Joyce StrangerRecensioni

Mixed lot of stories by one of my favorite authors. Some I loved, some were just okay, but the collection is worth reading. I especially enjoyed the title story about a kitten that is rescued by a monastery full of monks.

Biography of a girl who wanted to ride and race horses despite her physical handicap and her family's disapproval. The story was engaging and interesting, all the more because it was based upon her journal entries.½

Thoughtful story of a young man whose father is a gamekeeper at a rundown estate. The son loves the wild animals that his father is sworn to protect, but also those targeted for removal: a family of foxes.

Not the best work by this favorite author of mine, but still a good tale with realistic children, adults, and relationships. Oh, and a bit of the local fauna is included as well.

In this final book of the series, author Joyce Stranger has to make a decision: to double her "pack" by adding another dog, or quit field trial and obedience work altogether due to her dog Chita's advancing age. She takes on Josse, a young dog who with issues due to having several owners within a few months. Josse needs help adjusting, and how Joyce brings him closer to "normalcy" makes for an interesting and enjoyable story.

I wish there were more books about Josse.½

This is the fifth in a series of books by Joyce Stranger about dogs, their training, and also filled with remininsces about her life experiences with critters of all sorts. Another gem by an author who knows animals so well.½

Match found in the German National Library.

This is another entry in a series of books about the inhabitants of Bruton-Under-the-Water, a small village in England, post World War II, and the surrounding area. We come to know and care for the people, their sorrows and triumphs, and the animals, both wild and domesticated, that live in close proximity.

A keeper, and highly recommended.½

A very good read, and continuation of the author's series regarding her own dogs, and how she trained them.

In this sequel to "Three's a Pack", the author continues the story of her dogs, focusing especially on the most difficult one to date to train, Chita. Part autobiography, part textbook on training dogs, and with plenty of humor and pathos, this third installment of Joyce Stranger's "Two's Company" series has plenty to keep any dog lover content and entertained. Recommended.½

In this follow-up to Two's Company, the author relates her experiences with an addition to her menagerie: a small German Shepherd puppy with a knack for manic behavior. Driven by a need to keep her dog from self-destructing, Joyce relates the training regimen that could transform a devil dog into an obedient and loving companion. Amusing and informative.½

In this book Joyce Stranger relates her experiences with two of her dogs, one an example of poor breeding practices, and the other of exemplary breeding, yet both with training issues. It was a funny, yet instructive read, with encouragement for the despairing dog owner who is told, and believes, that it is always the owner's fault when a dog has behavioral issues. Good read, and still applicable some forty years after its publication.½

Casey is the son of a neighbor's Siamese cat and the farm's feral "mouser", and is nicknamed "Born to Trouble" for all the situations he instigates, and where he barely escapes being killed. This is not just a story about a cat, but also about the people on the farm, and in the nearby village. As usual, the author does a good job telling the story of ordinary people living in rural England in the post WWII era. Good read, and worthy of a reread in the future.

This is a tale of survival against the odds, for a wildcat and her kittens. As with her other books, the author describes the beauty of nature, not without its dangers. This is also a tale of the men who enter into the wildcat's domain. Good story, well-told.½

The weather has caused terrific troubles as we begin the fifth book of the Dr. Tim Yorke series. Aunt Dora is back, and with grandiose plans that will not be constrained. Even Dr. Fitz is infected by the prevalent enthusiasm.

I'm sorry this is the last book in the "Tim Yorke, Vet" series. I was hoping a couple loose ends might have been tied...½

In this book we're back with young veterinarian Dr. Tim Yorke and the usual bunch at Dr. Fitz' veterinary practice. If you enjoyed any of the previous three books, or even like James Herriot's works, you'll probably enjoy this latest installment of a fun series!½

This is yet another highly enjoyable installment of Tim Yorke's adventures as a new veterinarian. Six months have passed since Tim started working at Fitz' practice, his puppies are growing up, and with an additional vet joining the team, Tim is finding some time to dedicate to his love of horses.

I like this series as I do most of this author's other books: she writes of real people, and their real animals, as well as the situations they face daily. Recommended.½

I have read quite a few of this author's novels, but had not read any of her short stories before. What was really nice is she delivers as good a tale even within the confines of ten pages, which is the length of several of the stories. The exception in length (but not in quality) is the title story, which could be considered a novella.

Joyce Stranger had a talent for sharing the lives of people and their pets. This collection is another example of her writing abilities, and I recommend it as well.½

We're back with Timothy ("tiny") Yorke and the veterinary staff from the first book, "Vet on Call". Tim is settling into the routine of emergency calls balanced with booster shots for the pampered pooches and felines of the area. He is also learning how to train his dog, or rather, "dogs", since he has rescued a neglected puppy.

While never graphic, the author does include some episodes of rescue and treatment of animal cruelty victims. Still, it's a pleasant and enjoyable read.½

A light look at a newly certified veterinarian's first job, including different cases he has to handle in the first few days working at a busy practice. It reminds me, in some ways, of James Herriot's books, but not exactly.½

This is another enjoyable tale from Joyce Stranger, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Jason is the result of an accidental breeding, a dog that no one wants. He finds himself owned by a man who cares nothing for him, but only feeds and houses Jason as a deterrent for burglars and thieves.

One day, Jason leaves and begins to wander, looking for someone to call his own, someone he can love.

As usual, the author has shown us a bit of the people and animals of Great Britain, this time from islands just off the west coast of Scotland. She writes with knowledge, and kindness, and love of her subject. "Jason, Nobody's Dog" is a quick read, not fluff, but a thoughtful story of love lost, and not just by Jason. Suitable for adolescents and adults, and recommended.½

Read this one over and over when I was a teen. Perhaps my fondness for all things British stems from loving this book. What a great story.

The book Kym is about a Siamese cat, as told by his "mother", author Joyce Stranger. From the time he came home, a tiny yet feisty kitten, Kym was special, talkative, daring, and too eager to use up his nine lives. The author shares her memories of Kym with humor, pathos, and love. Recommended.½

Steve Drake is an accomplished shepherd and dog trainer, busy preparing his farm and house for the arrival of his soon-to-be bride, Mara, when his selfless act saves lives, but leaves him blind. No longer able to run the farm or care for his flocks, Steve rejects Mara, and wallows in self-pity...until he boards with Anna Leigh and her ever growing menagerie of animals.

I enjoyed this story of trial, and growth. As with her other works, the author fleshes out each of her characters so that they appear to be real, people with depth and background. You come to care for each of them, sympathizing with their issues. Recommended.½

Dan and Anna have been forced off their land due to construction of a new motorway. For generations the Leighs have lived there, tending a house and farm, but all that is gone now. Dan and Anna Leigh find themselves many miles away, rebuilding their lives, coping with the anger and frustration that they are experiencing due to the actions of the government.

But then the animals start showing up, needing attention and care...and suddenly life begins to be more like the one they had to leave behind...

Joyce Stranger writes about people and situations, trials and joys, life as it really is. I like her characters, and how they are just like the rest of us, coping with life whether in good or bad times.

Good read, engaging characters, lots of animals, a winner!½

The Running Foxes is a beautiful, nostalgic depiction of life in rural England during the 1960s, as related by the local people, their dogs, and the foxes they hunt together. Jasper is an old man, who lives alone with his terrier and his cat, and is too elderly for the hunt (which is done on foot in this village, not on horseback). One day he spots a wily vixen and her two cubs, and decides to get back at the hunt by hiding their presence. Over time, he watches the cunning foxes with appreciation and gradually gains more allies for his unofficial fox-preservation cause. Meanwhile, the vixen teaches her two pups to hunt and survive on their own as they grow up into adulthood. A moving account of the gentle tyranny of time passing by.

Recommended for those who like wistful fiction about the past and/or rural society, as well as those who appreciate animal fiction such as Big Red, The Incredible Journey, Bambi, and especially James Herriot's books which have a similar atmosphere.

Tissue Alert!: If you're the kind of person (like me) who cried when the dog dies in things like Where the Red Fern Grows or Old Yeller, this book may make you cry. But it's so worth it.