Three reasons you should read Susan Orlean’s On Animals even if, like me, you are a faithful subscriber to The New Yorker and eagerly consumed nearly all of the essays when they first appeared during the more than 25 years this collection spans: (1) Every essay in the book is magnificent. (2) Every essay in the book is magnificent. (3) Every essay in the book is magnificent ... Anyway, be honest: Your memory is not what it used to be (mine isn’t, at least) and revisiting these essays is like reading them anew. That’s not only because of the collision between memory and time. One of the delights of On Animals is the way it is so carefully arranged. This elegant curation makes one essay lead to another through manifold connections, some so tiny as to be almost subliminal, some functioning as updates across time, and all working in concert to convey ideas that no one essay could manage on its own ... Orlean’s way with a simile is unmatched in the English-speaking world ... Clearly, the essay collection as a genre holds no danger for Orlean, who has never written a skippable word in her life ... Part of what makes this book so immensely readable is the coupling of a brilliant essayist’s friendly, funny voice with a committed generalist’s all-embracing curiosity. There appears to be nothing in the world that doesn’t interest Orlean, and she has such a companionable way of conveying her fascinations that readers can’t help being fascinated too ... Each animal’s turn in the warm spotlight of Orlean’s gaze gives readers a chance to learn something enthralling about even the most ordinary of creatures ... time marches on, and leaving a tale in medias res, as reported essays inevitably do, is of little consequence when the tale itself is mesmerizing, and when the teller’s way with words is half the appeal ... It’s no surprise that a writer whose mind throws out similes like favors from a Mardi Gras parade is a writer who sees crucial connections between animals and people. This emphasis on interconnectedness emerges not just from one essay after another but also from the cumulative effect of the collection as a whole. Even more than the linguistic pyrotechnics, the friendly wit or the mesmerizing storytelling, that’s the true gift of On Animals. ... For though Orlean does not overtly wade into the thorn field of animal-rights debates, and though many of these essays predate a widespread public recognition of the escalating dangers of climate change and diminishing global biodiversity, what she understands about the human-animal relationship is fundamental to addressing both of those calamities: the fact that we belong to one another. Indeed, there is no human-animal relationship, for we are all animals, and what happens to the least among us on this crowded planet happens to us all.
I very much enjoyed Orlean’s perspective in these original, perceptive, and clever essays showcasing the sometimes strange, sometimes sick, sometimes tender relationships between people and animals ... whether Orlean is writing about one couple’s quest to find their lost dog, the lives of working donkeys of the Fez medina in Morocco, or a man who rescues lions (and happily allows even full grown males to gently chew his head), her pages are crammed with quirky characters, telling details, and flabbergasting facts ... Readers will find these pages full of astonishments ... Orlean excels as a reporter...Such thorough reporting made me long for updates on some of these stories ... But even this criticism only testifies to the delight of each of the urbane and vivid stories in this collection. Even though Orlean claims the animals she writes about remain enigmas, she makes us care about their fates. Readers will continue to think about these dogs and donkeys, tigers and lions, chickens and pigeons long after we close the book’s covers. I hope most of them are still well.
Orlean didn't set out to write an animal-rights treatise and it's not a critic's job to foist her own sensibilities on to an author. It is appropriate, though, to point out that Orlean's way of being 'animalish' does not always go hand in hand with a heightened sensitivity to animals' life experiences ... Most of the 16 essays were published during that 2000-2009 decade. No updates or suggested further readings are offered ... At her best, Orlean is thorough in her research ... that image of Orlean's turkey dinner — acquired at the expense of someone else's turkeys who presumably are just as lovable — may stay with us. So may the image of the burdened Fez donkeys, and the other animals portrayed who deserve us to stand up for them.
Orlean’s deft handling of facts and her lived experience as an animal softy create a pleasing friction. It turns out that Orlean the pet owner is sentimental — supposedly a reporter’s bane — until reality intervenes ... We need this kind of romantic-realist hybrid to guide us on this literary safari, which doubles as a travelogue ... The animal kingdom may be as corralled as we are, but it’s also 'alien, unknowable, familiar but mysterious.' Orlean acknowledges the mystery but doesn’t explore it. Instead, she relies on her powers of observation, conveyed with unflappable curiosity. Her rich storytelling is almost soothing, even when it’s about something as disturbing as South African hunting facilities sedating animals so they can be more easily shot. Sometimes I wished for more countenance with that unknowability — and perhaps our reluctance to think of ourselves as two-legged animals — but philosophical rumination is not included on this tour. Orlean is committed to investigating the dizzying multiplicity of roles animals serve — employee, best friend, harbinger of climate change — and the places where those functions intersect.
... tends to build, novelistically, through its individual pieces into a broad meditation on how the connections we make or fail to make with animals mark us profoundly along our human journey. Orlean doesn’t pontificate, though; as always, her tone is conversational and self-questioning.
The mix is remarkably eclectic, though with Ms. Orlean, that goes without saying. Does any prominent nonfiction writer range more widely? ... Ms. Orlean conveys the absurdity of the quest as well as its poignancy, relating the whole story with a tone of deadpan whimsy ... I tend to like Ms. Orlean’s writing best at the length of a long magazine piece, not a full-length book, but the international flavor of many of these pieces gives this collection a hybrid pleasure. The vivid snapshots add up to a broad cumulative impression.
The pageant of animals in these pieces is equally spectacular, as is the writing ... Orlean strikes a perfect balance between hilarious and informative ... Throughout, Orlean has a gift for the indelible detail ... Lines like that are too numerous to mention here, but readers fond of seemingly effortless writing about animals will savor this book. One can imagine a sparkle in their eyes as they turn the page.
Regardless of whether you’re an animal lover, On Animals is a fabulously fun collection of essays ... Orlean is such a virtuoso of unexpected joys and delights that she can make even the story of a lost dog read like a thriller ... Her style seems meandering at times, but each essay always returns to its glorious point, even when following an aside ... Whether she’s encountering a donkey laden with four televisions in Morocco, or extolling the global appeal of pandas, Orlean’s high-octane enthusiasm never wanes ... Orlean’s readers will find themselves completely diverted by On Animals’ irresistible menagerie.
... these 15 incisive, entertaining treats reveal the kind of animal person Orlean is ... Reading this collection felt a little like playing an old favorite album. A few of the songs were familiar; I remembered the tune, but had forgotten the lyrics. What lyrics ... Beware: Cuddling up with On Animals is even more absorbing than watching a bear rummage through a Tahoe kitchen on YouTube ... Or spark a hyena-level laugh, as she seemingly effortlessly does when writing about topics that are typically not a laughing matter.
Orlean has a conventional, carefully researched, narrative-nonfiction approach ... Two ingredients that repeatedly rise in Orlean’s essays are her subjects’ bemused, barmy anthropomorphism and their flagrant exploitation of animals, fueled principally by greed. The result is a curious duality in her tender, affecting portraits ... Readers can equally be happily entertained and educated by the collating of this vast reverse zoonoses of fact, history, and eccentricity or deeply discomfited upon digesting it. It’s easy to overlook the upshot because the journey is so entertaining. One wonders whether meeting such thematically aligned essays months or years apart blunts this secondary critical element. After 236 pages you can’t but face the realization that Orlean’s investigations are surely leading in the direction of critique, even though she does not take a position beyond reporting and collecting what she’s seeing ultimately to tell a good tale. Does the writer have an ethical responsibility beyond being an excellent writer, I found myself repeatedly murmuring. Orlean’s gifts as a raconteur can make us forget the ethical questions ... In the realm of the clever and harmlessly entertaining, her essay 'Show Dog' documents the daily life of a very accomplished show dog, Biff, a four-year-old, boxer ... The minutiae of his diet, his grooming, his lifestyle, what’s in Biff’s suitcase, his demanding travel schedule all bring the reader into the curious world of show dogs who wish they were Biff. The essay skips along and is utterly delightful. By the end I wished I were Biff the boxer ... Orlean operates as a sophisticated operative moving into and out of these varied animal (centric) nooks because she’s sincere in her curiosity or can hide it sufficiently if she’s not ... How ethically troubling you find what you read is left to you.
Between the bookend pieces about her own experiences with other species, On Animals offers a wide-ranging look at how humans and animals interact. Her four-legged, two-winged and even finned subjects include the wild and domestic, the friend and the servant. And despite her admitted tendency to anthropomorphize, she does not romanticize ... Orlean proves with her essays that the human relationship with animals is deeply complex ... will appeal mostly to those who see themselves as animal lovers, and animals do drive the action in these delightful portraits.
[An] ebulliently descriptive, robustly factual, occasionally alarming collection ... Orlean’s deep pleasure in learning startling facts, her often wry tales about her personal life, her omnivorous attention to detail, and her juggler’s skill with words yield vivid, provocative, amusing, and wondrous stories ... Orlean thoughtfully and piquantly contrasts the marvels of animals and the damage humans do to them and their habitats, threatening their very survival ... A revelry for readers wild for animals and/or enamored of vibrant essays.
Orlean is a fun writer to read ... Her style is conversational, she includes intriguing facts, and she has an engaging, self-deprecating sense of humor. That said, there are plusses and minuses about her newest book ... The essays themselves are informative and unusual and reflect Orlean’s curiosity and her quest for answers to questions that take her all over the world ... most could do with an updated postscript ... In appealing prose, Orlean displays her fascination and love for animals as well as a farmer’s practicality when things go wrong ... Her appreciation of the friendship, strangeness, colors, textures and just plain mystery of animals is infectious and nicely documented.
Delightful ... The variety on display is especially pleasing ... The author handles dogs like a virtuoso, with 10 hilarious pages on the wacky, expensive, but sometimes profitable life of a champion show dog ... Another winner featuring the author’s trademark blend of meticulous research and scintillating writing.
Clever ... The essays are well researched and showcase a keen journalistic eye ... Orlean’s prose dazzles when she uses human metaphors to describe the natural world, conjuring up hilariously vivid images ... While not all the essays land...they’re nonetheless packed with spirit. Animal lovers will find much to savor.
Orlean writes with genuine appreciation for her subjects. She is quick to point out an animal’s admirable qualities, whether it’s the beauty of a chicken’s feathers or the work ethic of a mule. The book is littered with comical anecdotes and fun facts ... Throughout, Orlean manages to avoid anthropomorphizing ... Though not weighed down by gnawing issues like habitat loss and extinction, On Animals doesn’t ignore hard truths about the treatment of animals and humans’ role in their future ... a witty and entertaining volume.
... a series of love letters to the animal world. Orlean’s curiosity is boundless, as she explores the fascinating diversity and beauty, as well as the endearing peculiarities of a range of creatures. But love can be complicated. The real subject of this book is human animals, and their often warped and whacky interactions with other species ... Orlean is never judgmental, but her humour can be disquieting ... These tales will have the reader chuckling at the strangeness of our own species’ bond with animals. But they also leave us on the verge of tears, with the heartachingly cruel and incredulous ways that many humans relate to the natural world ... Despite her meticulous research and astonishing prose, a kind of doubling tends to occur in Orlean’s writing. Her own turkeys are a 'delight' as they peck at the window and demand a hug, but she will happily eat (someone else’s) turkey at Thanksgiving ... Too often, she observes animals for the sake of a story, even when they are being harmed and exploited as commodities for the exotic wildlife trade or sedated for canned trophy hunting. She stands aside, rather than choosing to stand up for animal rights. Nonetheless, in her essays, Orlean leads us through a hall of animal mirrors. When we glimpse a reflection of ourselves, what stares back at us can be pretty ugly.
Orlean highlights a wide array of topics in this collection, everything from urban chicken husbandry to taxidermy. The mystery of what wild story might come next will keep any reader flipping these pages ... Her hilarious and heartfelt memories of the farm and all the animals who lived there with her – chickens, cows, turkeys, dogs, and cats - reads like a dream and a gift, but also like a cliffhanger. It’s hard to imagine a reader who won’t crave a whole memoir featuring Orlean’s life on the farm after such a bittersweet ending ... a fun and fascinating collection that any animal lover will be delighted to receive this holiday season. Gift it within your household at your own risk; you may end up with a mule in the family.
[Orlean] writes with humor and generosity about the ark’s worth of birds and mammals she has brought into her life ... especially good when Orlean investigates the consequences of humans taking from other species what they are not prepared to give.
