markm reviewed Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
Review of "Jamrach's Menagerie" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Entertaining take on the sinking of the Essex. Recommended by A2J.
English language
Published May 14, 2011
Jamrach's Menagerie
by Carol Birch
4 stars
(6 reviews)
Jamrach’s Menagerie tells the story of a nineteenth-century street urchin named Jaffy Brown. Following an incident with an escaped tiger, Jaffy goes to work for Mr. Charles Jamrach, the famed importer of exotic animals, alongside Tim, a good but sometimes spitefully competitive boy. Thus begins a long, close friendship fraught with ambiguity and rivalry.
Mr. Jamrach recruits the two boys to capture a fabled dragon during the course of a three-year whaling expedition. Onboard, Jaffy and Tim enjoy the rough brotherhood of sailors and the brutal art of whale hunting. They even succeed in catching the reptilian beast.
But when the ship’s whaling venture falls short of expectations, the crew begins to regard the dragon—seething with feral power in its cage—as bad luck, a feeling that is cruelly reinforced when a violent storm sinks the ship.
Drifting across an increasingly hallucinatory ocean, the survivors, including Jaffy and Tim, are forced …
Jamrach’s Menagerie tells the story of a nineteenth-century street urchin named Jaffy Brown. Following an incident with an escaped tiger, Jaffy goes to work for Mr. Charles Jamrach, the famed importer of exotic animals, alongside Tim, a good but sometimes spitefully competitive boy. Thus begins a long, close friendship fraught with ambiguity and rivalry.
Mr. Jamrach recruits the two boys to capture a fabled dragon during the course of a three-year whaling expedition. Onboard, Jaffy and Tim enjoy the rough brotherhood of sailors and the brutal art of whale hunting. They even succeed in catching the reptilian beast.
But when the ship’s whaling venture falls short of expectations, the crew begins to regard the dragon—seething with feral power in its cage—as bad luck, a feeling that is cruelly reinforced when a violent storm sinks the ship.
Drifting across an increasingly hallucinatory ocean, the survivors, including Jaffy and Tim, are forced to confront their own place in the animal kingdom. Masterfully told, wildly atmospheric, and thundering with tension, Jamrach’s Menagerie is a truly haunting novel about friendship, sacrifice, and survival.
Jamie reviewed Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
Review of "Jamrach's Menagerie" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I kind of hated this four-star book. It has a subtle kind of horror to it that leads the reader to accept as normal some pretty terrifying circumstances and reactions. It takes some chops to pull it off as well as Birch does here. I'd say more, but I really don't like hitting the 'spoilers' button.
I'm wondering, too, about the rating process. I don't put much effort into writing proper reviews; even books I do love I tend only to write about an element or two that miss the mark. But beyond considering whether or not the book was a joy to read, I do try to judge the story on how well the author accomplishes her goals (or what I imagine those goals might be.) Rarely, I take authors to task in my own little way for having unworthy goals. I think I'm knocking a star off for …
I kind of hated this four-star book. It has a subtle kind of horror to it that leads the reader to accept as normal some pretty terrifying circumstances and reactions. It takes some chops to pull it off as well as Birch does here. I'd say more, but I really don't like hitting the 'spoilers' button.
I'm wondering, too, about the rating process. I don't put much effort into writing proper reviews; even books I do love I tend only to write about an element or two that miss the mark. But beyond considering whether or not the book was a joy to read, I do try to judge the story on how well the author accomplishes her goals (or what I imagine those goals might be.) Rarely, I take authors to task in my own little way for having unworthy goals. I think I'm knocking a star off for Jamrach's Menagerie for being a bit obscure of intent.
Or maybe it's a half a star for leaving me wondering about the purpose for this story, another third of a star for having a very long dénouement, and a last sixth of a star for occasionally leaving me all grossed-out. (Whoah, that was math!)
Lastly, it seems weird to me that I feel compelled to attribute four stars to a book that I can't actually recommend to anyone. So, hey, don't read this really fine book that I hated.
