Jean Ryan

The Short of It:

A collection of super short essays that promise to awaken your need for nature and its beauty.

The Rest of It:

Regular readers of this blog know how packed my schedule is. It’s not often that I have time to step out into nature and just observe the beauty around me but oh, how I crave it. Strange Company allowed me to do that if only for a short while.

Strange Company is a collection of nature essays about all sorts of things. Do animals feel compassion? Do they think as humans do? If the act of bleeding out a rare Horseshoe crab for the sake of science isn’t damaging to the creature itself, does it make it right to keep doing it? What about pesticides? Do you ever think about the impact that they might have on say… a bird’s food supply?

On a personal note, I absolutely believe that animals feel compassion. Every pet I’ve ever had has connected with me in some way. After the death of my mother, my dog would not leave my side. Years ago when I was diagnosed with Lupus and seriously questioned if I could survive it, my cat was right there, as I spent days in bed trying to work up enough energy just to go to work. So it’s no surprise to me that domesticated animals or even those in the wild can feel compassion. Just look into their eyes!

What I loved about this collection is that although each essay is short, often only a few pages long, they gave me a lot to think about. There’s a little bit of science for those who like facts, but there’s also a lot of heart. Ryan is a nature lover and it shows in her writing. I’ve read and enjoyed her work before and I am happy to say I enjoyed this collection as well.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.… (altro)

Whatever she needs, it’s not our company.

That’s from “Greyhound,” the first in this collection of 13 short stories (their titles comprise the cover’s design). “She” is a dog I'll never forget, one who’s adopted out after she refuses to race anymore. But “she” is also thematic of all the characters unable to meet needs in these poignant stories of human (and animal) interactions and failed relationships, mostly lesbian. There is a sameness to many of the stories but they're beautiful and I’d eagerly read more by Ryan.… (altro)