My sister slept with the light on until she was 27. She rightfully blames me. I would leap out of closets with my hands made into claws. I would...
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geogguru, July 16, 2008 (view all comments by geogguru)
I chose this book because it is the Sisters branch of the Deschutes Public Library book for this month. I am not sure why they chose it, but I am SO GLAD that I took their interest in it as a recommendation. I loved reading it -- twice.
I have taught middle school, so smiled when she got the girls' ever-changing friendships just right. I "knew" the cheerleaders, the twins. the advanced class students. It all felt familiar. Even the teacher.
(In the second read, I always notice more about a book's treatment of geography. This one is wonderfully accurate.)
Thanks, Sisters!
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lsumner, June 27, 2008 (view all comments by lsumner)
This book is not about every little girl's dream of owning her very own pony. With its brutal honesty it is more likely the book every little girl should read before being allowed to have a horse. As a girl who grew up in a small town, showing horses and competing, I loved how this book struck at the heart of what that is really like. I loved how it defined the boundaries between people who grew up working with horses and people who have them as a hobby.
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patresa1, June 18, 2008 (view all comments by patresa1)
Such a wonderful book. A beautiful -- but harsh -- story about a wise and practical young girl making sense of the brutalities of the world as they are demonstrated in the business of and those involved with breaking and boarding horses.
I'm so impressed with this author. Character development was dead on. I loved that each of the characters evolved and displayed layers. Kyle did not rely on 1-dimensional archetypes to carry her story. Alice, her father, her sister, Mr. Delmar, the women who board at the ranch, Sheila who trains... they all had great range and depth -- heartbending human-ness -- beautifully scripted in the plain subtleties of Kyle's writing.
I highly recommend this book. But I will warn animal lovers that there are scenes that are very difficult to get through. It was not gratuitous, however. Every element of the story was carefully crafted into the storyline, the landscape, and the overarching philosophical/spiritual themes (as I perceived them to be, anyway).
Really fantastic read.
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kaahumanu, February 9, 2008 (view all comments by kaahumanu)
I love the cover, it's what attracted me to the book. The cover is not corny at all, it's beautiful.
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kaahumanu, February 9, 2008 (view all comments by kaahumanu)
If you loved 'The Black Stallion' as a child, you will love 'The God of Animals'. On the surface, this book is a very adult, wonderful book about women and horses. There are so many other plots, the book is so well written. You will enjoy it on many levels. I loved 'The God of Animals'.
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The God of Animals: A Novel
Used Trade Paper
Aryn Kyle
0 stars -
0 reviews
$5.95
In Stock
Product details
305 pages
Scribner Book Company -
English9781416533245
Reviews:
"Staff Pick"
by Jill Owens,
Alice Winston is one of the most likable characters I've come across in a long time; smart, tough, and intuitive beyond her years, her voice is both utterly realistic and absolutely captivating. Aryn Kyle's extraordinary debut novel treats the reader to a whole host of such creations; even the more minor characters are deeply felt and convincingly flawed. Kyle's prose, too, is gorgeous, self-assured without being showy; The God of Animals is a classic coming-of-age tale by an author that should not be missed.
by Jill Owens
"Review"
by Booklist,
"This is a very impressive debut....A powerful tale, from a writer with real promise, of a girl coming of age amid a dying way of life."
"Review"
by Rocky Mountain News,
"Kyle writes an original coming-of-age story in a subtle, but strong voice. The characters are rich and pure, and you come to know them as complete people....This is a debut to make many veteran writers jealous. The story will stun you with its climax."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"Growing pains and the loss of innocence on a desert ranch....A talented writer's lyrical but oppressive first work."
"Review"
by Library Journal,
"Kyle has created an adolescent voice that is charming and authentic."
"Review"
by USA Today,
"A memorable novel gracefully compares and contrasts the vast landscapes of the human condition....To find these elements expertly handled in a debut novel — as they are in The God of Animals — is reason for readers to rejoice."
"Review"
by Entertainment Weekly,
"It's a pretty volatile mix that does, as promised, explode, though in a way I never expected. Despite the jagged ups and downs of Kyle's prose, I read this straight through, never leaving my chair. (Grade: B)"
"Review"
by Charlotte Observer,
"The God of Animals is a book with a strong bloodline: Jayne Anne Phillips's Machine Dreams, Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, with their hard-luck families and wise, weary girl narrators. But the confidence, and the congratulations, belong to Kyle alone."
"Review"
by Cleveland Plain Dealer,
"As Walter Mosley has pointed out, the conventions of the coming-of-age novel are as deeply ingrained as those of detective fiction. Thankfully, The God of Animals turns out to be smarter than most....If the ending isn't as gratifying...I was still glad to take the ride."
"Review"
by Maile Meloy, author of Liars and Saints and A Family Daughter,
"Aryn Kyle's The God of Animals is a moving, beautifully crafted novel about families, horses, love, death, class in America, and serious weather. Narrated by a twelve-year-old girl, it still contains a full adult measure of betrayal and desire and complex joy, and has a terrifying momentum by the end. It's a wonderful book."
"Review"
by Andrew Sean Greer, author of The Confessions of Max Tivoli,
"No novel in recent memory has captured the West so well. Kyle is an absolute discovery, her book a perfect read."
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