The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder [Paperback]

Patricia Highsmith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Following the national bestseller Selected Stories, this fall brings the republication of a gripping Highsmith classic.

Stories from The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder portray, with incisive humor, the murderously competitive desires of our most trusted companions. In this satirical reprise of Kafka, cats, dogs, and the occasional cockroach are no longer benign elements of a happy home but actually have the power to destroy it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Grisly and atmospheric, these are perfectly nasty little tales told by an acknowledged mistress of the form ( Little Tales of Mysogyny. Whether it's Eddie, the Capuchin monkey, annoyed at the petty thief who employs him, or Djemal, the camel, getting back at a cruel driver, Highsmith's creatures are intelligent, vengeful and bloodthirsty. Even the aged Baron, a pampered and sophisticated city dog with worn-down teeth, finds a way of settling the score with the human he dislikes. Tales are told of a truffle-hunting pig, a ferret, a goat who gives rides in an amusement park, a sleek Siamese cat, chickens raised on an automated farm and an extended family of hamstersall sympathetically, but never sentimentally, portrayed. The stories feature small worlds of animal amorality in which the sweet taste of revenge leaves no aftertaste of guilt. It's a rich offering, best sampled in small bites.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

[Highsmith] is no more a practitioner of the murder mystery genre than are Dostoevsky, Faulkner and Camus. -- Joan Smith, Los Angeles Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393323668
• ISBN-13: 978-0393323665
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) was the author of more than twenty novels, including Strangers on a Train, The Price of Salt and The Talented Mr. Ripley, as well as numerous short stories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A manly crime that this book is out of print, July 7, 2000

By 

Adriana Villanueva (Caracas, Miranda Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Animal Lover's Book of Beastly Murder (Mysterious Library) (Paperback)

Why is this book out of print? Why it's so hard to find in America the complete work of one of her finest writters? My copy of Patricia Highsmith's The Animals-lover's book of beastly murders is dated 1975, and it was a british edition. I bought it in Paris in the eighties and instantly devour it; almost twenty years later, this tales still hunt me. The Animal's lovers of beastly murder its a collection of tales of revenge of the animals against the human beings who explotes them: Rats, pigs, dogs, cats; take their turn getting even with human race. Its not only for animal's lovers, it works well with animal's haters too. I hate rats and the tale of a rat's revenge of a Venice'family , with complete work out guide for rats included, still gives me goosebumps. You might need a streak of black humor to love this book, because Patricia Highsmith doesn't write your typical horror story. But if you have read and loved her work before, you will find a manly crime that this book is out of print.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Furry, fluffy, deadly, August 20, 2008

By 

lochnessa7 "lochnessa7" (Half Hollow Hills, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder (Paperback)

Would your beloved cat avenge your murder? Are those adorable hamsters planning to annhilate you? Patricia Highsmith's ingenious collection of tales is fiendish good fun sure to delight any animal lover. The ultimate excersise in anthropomorphization "The Animal Lover's book of Beastly Murder" runs the gamut from darkly funny to tragic, touching and horrifying. Its enough to make you scratch your new kitten behind the ears, give man's best friend an extra treat and maybe take a second look at exactly what those ants are so busy doing in that ant farm.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the revenge of the animals, October 7, 2011

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lonebeaut (land of enchantment) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder (Paperback)

I actually read most of the stories in this book in another collection of Hightower's short stories that I checked out of the library. As an animal advocate, I positively cheered at the ends of these stories, where the animals come out on top, and decided I had to have this particular book in my collection. It doesn't often happen in real life that our fellow animals triumph over us humans, but it definitely does in these stories. It's very cathartic!

Hightower is a highly addictive writer, especially if you enjoy the dark side of life and black comedy. I've now read almost every short story she's written and I'm hooked. I would recommend any book by her.