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jenropell's review
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Blood, and Animal death
lifefromwithin's review
Good premise and heartwarming, but I was having trouble focusing enough to get through the entire thing.
chelseymccrae's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
I started out thoroughly enjoying this sweet little story, but gradually found the book to be a bit meandering and repetitive. There are definitely some gems of insights in this unique, tender tale, but it didn't always hold my interest.
katlizlove's review
5.0
The sincerest review I can give is that this book was like getting to know your very best friend. I cried on an airplane, a couple of times, but am so glad I had the opportunity to experience this sweetly, unique story.
book_concierge's review
4.0
Book on CD narrated by Stacey Glemboski
Subtitle: An Uncommon Friendship
From the book jacket: When Catherine Raven finished her PhD in biology, she built herself a tiny cottage on an isolated plot of land in Montana. She was as emotionally isolated as she was physically, but she viewed the house as a temporary rest stop where she could gather her nerves and fill out applications for what she hoped would be a real job that would help her fit into society. In the meantime, she taught remotely and led field classes in nearby Yellowstone National Park. Then one day she realized that a mangy-looking fox was showing up on her property every afternoon at 4:15 p.m.
My reactions
I loved this memoir. Raven had some issues and talking to Fox helped her sort through where she had been, where she was, and where she was going. I loved that she chose to read The Little Prince aloud to Fox, drawing comparisons between her own situation and that the Little Prince (and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). And isn’t this what friendship is all about?
I loved how she approached nature, the way she observed and absorbed the beauty and wonder of the various life forms around her. And I appreciated the information she imparted about voles, birds, trees, deer, dogs and, of course, foxes.
Stacey Glemboski does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook, but I did find myself going back and reading several chapters in text. I think I like the reading experience better than listening for this work.
Subtitle: An Uncommon Friendship
From the book jacket: When Catherine Raven finished her PhD in biology, she built herself a tiny cottage on an isolated plot of land in Montana. She was as emotionally isolated as she was physically, but she viewed the house as a temporary rest stop where she could gather her nerves and fill out applications for what she hoped would be a real job that would help her fit into society. In the meantime, she taught remotely and led field classes in nearby Yellowstone National Park. Then one day she realized that a mangy-looking fox was showing up on her property every afternoon at 4:15 p.m.
My reactions
I loved this memoir. Raven had some issues and talking to Fox helped her sort through where she had been, where she was, and where she was going. I loved that she chose to read The Little Prince aloud to Fox, drawing comparisons between her own situation and that the Little Prince (and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry). And isn’t this what friendship is all about?
I loved how she approached nature, the way she observed and absorbed the beauty and wonder of the various life forms around her. And I appreciated the information she imparted about voles, birds, trees, deer, dogs and, of course, foxes.
Stacey Glemboski does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook, but I did find myself going back and reading several chapters in text. I think I like the reading experience better than listening for this work.
anpu325's review
4.0
A beautiful and moving book about the intimate relationships between humans and nature. Fox was a vibrant presence on the page and I could clearly visualize the animals and landscapes that were described. Raven did a great job of making nature accessible and interesting to a non-specialist audience. I was struck however by the total absence of any mention of indigenous people at all in this book. The relationship is between the author and an empty, pristine landscape. No mention at all is made of the genocide that emptied out this landscape in the first place. In turning to myths about foxes, I found it surprising that the author focused on Japanese legends about foxes instead of drawing on indigenous American oral traditions since she was writing about foxes in the American west. While her prose and the story she told was beautiful and lively, I find the absence of even a token mention of indigenous peoples in a book discussing the American natural landscape and the relationship of humans to that landscape to be a huge blind spot.
fishky's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
A lot of beautiful moments, but the end left me feeling empty and sad.
flowchelle's review
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
Very cute story although quite Pretentious at times! Overall appreciated the poetic nature of the authors writing! Definitely was giving sand county almanac vibes! As a mature loving, biologist myself…I could easily tolerate all of the jargon and descriptions but don’t think it is something that all layman would enjoy!