Peace and Love

by Alice "Huskyteer" Dryden

Uptight college student Roger Jones has no time for hippies, dropouts, and flower children- especially his annoying, kaftan-wearing roomie, Frank. But when Roger falls for a bushy tailed folk singer named Peace Man, he can no longer close his eyes to the revolution going on around him that she opens up. Can Roger get his groove on, or is he too square to be hip?

124 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2023

Reviews

[J.F.R. Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want something cozy and simple with charming characters, then this is a book for you! There is very little tension throughout this book, with what I assumed would be the overarching conflict in the novella resolved in the same chapter it was introduced - but this was all by design. This isn't a story with high stakes. It is just about this group of characters navigating their way through their own spaces in a world that doesn't yet appreciate them.

Charming and delightful. A great read.

[Dark End · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Peace and Love" is a historical romance set in 1960s America, where raccoon law student Roger is annoyed by the antics of his hippie housemate Frank, but finds himself unexpectedly drawn to linsang Peace Man, Frank's friend and another hippie. Smitten on first sight, Roger starts breaking out of his traditional lifestyle and trying things he thought he'd never try before. But this relationship will not be without its troubles...

The thing I love about "Peace and Love" is how rich it is. It's quite a short book, only 120 pages, but so much is packed into those pages. While the focus throughout is on Roger and Peace's romance, there's a colorful collection of side characters. Frank is the most notable, and the friendship between Roger and Frank strengths, decays, twists, and turns over the course of the book in a very natural way. Even minor characters change, sometimes on their own and sometimes it is just Roger's perception and understanding that changes. But hardly anyone who stays on the page for more than, well, a page, is ever that simple.

And of course, there's the setting. This is clearly a book set in and set about the swinging sixties. It relishes in its time period without tipping into parody.

In short, I had a great time with this book.

It's usually the sign of a good book that you reach the end and want more, but I often found myself wanting more out of each chapter, to spend more time with these fun characters and inhabit their world a little longer. In fact, my only real complaint about the book is that it speeds by at such a clip that some smaller conflicts get resolved too quickly, but that's pretty small as far as concerns go. This was a fun book, and I'm looking forward to Alice Dryden's next.

[Michael Miele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this snapshot of the 1960's through a furry lens quite a lot! Roger and Peace Man's relationship is one of the main plots of the book and seeing their cultural values clash as they try and date each other was very interesting. Picking Roger as the point of view character for the book helps to emphasize the qualities and quirks of the other characters he interacts with over the course of the story. I think Huskyteer did a great job with the broader cast of Frank and Peace Man's hippie friends. She showed that they were just people who had a different way of thinking and living to the mainstream, but underneath all that, they were still people. Frank started off as a character I was sure I was going to eventually grow tired of and turned into one of my favorite characters from the whole book. One of my favorite themes of the book is the importance of looking out for each other. Whether it's joining a protest or bailing someone out of a bad situation, you help out where you can. This was also a good vertical slice of issues and events from the 1960's. I confess I was a little worried before reading that the book would be more focused on the 60's references and that would cause the plot or pacing of the book to suffer, but Huskyteer walks that line beautifully. It's a short read and if you're a fan of 60's culture or well-written furry novellas I'd say to check it out!

[Packwolf Lupestripe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huskyteer's love of the 1960s really shines through in Peace and Love, which details what happens when two people with differing cultural values clash. This is emphasised through the story's main protagonist, the uptight but lovable Roger, who falls in love with Peace Man. She is one of his flatmate's friends, which catapults him into the world of hippie culture.

The story is essentially about self-discovery, with Roger learning to embrace the cultural changes around him and let loose. There are many nods to the culture of the time, with subtle references which are neatly tied up at the end. Roger's journey is particularly rewarding and it is aided by a strong supporting cast who are all trying to navigate a world that's on the edge of accepting them. In some ways, Roger's story arc represents the cultural attitudes in general at the time.

I learned a lot about the Sixties when reading this book, but the writing is also very accessible. The pacing and narrative were spot-on, and I found it impossible to put down. Highly recommended.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huskyteer has been in the creative critter game for awhile now and her narrative flair really shows with this peer into the cultural and political high water mark of the twentieth century. Activism, sexual self-discovery, expansion of consciousness and the Imperial War machine all find their way into the arrow-straight life of law student racoon Roger, who just wants good grades and the ganja smell out of his living room couch. When holes are poked in his perfect square world (spiritual, occupational and drywall) he meets a free-spirit lingsang named Peace, who forces him to slow down, chill out just a bit and learn what things in life are truly important. That path isn't straight. Nor is it narrow, care of his kaftaned, anti-war gay fox roomie and a wider coterie of hip friends.
Huskyteer's penchant for distinct furry characters with foibles that you'll love to see Roger fume at takes center stage throughout this odyssey and its a fun read. This book was an emotional tonic for finding joy in tumultuous times, and I'd be glad to visit these characters again

[Televassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Peace and Love' is a wonderful slice of life novella that focuses on the growing romance between Roger and Peace. The characters are charming and relatable, their thoughts, feelings, and concerns flowing from page to page as natrually as conversation. It's not just Roger that develops and grows as a character; all the other characters do too, and this is what gives the book one of my favourite qualities to experience as a reader - the feeling of a living, breathing world that you're witnessing as you read along. I will warn you, even for a novella the pages will turn faster than you think, but I look forward to both reading this again, and what work Huskyteer will publish next. A definite must read by a talented writer!