Jamrach's Menagerie
I fully enjoyed Jamrach's Menagerie. It is a wonderful book written in beautiful, lyrical prose. It's a compelling story that has everything: love, deep friendship, and thrilling adventure. Ms. Birch has the rare ability to make the reader feel as if they are experiencing what her characters are... which is not always a good thing. The reader can smell the sea and taste the salt.
I found it to be a delicious and satisfying read.. it left me hungering for more.
Rated of 5
by Sharon W. (Two Rivers, WI)
Jamarach's Menagerie
If you like mystery and suspense, you will definitely love this one. I wasn't so sure about it in the beginning, but it reeled me right in. Once it got me, it was hard to put down till I finished. From being almost eaten alive by a tiger to sailing on the seas. Friendships made and friendships gone. Very interesting. I will definitely be looking for more of Carol Birch's books.
Rated of 5
by Paula W. (Sarasota, FL)
A Truly Terrible Book
From the very first paragraph..."I was born twice. First in a wooden room...,and then again...in the Highway, when the tiger took me in his mouth...." - this novel was full of terrible and awful events.
Jaffey's adventures are terrifying and amazing , nothing like I have read before. This is wild, raw excitement - whaling,, shipwrecks, dragons - no description is too graphic for author Birch. I put the book down several times - but was compelled to return.
"Jamrach's Menagerie" is not for the faint of heart. But the narrative - so alive with winds, waves, horror - also has tender and poetic moments and characters who are very well drawn and worth the effort to get to know.
Rated of 5
by Shirley D. (Amherst, MA)
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
For one interested in the 19th century, in the business of selling wild animals and birds and in the whaling industry, this is a treasure.. For one who can distinguish and accept the reality closely interwoven with fantasy, it is a must. The reader who pays close attention to Birch’s marvelous word pictures, will feel the swell of the sea, hear the scream of the sea birds, smell the stink of the vomit and shudder at the butchering of the whale. A masterful piece of writing, but one that I would recommend only to those I knew had a mature imagination. It is not a fairy tale for children.
Rated of 5
by Linda C. (Carlisle, MA)
Jamrach's Menagerie
I fell deeply into an adventure that began with Jaffy Brown being rescued from the terrifying jaws of a tiger as it escaped down a London street. From here I was immersed deeper and deeper into a tale that was both magically engaging and outlandishly unbelievable. Birch has a way with words that transported me into this journey in a way that caused me to see very strange sights, smell a wide range of odors both good and bad, hear sounds foreign to my ears, and taste unimaginable horror. But underneath the intense experience was a powerful story of love and friendship. If you liked "The Life of Pi", this book might draw you in as well!
Rated of 5
by Vivian H. (Winchester, VA)
Jamrach's Menagerie~Darwinian themes throughout
The beautifully lyrical imagery of the prose in Jamrach’s Menagerie draws the reader into the 19th Century world of those who collect of exotic species, of sea adventure and misadventure, of friendship and camaraderie, of the wonder and awe of nature, of the nature of man and beast and the Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest. This well researched story takes place in the waning years of whale fishing and vividly describes the treacherous hunt and kill of the whale followed by the harvesting and processing of the blubber and oil which left the ship and its mates covered in blood and gore and caked with the salt from the sea air. This excursion also includes a special commission to capture a mythical dragon believed to live in the islands of Indonesia. Despite the beautiful writing, parts of this book were difficult for me to read and I cannot say I really liked the story ~ a melding of “Moby Dick” and “The Donner Party” written by Dickens.
Rated of 5
by Lisa B. (Denton, TX)
The haunting cost of friendship
I have been wanting to read a book by Carol Birch for a long time and was excited when I learned she would have her newest book released in the United States.
I enjoyed this book immensely and found it hard to put down. It read as if the main character, Jaffy Brown, was actually telling his story and I was with him in the streets of Wapping and Radcliffe Highway, and out on on the open seas hunting whales. The reason for 4, rather than 5 stars is because the second section of the book was too realistic and hard to read for me.
This reminds me of Dickensian tale, with touches of Life of Pi.
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of 5
by Alison W. (Woodinville, Washington)
of 5
by Shirley D. (Amherst, MA)
