Reviews for Wild Life

The average rating for Wild Life based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-09-06 00:00:00 MANUEL GARCIA SORIA DAVIS Probably my favorite book of the last couple years, Wild Life simultaneously explores pioneer life, the conflicting draws of creativity and family, the history of trashy fantasy novels, the nature of evil, and a magical and enduring Pacific Northwest legend. All wrapped into a whalloping adventure with an engaging and fast-paced plot. Spectacle with depth. LOVED it.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-09-28 00:00:00 Clairette Simard Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid. A woman gets lost in the woods after joining a rescue search party, encounters wild creatures and befriends them but it all takes too long and there is no character development to speak of. What is the meaning of it all? How is her life profoundly changed by the experience? I didn't find the writing poetic at all, the big words are all there but there is no poetry. I mean the author does have a nice vocabulary, but it doesn't necessarily translate to much. The descriptions of the wilderness were nice at times, but noting special. There were some touching moments in Wild Life, but there were far and far between. On overall, the book bored me and I really had to work to get through it. The writing format in this one just didn't work for me. The narrative is written in the first person, this book is often interrupted by passages from other voices and the protagonist's own writing. Somehow it made it more confusing and difficult to follow. The book is very slow paced and there really isn't much happening. There were a few pages I enjoyed, but only a few, hence my low rating. In addition, I struggled to feel for the protagonist. She seems more a symbol then a real person. The protagonist of this book is an early feminist raising up five kids by herself after her husband's death. She spends a lot of time complaining about how hard it is to be a woman and do the woman's work even if she actually refuses all household duties and hires a maid to help her. What she does for living is to write and she has a very high opinion of herself- and that is fine but it gets old pretty soon. She believes in the natural superiority of women and finds all the man brutes (except Jules Verne whom she apparently likes and admires as a writer but that's all right because he conveniently dies at the start of the novel and one is allowed to speak kindly about the dead). She likes to dress like a man, but she puts on a stunningly beautiful hairdo so there is no mistaking her sex and she enjoys to bewilder people. That's all fine too but what is she like as a person at her core? We never do get to find out. I felt like she is more a feminist symbol then a real person and I guess that is why I found it so hard to relate to. When she is reunited with her sons, she cries because she wasn't with them when they were sick, but somehow even that feels out of character. We don't really get to see her relationship with her kids evolve or amount to anything meaningful. We don't get to know her sons, not really. They are just symbols too. What is the meaning of it all? What is this novel really about? Where is the real plot, the character development, the deeper message? Is there any? Even her relationship with the wild people is left hanging. Will she go back to them? Will she try to help them? There were a few touching moments there, but it didn't amount to much. What was this book really about? Was it just written because feminist novels are in? I don't know, but I can't say that I enjoyed it.