A book I randomly bought because it looked very interesting to me!
In Animals Strike Curious Poses, Passarello delves into various animals (usually individuals) throughout history. Each are talked about in a short essay.
While I liked the concept of this book, the execution leaves much to be desired for me. I like the idea of learning about individual animals throughout history and their tales, however never while reading this could really get into this book.
I think a big part of this is the writing voice of the author. It didn't read pleasantly for me personally, and the lack of a consistent writing style was really jarring. Almost every essay is written in a different style. Some are written from the POV of the animal themself, others from the people around them, others have a third party narrator. Others are poems, others are written in sign language, etc. I already didn't like the writing style of the author, but the lack of consistency in style was even more bothersome to me. The lengths also greatly varied, with some being less than a page long and others being quite lengthy.
I'm also not really sure what the point the author is trying to make with this book is. Some of the stories tell of loving relationships between humans and animals, others about very negative and abusive ones, and some neutral. I think the takeaway is supposed to be "the relationship between humans and animals is complicated", but I'm not sure. I do think that the author wants us to treat the creatures better in general, though.
Still not my favorite read. I liked learning about these animals and reading some of these essays, but the writing style and lack of consistency in it was really bothersome for me. I won't be re-reading this one anytime soon.
Rating: 3/5
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