his comparisons have some truth to them. The way your dog loves you and a way a chicken behaves/loves you is very different, and the same can be said for how we love them.
Buddy is a Cornish Broiler Cross (a cross of a Cornish and a Plymouth Rock that results in a fast-growing broiler breed, designed to be butchered and eaten at 6-weeks-old) that enters McGrory's life when his step-daughter brings a chick home. The chick was part of a science fair experiment and of course, the chick has to find a home somewhere. McGrory's wife, Pam, is a vet and ends up letting the family keep the bird. This is much to McGrory's distress, and he becomes even more stressed when Buddy ends up becoming a rooster that attacks him.
My two initial problems here:
1) The bird pictured on the cover is actually a white Wyandotte--a very different breed in comparison to a Cornish Broiler, just for the record.
2) I have no idea how a vet isn't able to sex a chicken. You can vent sex them when they're born. You can feel for pelvic variances (males have narrow pelvic bones because they don't need to pass an egg). Their entire facial structure is different compared to a hen. Males have pointed hackle and saddle (neck and lower back) feathers. This bird could have been easily identified long before the family did.
These small issues aside, Buddy teaches McGrory about family and love. Even though McGrory really doesn't like the rooster and would rather Buddy go to a farm, Pam and her daughters do not want to part with him.
Many other reviewers believe that McGrory is spineless and lets the women of this book walk all over him. I agree when it comes to instances where the children demand expensive toys (American Girl Dolls that they're too lazy to even go get with him at the store), or when they cut into his personal time (don't let him watch sports on the main television), etc. Yet... that is part of having a family.
The one area where I think McGrory really learns about commitment is regarding Pam and the girls' desire to keep Buddy. They do jump through hurdles and go through leaps and bend over backwards to keep Buddy with them. But through this, McGrory begins to understand that one of the reasons Buddy is so content is because he knows his place in the family. And through this, he helps McGrory understand his place in the world and in his new family.
There are some very sad moments here--if you've ever lost any pet, you know that their deaths can really mess you up. At the same time, you also know that for all the time they're with us, they change our lives. They make our lives worth living.
Overall, I really enjoyed this piece. It isn't a 'perfect' memoir and it certainly isn't all about the rooster--be prepared to learn about McGrory. Yet I wasn't disappointed because in the end, Buddy did his job.
This autobiography begins with McGrory discussing his dog, Harry, thus leading some previous reviewers to feel a bit betrayed since they thought they were only getting a story about Buddy the Rooster. But let me assure you, it is important to understand how Harry shaped McGrory's life and changed it. Later, he will indeed compare Harry to Buddy, and for those that have lived with dogs and chickens--you'll know that his comparisons have some truth to them. The way your dog loves you and a way a chicken behaves/loves you is very different, and the same can be said for how we love them.
Buddy is a Cornish Broiler Cross (a cross of a Cornish and a Plymouth Rock that results in a fast-growing broiler breed, designed to be butchered and eaten at 6-weeks-old) that enters McGrory's life when his step-daughter brings a chick home. The chick was part of a science fair experiment and of course, the chick has to find a home somewhere. McGrory's wife, Pam, is a vet and ends up letting the family keep the bird. This is much to McGrory's distress, and he becomes even more stressed when Buddy ends up becoming a rooster that attacks him.
My two initial problems here:
1) The bird pictured on the cover is actually a white Wyandotte--a very different breed in comparison to a Cornish Broiler, just for the record.
2) I have no idea how a vet isn't able to sex a chicken. You can vent sex them when they're born. You can feel for pelvic variances (males have narrow pelvic bones because they don't need to pass an egg). Their entire facial structure is different compared to a hen. Males have pointed hackle and saddle (neck and lower back) feathers. This bird could have been easily identified long before the family did.
These small issues aside, Buddy teaches McGrory about family and love. Even though McGrory really doesn't like the rooster and would rather Buddy go to a farm, Pam and her daughters do not want to part with him.
Many other reviewers believe that McGrory is spineless and lets the women of this book walk all over him. I agree when it comes to instances where the children demand expensive toys (American Girl Dolls that they're too lazy to even go get with him at the store), or when they cut into his personal time (don't let him watch sports on the main television), etc. Yet... that is part of having a family.
The one area where I think McGrory really learns about commitment is regarding Pam and the girls' desire to keep Buddy. They do jump through hurdles and go through leaps and bend over backwards to keep Buddy with them. But through this, McGrory begins to understand that one of the reasons Buddy is so content is because he knows his place in the family. And through this, he helps McGrory understand his place in the world and in his new family.
There are some very sad moments here--if you've ever lost any pet, you know that their deaths can really mess you up. At the same time, you also know that for all the time they're with us, they change our lives. They make our lives worth living.
Overall, I really enjoyed this piece. It isn't a 'perfect' memoir and it certainly isn't all about the rooster--be prepared to learn about McGrory. Yet I wasn't disappointed because in the end, Buddy did his job.