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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
I wish this had been assigned to me in high school.
Well, actually, I wouldn't have read it. I hated homework. This book is pretty punk, if familiar.
Well, actually, I wouldn't have read it. I hated homework. This book is pretty punk, if familiar.
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to ZG Stories and Book*hug Press for this gifted copy of Talking Animals by Joni Murphy in exchange for an honest review.
Talking Animals follows an alpaca named Alfonzo, a PhD candidate in urban behaviour and a public servant at City Hall, who finds himself wrapped up in a plot with his friend Mitchell (a llama) and Pamella (a lemur) to upend the status quo. What follows is a series of strange encounters and a lot of musings about the state of the world, the land, and the sea.
My key take aways from this novel are few because I feel like most of it went over my head. What I liked the most was the commentary on the fact that all of our struggle as a society never really works to change the status quo. The ceaseless progress we feel we have made often turns out to further support the harmful, patriarchal systems that exist. There was a lot of wonderful commentary on corporate America / the world, the environmental degradation at the hands of capitalism, and corruption in general (lovely to read this as I continue to watch the news in 2020 as the current US administration falls apart at the seams. Sayonara!). I also really liked the characters and the wry humour infused into this novella. It made me laugh at many different points; the writing is extremely clever and concise.
What I didn’t like: The last third to half of the novel fell apart for me. It kind of felt a bit like a fever dream? The novel played with different types of structures: the hum of a song, a dream, a pamphlet. This personally did not work for me, but I can see its allure for other readers. The climax of the novel felt anti-climactic; I hoped for something more after the steady build up. I’ll be honest, I got some serious Animal Farm vibes from this book – but, Animal Farm just did it better, in my opinion.
Read If: you like books with anthropomorphized animals, social commentary and criticism, and books that are a slow-burn. Not much plot to this one, but a lot of philosophical issues to ponder.
2.5 stars!
Talking Animals follows an alpaca named Alfonzo, a PhD candidate in urban behaviour and a public servant at City Hall, who finds himself wrapped up in a plot with his friend Mitchell (a llama) and Pamella (a lemur) to upend the status quo. What follows is a series of strange encounters and a lot of musings about the state of the world, the land, and the sea.
My key take aways from this novel are few because I feel like most of it went over my head. What I liked the most was the commentary on the fact that all of our struggle as a society never really works to change the status quo. The ceaseless progress we feel we have made often turns out to further support the harmful, patriarchal systems that exist. There was a lot of wonderful commentary on corporate America / the world, the environmental degradation at the hands of capitalism, and corruption in general (lovely to read this as I continue to watch the news in 2020 as the current US administration falls apart at the seams. Sayonara!). I also really liked the characters and the wry humour infused into this novella. It made me laugh at many different points; the writing is extremely clever and concise.
What I didn’t like: The last third to half of the novel fell apart for me. It kind of felt a bit like a fever dream? The novel played with different types of structures: the hum of a song, a dream, a pamphlet. This personally did not work for me, but I can see its allure for other readers. The climax of the novel felt anti-climactic; I hoped for something more after the steady build up. I’ll be honest, I got some serious Animal Farm vibes from this book – but, Animal Farm just did it better, in my opinion.
Read If: you like books with anthropomorphized animals, social commentary and criticism, and books that are a slow-burn. Not much plot to this one, but a lot of philosophical issues to ponder.
2.5 stars!
The plot was pretty loose and the ending was not compelling at all. I feel like I was waiting for something to happen the whole book, but nothing ever did.
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Talking Animals is pretty much exactly what everyone says it is. The analogy is palpable and the world keeps it lighthearted enough to be a break from the stress of our world while still being connected to the issues we face in our world. On a personal level, it was a bit slow and it could have worked just as well in the form of a novella.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Off to a great start - some parallel's to Bojack Horseman, if the protagonist were an academic. This book is heavily conceptual, with the magical realism only carrying it halfway. The first half was a breeze. The writing clever, and artistic. But then, almost like the overly-intellectualizing protagonist, Alfonso, the book gets lost in ideas and loses the plot. I found myself frustrated with a story that to me, didn't seem to go anywhere. By then I couldn't wait for it to be over. Finishing it felt like a chore. Perhaps it wouldn't have felt as such if the first 100 pages hadn't felt so clever and promising. Alas !
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The pig was blaming the world’s problems on fish, when fish were getting poisoned and eaten, and eaten and poisoned, by all the creatures on land who’d built their industries on sea exploitation.”
Clever and punchy commentaries on politics, capitalism, modernization, sea pollution and climate change. Cute animal puns. The conclusion was not that impactful though.
Clever and punchy commentaries on politics, capitalism, modernization, sea pollution and climate change. Cute animal puns. The conclusion was not that impactful though.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A very fun beach read. Loved Alfonso.