Customer Reviews

Behaving Badly

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Isabel Wolff's "Behaving Badly" deals with Miranda Sweet who is an animal behaviorist (somewhat of a psychologist for animals) who helps her clients to understand why their pets are behaving in strange manners such as tearing the house down when his/her owner leaves the house or bullying other pets. Miranda enjoys her job immensely and is successful at what she does. Her love life however is not so great. Fresh from her breakup with an upcoming TV star, Miranda is determine to move on, with the help of her best friend. She met photographer David whom she believes would make a great partner but in order for the relationship to continue, she needs to settle a part of her past which haunts her daily.

It's a shame that "Behaving Badly" is not published in the U.S. as I think this is one of Isabel Wolff's better books. The plot was clearly written, the characters were likeable (especially Miranda's best friend, Daisy) and I find the problems that Miranda's clients had with their pets simply fascinating. The author also did a great job in keeping certain parts of the books a mystery to engage her readers to continue reading the book. Overall, this is a better than average chick-lit!

I was really impressed by this unusually entertaining, but also poignant book which had me laughing and crying in turn. Miranda Sweet is an animal behaviorist - or pet shrink. She has no problem working out the neurotic behaviors of the animals she sees at her clinic - whether it be deluded dachsunds, stir-crazy cats, or introverted iguanas. But understanding the behavior of men is not so easy. After one shocking incident newly single Miranda has given up on them altogether. But then she meets a handsome photographer - and they fall in love. But this gives her a huge moral dilemma - because she already has a dreadful connection with the guy from years before, which he does not know about. Should she confess to him the shameful thing she did, and risk him rejecting her - or keep quiet? The mystery of what it was Miranda did those years before, and which affected him so badly then - and still affects him now - kept me turning the pages. In addition to this darker part of the story there was lots of fun and humor with the animals themselves, and with Miranda's lovely friend, Daisy, whose long term boyfriend won't commit. But the overall theme of the book is about courage and also forgiveness - finding the courage to tell the truth - and the forgiveness to forgive. For me this elevated it far above the usual girl about town chick lit offerings into something very moving and worthwhile.

American readers have been deprived of some hilarious, wonderful British authors who write the best chick lit out there. We're finally getting a few of them published here. Isabel Wolff is one of the authors who has made the leap to the American market, and she's a pretty decent writer. Behaving Badly is an above average book with a likeable heroine and a good plot. But, I've been spoiled. I buy the best of the best when it comes to British chick lit by going to Amazon.co.uk. When you've read Sarah Mason, Melissa Nathan (who's been published here and who, sadly, recently passed away), Katie Fforde, Victoria Corby, Donna Hay, Catherine Alliott, and a host of other fantastic British novelists, Behaving Badly doesn't quite stack up. I've never understood why someone like Isabel Wolff gets published more here in the U.S. than some of these other great writers. Ah well. That's why I'm not in the publishing industry. But, Wolff isn't half bad. Her book would have been better without the masses of pages spent on the conversations at her puppy parties. She also spends way too much time discussing various random animal problems that the owners need help with. I had to skim through all of that to get to the more interesting action with her main characters. So, this is a perfectly pleasant read, but I just wanted it to be as good as the books I get from overseas.

I fell in love with "A Vintage Affair" by the same author and decided to check out "Behaving Badly" from my local library. I am glad that I did since I now have another author that I really look forward to reading.

Miranda Sweet is a veterinarian in London, who has decided to become an animal behaviorist. She has set up shop and is rapidly becoming very successful in her practise. She is attuned not only to the behavior of animals but also very attuned to the behavior of the humans who care for animals.

Miranda has become distrustful of men since her mother and father divorced acrimoniously when she was quite young and she did not often see her dad even when her parents were married. Additionally, she has been betrayed by a recent boyfriend and by another man in her past when she was sixteen years old.

The book deals with her betrayals and also the secret and guilt that she has hidden from everyone about how she has hurt someone in her past.

There is alot of bad behavior in the story from the animals that Miranda treats in her practise and to the men in Miranda's past, However,as Miranda states, animals don't really behave badly, they merely react to their human owners or they act naturally and humans perceive them as behaving badly.

I really enjoyed this one, just as I enjoyed "A Vintage Affair". This is chick lit but with a bit more weight.

Miranda Sweets is an animal behaviorist. Things with her career are moving along nicely but her personal life is suffering. Miranda and her fiancé Alexander have recently split due to an incident, which left Miranda unwilling to stay with him. Another painful part of Miranda's past is bringing her down as well. Miranda was involved in something horrible that devastated another's life.

Sixteen years have passed since the event but Miranda has suffered the guilt and shame ever since. When an opportunity arises to make amends, Miranda hesitantly acts upon it. Miranda is not sure what to expect when she contacts David White again, but her growing attraction to him is certainly a surprise. Miranda knows she is falling for David but what will happen when he finds out who she is and what she has done?

Behaving Badly started off slow for me. There are a lot of details about the doggies' problems, and teases of several mysteries for a while. As the story progressed though, I became quite involved in the plot. I was very anxious to see what would happen between Miranda and David, both of which are wonderful characters. Miranda's parents and her best friend Daisy offer entertaining bits to the story as well. Animal lovers (particularly dog) will find reading Behaving Badly delightful. The suspense of the story and the endearing characters are what pleased me most.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

An animal behavior therapist, Miranda has long found comfort and understanding with animals more than people. Since watching the destruction of her parents' marriage and being hurt as a young teenager, Miranda has hidden behind a wall of reserve and privacy. When she finally opens up to love, only to have it traumatically end, Miranda is devastated and confirmed in her belief that animals are much more humane than people. Her unhappy view of men and relationships is only strengthened by watching the ongoing, never progressing relationship of Daisy, her best friend, and her non-committal boyfriend. However, with her successful TV series and puppy parties, Miranda finds happiness in her work and with the animals she treats. Her heartache doubles, though, when she is confronted with a ghost from her past and she is finally forced out of her habitual reticence into revealing to Daisy a startling secret that she's been carrying around for years. When Daisy encourages Miranda to resolve the issue for once and all and unburden herself of the load of guilt she's been carrying, she sets Miranda out on a course of self-discovery and into a new, surprising relationship whose uncertain future relies on forgiveness and restoration...if Miranda is courageous enough to bare her soul to someone who has the greatest ability to destroy all she's worked for. Can she come to grips with her past in order to find peace for the future?

What an absolutely wonderful book. I've been a fan of Isabel Wolff's since reading her "A Vintage Affair" and have really enjoyed the chance to backtrack through her earlier works and see how she developed as a writer. Her earliest novels (especially "The Trials of Tiffany Trott") were sadly lacking in the polish, plot development and characterization that she has since developed so well. Somewhere, between that unfortunate and very typical "chick lit" book and this one, however, Isabel took enormous strides as a writer. Here, her skill shines, filled with the humor, intelligently drawn characters and well-sculpted plot that I first came to admire in A Vintage Affair. Isabel deftly spins out Miranda's tale, slowly revealing her past secrets and the hurts that she's endured as the current plot unfolds, and draws the reader in with a wonderful mix of information about animal (including some very funny excerpts about different animal quirks ) and human behavior (highlighted best in Miranda's observations of Daisy's ongoing but never progressing relationship), all told with a sensitivity and charm that is utterly captivating. This book is so much more than chick lit and I recommend it highly (especially if you've got a few neurotic pets of your own!)

The first book I read by Isabel Wolff was "A Vintage Affair", which I read in 2010. Just a few weeks ago I read her book "The Very Picture of You", and I really liked both books, so went hunting and found this book by Ms. Wolff "Behaving Badly", and I loved it. It was such a charming, and fun book to read. Of course having animals talked about throughout the book as well as a wonderful story made it a page turner for me. Did I say I loved this book?

This is the perfect novel for women who enjoy reading a bit of "chick lit"... Although I have to state that this book is more than just chick lit. It's an extremely enjoyable and beautiful story. The plot is great, the characters easy to relate to, the story is well researched, and you never feel like putting the book down. I don't often laugh out loud whilst reading, but many parts of the story really did make me laugh!

Please don't hesitate in buying this book - I guarantee you'll really enjoy it. And if you have pets or just have a fondness for animals, you'll love it even more.

While Isabel Wolff undoubtedly writes well and I finished this book quickly, I later found myself thinking that the protagonist was not someone I really liked. She was rather whiny(I don't want to say more lest I spoil it) and I just didn't really care about her. I think the fact that all the supporting characters(as I've noticed now in several of her books) are much more likable made me enjoy it. Overall, it's not her best, but it's an easy, entertaining read.