Animal Happiness

by Vicki Hearne

A collection of essays profiles an amazing array of remarkable creatures and their extraordinary behaviors, including the Pakistani frog who became entranced by his own reflection, the lion who died of a broken heart, and the Airedale sculptor.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Essays

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Victoria Elizabeth "Vicki" Hearne was an American author, philosopher, poet, animal trainer, and scholar of literary criticism and linguistics.

Reviews

[Nick]

So this was kind of a weird one. The first part was all vignettes and some I really enjoyed some I didn't get at all. The author has kind of an odd sense of humor, but so do I so I loved that. There was a sort of mock advice section that was also very funny. The last section were essays. There were a couple of good ones about Airedales but after that it seemed like more of a rant. The author was a dog and horse trainer, a poet and a philosopher. Its probably not surprising that sometimes I had no idea what she was trying to say. What any of this had to do with animal happiness I have no idea.

[Lydia]

Rather diminishing returns as it goes on, though her meditations on the orgautan in the final section are what got me to read in the first place. Her sketches/portraits of animals in the first section are the best--light and funny. I have no patience for philosophy or religion, so by the time we got to Job, i was overrrrrrr this. However, "Oyez à Beaumont" made me cry and cry, and I'll be saving that beautiful essay for the next time I or someone I'm close to suffers a pet loss.

[Shelley Alongi]

I don't know how to describe this book except to say that it was interminable. No generally I like books about animals but this book complicates their motives and just in some sections of it goes on ad nausea him. I would not recommend this book to anybody.

[Suzie]

Didn't like the book much. She has some very out-there, philosophical opinions.

[Sarah]

Smart, keenly philosophical ruminations on life around animals. The book I wish I’d written.