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Frühstück mit Elefant
Neelie ist eine erfolgreiche Pferdetrainerin und liebt ihren Beruf über alles. Vielleicht weil Pferde niemals lügen ═ im Unterschied zu Matt, ihrem Ehemann. Als Neelie begreift, dass er sie seit geraumer Zeit schamlos betrügt, gibt sie trotzdem nicht auf. Sie hofft, ihn mit Geduld und bedingungsloser Zuneigung zurückzugewinnen. Deshalb folgt sie Matt auf eine gefährliche Mission nach Afrika, wo beide als Teil eines Expertenteams zur Rettung gefährdeter Elefanten in den Busch aufbrechen. Damit hat Neelie sich nahezu Unmögliches vorgenommen: Sie muss das Vertrauen eines Dickhäuters und die Liebe ihres Mannes erobern. Dass der Elefant weitaus leichter anzulocken ist und sich zudem als der verlässlichere Partner entpuppt, stürzt Neelie zunächst ins Unglück, sorgt aber auch für jede Menge turbulente Überraschungen und einen Neuanfang in ihrem Leben.Ein witziger Roman über eine ungewöhnliche Zähmung und die Heilung eines gebrochenen Herzens.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2007
30 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
Judy Reene Singer
7 books43 followersBorn in Alabama and raised in New York, Judy Reene Singer is a former high school English teacher. When not writing or riding horses, she donates her time to animal rescue. She is the author of Horseplay (Random House, 2004), Still Life with Elephant (Morrow, 2009) and An Inconvenient Elephant (Morrow, 2010).
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March 20, 2007If your husband screws you over, no large land mammal can help you.
May 27, 2011
My mom recommend this as a fun, light read couple of years ago so I really wanted to like it. I didn't.
I did like the writing of the author, but the story flopped for me.
The main character's wimpy victim personality and inability to hear correctly become annoying and unbelievable (how was she a highly successful psychiatrist when she cannot make out entire sentences in every other facet of her life? And how as a trained professional--and best friends with another psychiatrist--does she not get help for this issue that constantly interferes with and ruins relationships for her?).
In the end, the book to me never actually resolves anything, the deep connections with the animals fall flat and don't connect to the story as they should, and she is still as lost at the end as the beginning (and her hearing problem persists even through she supposedly conquers her trauma, so we continue to try to decode dialogue all the way along... tiring).
Sorry, Mom, but I would skip this one next time.
I did like the writing of the author, but the story flopped for me.
The main character's wimpy victim personality and inability to hear correctly become annoying and unbelievable (how was she a highly successful psychiatrist when she cannot make out entire sentences in every other facet of her life? And how as a trained professional--and best friends with another psychiatrist--does she not get help for this issue that constantly interferes with and ruins relationships for her?).
In the end, the book to me never actually resolves anything, the deep connections with the animals fall flat and don't connect to the story as they should, and she is still as lost at the end as the beginning (and her hearing problem persists even through she supposedly conquers her trauma, so we continue to try to decode dialogue all the way along... tiring).
Sorry, Mom, but I would skip this one next time.
May 7, 2020
A light read.
I've never met a protagonist who ate more donuts and didn't gain weight, aside from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum.
I've never met a protagonist who ate more donuts and didn't gain weight, aside from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum.
April 5, 2014
I enjoyed the parts of this book dealing with animal rescue & training, but I felt the relationship plot line was far-fetched, incongruous and contradictory in parts.
December 18, 2018
The author made a huge error with the auditory problems the h was having throughout the book. It was incredibly irritating.
August 26, 2016
This book is so easy to read, it disguises the fact that writing a novel is always hard work, with many times through for rewrites, edits, etc. I admired the research, too, that went into this novel. Ms. Singer brought to life the landscapes of Zimbabwe and the drama and risk involved in rescuing elephants. She also credibly wrote of riding and training horses, and of caring and training for sick elephants.
I loved the voice of the p.o.v. character, Neelie Sterling. Her bright sense of humor shines through despite her desperate marital situation. She is, charmingly, slightly unreliable but not quite honest with herself either. In fact, the reader learns of the suppressed conflict in her soul after midway through the book. And how does she keep her (horseback) "rider's figure" despite a daily need for a sack of donuts? And why must she keep music blaring in house and barn all hours of the day? Her listening quirks, where she hears "your berries are contagious" for "you are so courageous" seem somewhat impossible. After all, she isn't really deaf-- just doesn't listen well.
From the beginning of the book, Neelie is in a desperate situation that steadily becomes worse. Her husband Matt has been having an affair and will soon be a father (an incidence that hasn't happened with Neelie, much to her regret.) Neelie continues to learn more of Matt's deceptions, even has he declares his love for Neelie and begs for forgivenss. His actions belie his protestations of love, and this leaves Neelie in a double bind, confused and heartbroken. And financially broke!
Neelie is a rescuer of animals (and sometimes people.) She gave up a psychological therapy practice to train problem horses and teach riding lessons. Her pets--horses, dog, and cat (all rescued)-- are dear to her, and her home and barn are a refuge for all. The divorce ahead threatens her home and livelihood.
Meanwhile, Neelie embraces a chance to escape--to Africa to rescue an elephant and bring it back home to a nearby sanctuary. Matt is also involved in the risky venture as a veterinarian to the elephants. Back home, Neelie and Matt work as a team to save the elephant and her baby, to whom Neelie becomes a second mom. (The baby is a girl, and Neelie has always wanted a daughter.)
To complicate any possibility of reuniting with Matt, Neelie falls in love with the wealthy and attractive benefactor who specializes in elephant rescues in Africa, and he invites her to share his life. There are further complications at every turn, as Neelie's family--parents and siblings--and her best friend enter the story with plenty of advice.
Almost to the end of the book, it is still not clear how Neelie will work out her many problems that have conflicting solutions. But leave it to Neelie to discover her true calling!
I wondered a couple things: Why did it take so long for Neelie to figure out what Margo the elephant really wanted to eat? And why was Neelie so stubborn in her refusal to talk with Matt, even as they worked together? I understood her rage but felt like shaking her to at least hear him out. The author certainly kept up the tension here!
A bit of wisdom from Neelie complements my current blog about how well we know the REAL people in our lives vs. the FICTIONAL characters we learn about inside out: "Predicatability," says Neelie is how we know people in our lives. We know them by becoming used to how they will act, react, things they might say, and their likes and dislikes. In the book, Neelie is practiced at knowing in which order Matt will put ketchup on his french fries and is surprised when he doesn't salt them.
I loved the voice of the p.o.v. character, Neelie Sterling. Her bright sense of humor shines through despite her desperate marital situation. She is, charmingly, slightly unreliable but not quite honest with herself either. In fact, the reader learns of the suppressed conflict in her soul after midway through the book. And how does she keep her (horseback) "rider's figure" despite a daily need for a sack of donuts? And why must she keep music blaring in house and barn all hours of the day? Her listening quirks, where she hears "your berries are contagious" for "you are so courageous" seem somewhat impossible. After all, she isn't really deaf-- just doesn't listen well.
From the beginning of the book, Neelie is in a desperate situation that steadily becomes worse. Her husband Matt has been having an affair and will soon be a father (an incidence that hasn't happened with Neelie, much to her regret.) Neelie continues to learn more of Matt's deceptions, even has he declares his love for Neelie and begs for forgivenss. His actions belie his protestations of love, and this leaves Neelie in a double bind, confused and heartbroken. And financially broke!
Neelie is a rescuer of animals (and sometimes people.) She gave up a psychological therapy practice to train problem horses and teach riding lessons. Her pets--horses, dog, and cat (all rescued)-- are dear to her, and her home and barn are a refuge for all. The divorce ahead threatens her home and livelihood.
Meanwhile, Neelie embraces a chance to escape--to Africa to rescue an elephant and bring it back home to a nearby sanctuary. Matt is also involved in the risky venture as a veterinarian to the elephants. Back home, Neelie and Matt work as a team to save the elephant and her baby, to whom Neelie becomes a second mom. (The baby is a girl, and Neelie has always wanted a daughter.)
To complicate any possibility of reuniting with Matt, Neelie falls in love with the wealthy and attractive benefactor who specializes in elephant rescues in Africa, and he invites her to share his life. There are further complications at every turn, as Neelie's family--parents and siblings--and her best friend enter the story with plenty of advice.
Almost to the end of the book, it is still not clear how Neelie will work out her many problems that have conflicting solutions. But leave it to Neelie to discover her true calling!
I wondered a couple things: Why did it take so long for Neelie to figure out what Margo the elephant really wanted to eat? And why was Neelie so stubborn in her refusal to talk with Matt, even as they worked together? I understood her rage but felt like shaking her to at least hear him out. The author certainly kept up the tension here!
A bit of wisdom from Neelie complements my current blog about how well we know the REAL people in our lives vs. the FICTIONAL characters we learn about inside out: "Predicatability," says Neelie is how we know people in our lives. We know them by becoming used to how they will act, react, things they might say, and their likes and dislikes. In the book, Neelie is practiced at knowing in which order Matt will put ketchup on his french fries and is surprised when he doesn't salt them.
January 23, 2012
The introspective nature of Still Life with Elephant touched me deeply. My heart ached right along with Neelie’s, and I felt as though I was a part of her successes. I related to her hearing problem (or is it more of a listening problem?), where she often hears something quite different from what the person actually said, because I often do the same thing. Neelie is incredibly real, with real-life problems—even though those problems come in a package most of us are not familiar with. Many of us have struggled with warring emotions and major life changes, and Ms. Singer presents them very poignantly. Neelie is likable, someone I could imagine having as a friend, and I missed her as soon as the book was over.
Although the overall theme of the books is somber, there are some light moments where Ms. Singer injects her delightful sense of humor. There are some wonderful interactions between the characters and enough lightness to keep the book from being depressing.
Still Life with Elephant is a journey. Neelie travels many miles, and in the end she not only rescues her elephant, but herself. She enters a new era of her life, leaving behind many of the trappings of the old one. I greatly enjoyed taking the journey with her and felt as though I’d changed a little myself by the time it was over. I highly recommend it, along with Judy Reene Singer’s first book, Horseplay.
Although the overall theme of the books is somber, there are some light moments where Ms. Singer injects her delightful sense of humor. There are some wonderful interactions between the characters and enough lightness to keep the book from being depressing.
Still Life with Elephant is a journey. Neelie travels many miles, and in the end she not only rescues her elephant, but herself. She enters a new era of her life, leaving behind many of the trappings of the old one. I greatly enjoyed taking the journey with her and felt as though I’d changed a little myself by the time it was over. I highly recommend it, along with Judy Reene Singer’s first book, Horseplay.
October 4, 2019
Enjoyed information about horses and rescuing elephants. More romance than I expected. Undiagnosed hearing/listening issue was frustrating for listener.
December 14, 2020
Oy. Don't know what to say about this.
First of all, the scenes in Africa felt very racist. It's a bunch of white people swooping in to save elephants. If any of the named characters we meet are Black it's not said, but a few times she mentions the "Black faces" of the people with them, which makes it seem to me that all of the non-characters (no lines, we don't even get names) are Black and all of the named characters with dialogue are white. And then she goes home and thinks a lot about how good she has it compared to the starving children and abused elephants of Zimbabwe. Very much White Savior Complex.
Well, which is sort of what she realizes she is. By the end of the book she's decided she has a need to save animals (and sometimes people, but I really didn't understand where that comment came from because she didn't save any people in this book?). I mean, that's fine, it's a career and a calling, but she could have saved plenty of animals at home (she already was doing that) without flying on a millionaire's dime to a country in Africa.
Another odd thing about the book is that a lot of her emotional problems are tied to a traumatic event as a teen, but once she faces that, it's pretty much dropped from the story. It was too much build up to not be mentioned again after that.
And then Margot and Abbie, the saved elephants. They are both a huge part of the book until suddenly they just disappear. She goes on vacation, then heads off to Kenya for some more elephants and entertains the idea of staying there. Not even thinking about the two at home waiting for her. And then the book ends and I realized they weren't even brought up again.
If we had just stuck to the unraveling of her marriage it would have been a better book. I wanted more closure (for me!) with her ex and would have enjoyed more focus on that. She at least does recognize that he didn't properly apologize.
The most confusing thing about this book is that the blurb said it was funny. Yeah. Really not. Unless laughing at someone with hearing problems is funny? Because otherwise it was the story of a woman falling apart after her husband ruins their marriage and her financial life and there isn't much funny in that.
I liked the writing at least.
First of all, the scenes in Africa felt very racist. It's a bunch of white people swooping in to save elephants. If any of the named characters we meet are Black it's not said, but a few times she mentions the "Black faces" of the people with them, which makes it seem to me that all of the non-characters (no lines, we don't even get names) are Black and all of the named characters with dialogue are white. And then she goes home and thinks a lot about how good she has it compared to the starving children and abused elephants of Zimbabwe. Very much White Savior Complex.
Well, which is sort of what she realizes she is. By the end of the book she's decided she has a need to save animals (and sometimes people, but I really didn't understand where that comment came from because she didn't save any people in this book?). I mean, that's fine, it's a career and a calling, but she could have saved plenty of animals at home (she already was doing that) without flying on a millionaire's dime to a country in Africa.
Another odd thing about the book is that a lot of her emotional problems are tied to a traumatic event as a teen, but once she faces that, it's pretty much dropped from the story. It was too much build up to not be mentioned again after that.
And then Margot and Abbie, the saved elephants. They are both a huge part of the book until suddenly they just disappear. She goes on vacation, then heads off to Kenya for some more elephants and entertains the idea of staying there. Not even thinking about the two at home waiting for her. And then the book ends and I realized they weren't even brought up again.
If we had just stuck to the unraveling of her marriage it would have been a better book. I wanted more closure (for me!) with her ex and would have enjoyed more focus on that. She at least does recognize that he didn't properly apologize.
The most confusing thing about this book is that the blurb said it was funny. Yeah. Really not. Unless laughing at someone with hearing problems is funny? Because otherwise it was the story of a woman falling apart after her husband ruins their marriage and her financial life and there isn't much funny in that.
I liked the writing at least.
February 11, 2019
I just picked this book up on a whim at the library and really enjoyed it.
I needed a break from popular mysteries and "next Gone girl" type books.
This story was about a woman who is a horse trainer with selective hearing blocking out a tragedy in her past when her 1st horse died. Her husband is a vet that takes on a colleague but ends up having an affair and ruining his marriage by getting the other woman pregnant.
Meanwhile, Neelie finds out her home was mortgaged out from under her to support the other woman's big dreams of expanding the vet clinic.
She has a chance to go to Africa to help a mutual friend rescue an abused starving elephant and bring it to a wildlife sanctuary he owns...and unfortunately her husband is on the trip as well. She falls for Africa and the chance to be useful to elephants in need but she doesn't fall for Matt's BS.
So glad this didn't turn into a story where she took the cheating husband back and played nice and everything worked out in the end in that relationship.
The main character did find love and purpose but she admitted she had stopped loving her husband and things sucked for her but she had to save herself 1st and then decide what to do with her life.
I needed a break from popular mysteries and "next Gone girl" type books.
This story was about a woman who is a horse trainer with selective hearing blocking out a tragedy in her past when her 1st horse died. Her husband is a vet that takes on a colleague but ends up having an affair and ruining his marriage by getting the other woman pregnant.
Meanwhile, Neelie finds out her home was mortgaged out from under her to support the other woman's big dreams of expanding the vet clinic.
She has a chance to go to Africa to help a mutual friend rescue an abused starving elephant and bring it to a wildlife sanctuary he owns...and unfortunately her husband is on the trip as well. She falls for Africa and the chance to be useful to elephants in need but she doesn't fall for Matt's BS.
So glad this didn't turn into a story where she took the cheating husband back and played nice and everything worked out in the end in that relationship.
The main character did find love and purpose but she admitted she had stopped loving her husband and things sucked for her but she had to save herself 1st and then decide what to do with her life.
April 29, 2018
While I love ellies, I think Singer was attempting too much in this book...the character development was lacking a bit in Neelie's emotions simply stretching too far. I felt Singer could have elaborated on maybe 2 or 3 facets of Neelie's life and extended her story in to another book or so. There is her as a youth - riding horses, wanting to become the best at dressage; her marriage (or lack of)/ divorce/ 'other woman' role; her meeting Tom and traveling to Zimbabwe then Nairobi and the elephant rescuing and training stories.
I was THRILLED she didn't take Matt back (Singer seems to have created such the ultimate a**hole in Matt; could he have done ANYTHING else to hurt Neelie??) and was able to discover herself through Tom. She is a great example of someone following her dreams and not allowing a man to dictate her future. I'm proud of her desire to rescue elephants (I know she's a fictional character!) and this book made me want to travel on safari and see all the ellies I can just like Neelie!
Easy to read prose, I enjoyed this book on different levels and would love to read some non-fiction about Singer's fostering elephants.
I was THRILLED she didn't take Matt back (Singer seems to have created such the ultimate a**hole in Matt; could he have done ANYTHING else to hurt Neelie??) and was able to discover herself through Tom. She is a great example of someone following her dreams and not allowing a man to dictate her future. I'm proud of her desire to rescue elephants (I know she's a fictional character!) and this book made me want to travel on safari and see all the ellies I can just like Neelie!
Easy to read prose, I enjoyed this book on different levels and would love to read some non-fiction about Singer's fostering elephants.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2020
Still Life with Elephant, by Judy Reene Singer, can pull at your heart strings enchanting animal lovers and fairy tale lovers alike. In a small town, in New York State, professional horse trainer and former therapist, Neelie Sterling, is very busy and seemingly happy. However, Neely oftentimes doesn't quite pay heed, or quite "hear," consequently, missing many nuances in life, both large and small. When her veterinarian husband, Matt, mentioned he was getting a colleague to help with his practice, Neely thought he said collie. Now Matt's beautiful blond business partner is pregnant, and Neely's life is in a tailspin. When she learns that Matt is leaving on a dangerous elephant rescue in Zimbabwe, Neely naively signs on, in a last ditch effort, to save her crumbling marriage. Africa steals her heart with its pain, poverty, and breathtaking beauty. Once their very ill pachyderm patient returns home with them to be healed, Neely slowly begins her own painful, yet magical, healing journey. Can as elephant teach a human about life and love? Prepare to be both charmed and surprised. Gwendolyn Broadmore, author, Life Came to a Standstill
February 20, 2022
A woman who trains horses suddenly finds herself separated after her husband impregnates his co-worker, and then she ends up volunteering to help rescue an elephant who is being mistreated in Zimbabwe. This is a story about finding your path in life, and whether or not people deserve second chances, and also there's a whole lot about horses and also elephants, so if you like those things--you would probably like this book.
She also has an auditory processing disorder--or something--which makes her mis-hear half the things people say; which is kind of funny sometimes because the things she hears are plainly nonsense, but also--does she need hearing aids? What's the deal, here?
She also has an auditory processing disorder--or something--which makes her mis-hear half the things people say; which is kind of funny sometimes because the things she hears are plainly nonsense, but also--does she need hearing aids? What's the deal, here?
December 14, 2017
I enjoyed Ms. Singer's writing. I thought she captured the unique circumstances surrounding rescuing and caring for elephants. It's so sad that so many baby elephants are left without mothers or fathers because of the illegal ivory trade. Tens of thousands of elephants are being killed every year for their ivory tusks. I think that this book sheds a much needed light on the cruel poaching of animals for the sake of a consumer market for ivory, which still exists today. I applaud Ms. Singer for tackling this extremely important issue. This book is easy to read.
October 12, 2018
If the author had given her any other background career besides a therapist/social worker it would have made Neelie both more believable and more sympathetic. It was hard for me to swallow that she was a therapist and was friends with a therapist when she had such massive emotional issues. However, that being said I did want to know what happened to her but because it was fiction I expected her issues to be more resolved than they were by the end of the book. The animals were well written and the plight of Africa seemed very real.
July 4, 2022
This was a story of a female mid-life shift. Neelie during this story tried to heal from some of the hurt from her teen years and deal with some of the choices she made as an adult. This was not the smoothest or most positive story I have read this year, but the story was worth reading. The story does glimmer with the chance for a fresh start. I picked-up this book at a Library book sale and it sat on my shelf through two moves. I do plan to pass the book on to a new reader later this month.
March 28, 2018
Okay, the romantic subplot was unbelievable and is a total distraction from the wonderful story about elephants in the wild (and threats to them) and elephants in captivity (although well-treated). The protagonist is really open to animals — she also trains horses — and the representations of animals is not sentimental. Nice!
March 23, 2020
This was ok but had the potential to be so much more. I would have loved more depth. More about the saving and restoring horses and elephants to health.
The hearing issue was a distraction and never as funny or amusing as I think it was meant to be.
Not a bad book, but it was hard at times to force myself to keep going. I was really hoping for more.
The hearing issue was a distraction and never as funny or amusing as I think it was meant to be.
Not a bad book, but it was hard at times to force myself to keep going. I was really hoping for more.
July 3, 2018
I’m a sucker for a good love story and this is a great light read. Although very cheesy and unrealistic, I think this book did a great job of walking us through the main character’s healing process over heartbreak. And who doesn’t love a story about elephants??
September 14, 2017
nice story
April 5, 2018
Urgh, wat is Neelie irritant en sorry hoor, maar wat een slecht verhaal. Nogmaals, urgh.
September 12, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. I am going to have to check out other books by this author. There were some writing styles that I had to adjust to but they were minor.
December 9, 2019
Eigentlich hat es mir gut gefallen, aber es war alles so negativ und depressiv. Dadurch keine volle Punktzahl.
September 29, 2020
This is a pretty silly and substance-less book, but it was a fun read for the animal element in it.
December 3, 2020
A very fun and heartwarming read!
January 27, 2023
Quite a surprising book, a great novel about embracing life.
June 13, 2023
I only bought this book because I love elephants.
It was pretty unbelievable (about the elephants and training and all)
But it was enjoyable and cute
I wouldn't really recommend it, however,
It was pretty unbelievable (about the elephants and training and all)
But it was enjoyable and cute
I wouldn't really recommend it, however,
July 28, 2023
This was pretty darn good, but I didn't love it nearly as much as her "Horseplay."
July 30, 2024
Interesting read about rescuing elephants, then training them. Story on protagonist & her messy life was pretty soapy but overall good summer read.
March 25, 2022
A sweet book about a woman searching for her way after finding out her husband has been having an affair and is now pregnant with his girlfriend. When an opportunity arises to help rescue an injured elephant from Africa presents itself she jumps at the chance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews