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There are currently 26 member reviews
for Bad Animals
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Beth B. (New Wilmington, PA)
The Importance of Empathy
Meet Maeve, a thin-skinned, self-absorbed librarian. And Harrison, a manipulative, selfish writer. And Libby, a teenager who has been known to lie. These three are only part of a sprawling cast of characters whose interactions cover all manner of relationships. The novel's author, Sarah Braunstein, packs a wallop. A writer's dilemma of choosing the "I" or "he/she" is skillfully dealt with as well as choices made or avoided and the importance of a mother's role in child rearing. Prepare yourself for a wild ride. Harrison's advice about the importance of writing verges on the poetic and is worth the cost of the book by itself.
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Barbara P. (Mountain Center, CA)
Those Things that Drive Us
Maeve is a part of us all - our obsessions, our frustrations, our insecurities and our desires. Ms Braunstein takes us on a journey, sometimes feeling like a quest, as we visit the areas of Maeve's life that overwhelm and drive her. We get glimpses of who she is, along with who she was and who she could possibly be in the future. This book is a beautiful study of our own circumstance and brings reflection of how might we react if given the opportunities or temptations. It also takes us on an exploration of control for how we want other to see us or what we might hide from those who know us well; but most interestingly it takes us on a journey of preconceived notions and misunderstood intentions. This book will keep you thinking and feeling from beginning to end.
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MEP (Marietta GA)
Convoluted Tale
I love books, libraries and authors, and I hoped 'to like this book better than I did. It seemed to me to be all over the place, and made me wonder if the author ever decided exactly which story she was telling.
I kept reading, not because the plot was suspenseful or exciting, but in hope of a revelation that would tie it all together. I didn't hate the book and think it might promote a LOT of discussion for book clubs.
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Margaret R. (Claremont, CA)
Grabbed Me At The First Page
This book was a very good read and, as I reviewed the posts already written in praise of the book, I do not want to be redundant. I do want to add, though, that this would be an excellent book club selection because it has the multiple levels of plot structure, character development, and just plain good writing that we all enjoy.
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Melanie B. (Desoto, TX)
Thoughtful and Introspective
This book is a subtle, intriguing unfolding of Maeve Cosgrove's clouded perspective into more clarity and subsequently her awareness of her own emotional growth and power. This story will leave the reader feeling uneasy yet inspired by some aspects of the literary creative process. Good book to discuss.
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Toby G. (Chapel Hill, NC)
The Human Condition
A good solid read. What I liked best about this novel is that the characters showed human flaws, vulnerabilities and weaknesses...the writer succeeded in giving me plausible people.
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Molly O. (Aurora, CO)
Bad Animals
What began as an introspective and mundane bit of belly button gazing by an insecure librarian became a complex and fascinating look at the true inner workings of a repressed an deluded middle-aged woman. Maeve's identity as a wife and mother is fragile, so her sense of self is sustained by her work at the library. When that abruptly ends, Maeve must find another way to feel meaningful. So begins a story whose multi-layered characters lead us to see that reality exists in the mind, and one mind is not necessarily sharing the reality of another's.
Braunstein's prose is elegant and compelling. However, she muddied the narrative with sub-plots that go unresolved and are unnecessary. The bold daughter and her botany experiments lends nothing to the narrative except to point out how different she is from either parent. One the other hand, Braunstein deftly weaves seeming disparate plot lines – Libby's tale, the lives of refuge Will and librarian Katrina, and the famous author and his wife's relationship into a whole with Maeve as the common thread. Clearly Braunstein is a writer who forces us to ponder what is real and whether perception is reality.
