Customer Reviews

Cherished: 21 Writers on Animals They Have Loved and Lost

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was fully prepared for a book that was to be bittersweet, so the tears on each chapter were not a surprise. What was a surprise was at the beginning there were a number of chapters where the author felt there was neglect. At first I was appalled. I didn't want to read about people that mistreated their pets! But, then I chided myself on that reaction, as hindsight is 20:20. Don't we all second guess our choices when there is no back-up plan? Once a pet has died, we all say, "Should have" more than once, despite the fact you have been assured you have made the best choices.

Being owned by cats most of my life and having been lent to dogs on occasion, I had no idea how powerful the bond is with horses. I can see where the bond would be powerful. However I do dispute that it is any more so, than for a cat or dog that has been a person's constant companion. I was also sad to think how difficult "disposing of a body" would be, when an animal is that large.

I was glad that one author talked about making the decision to euthanize a pet and then they immediately observed that the pet seemed to be acting better and started to rethink their decision. Each time I have opted to have a pet euthanized it was a decision I second guessed many times over right up to the end and after.

None of us really want that responsibility. Once I opted to wait to be sure it was the right decision and my 22 year old cat passed away under my bed. I fear it was slow and painful and blame my squeamishness for her discomfort. She died naturally and I can tell you, it is the worse decision I ever made.

This is a sad book no doubt and I can't say it has any answers, but it does offer a certain perspective, that we are one with all the others who have lost a furry friend. In a nutshell it never gets easier. However I have to say, the companionship of a wonderful companion, is so much worth the hole they leave in your heart when they leave. I would never trade away the years of love to avoid the pain.

then you can relate to one of the stories in this book. If animals aren't your thing, if you've never had a pet, if you have never lost a pet than this book probably isn't for you, unless you enjoy reading about the pain of others. Now, I am not trying to be rude here, but this isn't a fun book. This isn't the type of book you sit down and read on a cold winter night with a cup of cocoa and a warm blanket.

We lost our little Dachshund, Missy, about a year ago. She as the first dog that I ever saw through the final stages of life, and it was hard. It was hard to see her in pain, hard to come to terms with the fact that pretty soon we had to make a decision for her sake, and hard to realize that there was a time when we were hanging on for us, but in the process we might have been hurting her. The writers that shared their stories in this book, all got that. They understand the pain one feels when you lose a beloved family pet and they were kind enough to share their stories with us.

I especially liked a story called, "Seamus and Spud." As I read the story I recalled moments with my little dog, and then something the author said in the story really stuck with me. I won't spoil it, because if you read it I think you will get it.

There are cat lovers, dog lovers, and a few stories about horses in this collection of stories. Each story touched my heart in some way, and reminded me that it was ok to occasionally still get sad about our little dog.

And in a book like this, that is what I want, to be touched, to know that the authors have a personal stake in what they are writing. If you have lost a pet, I can't say this book will heal you, but it will remind you that you aren't alone in your grief.

One does not have to be a pet owner to read this book. It is a selection of 21 stories written by authors who celebrate lives of their beloved pets. Each story is so beautiful and sincere that it is impossible to say which one is the best. Many are filled with humor and wit. Authors talk about their pets: cats, dogs, horses and even a pig that effected their lives and lives of people around them during beloved pets' lives and long after they are gone.

Some of the authors are less than perfect pet parents. Nevertheless, that does not mean they do not foster sincere and deep affection for them. Each pet story describes an animal with unique set of qualities that makes them so special it is understandable why they are so loved and missed once they are gone.

These stories are so beutifully written with raw human emotion that cannot leave reader indifferent. They are fit for any generation and can be read by both adults and children. I only wish there are more books like this on the market. Wonderful collection!

Anyone who's considering purchasing this book has probably gone through the pain associated to the loss of a beloved pet, myself included. For some reason we often seek out tales of others who have gone through the same pain in order to remember and relive our own feelings. Like most anthologies, Cherished is a very mixed bag of good, great and indifferent stories. Of the twenty-one included short stories several had me tearing up but quite a few had me wondering why they were even included. All of the authors are professionals, having either written novels or contributed to magazines, which makes it all the more surprising that several of the stories had pacing issues. The average story was around seven pages long, and as you can imagine it's somewhat hard to build up any sort of attachment to a character within that short of a story. Some of the authors did brilliantly, making you feel a great loss when their pet eventually dies, but others felt very clinical - almost like a reference volume: "This was my pet. He died. It was sad."

If you are searching for a tear-jerker of a book about the loss of a pet, several of the stories within Cherished will fulfill that need and will probably leave you needing a box of tissues. Unfortunately there will also be stories that you'll find yourself skipping over in order to find the next gem.

Twenty-one authors tell us, the readers, about a pet that author has lost, a pet that meant a great deal to that author. They let us into an almost sacred part of their lives, a part that means more to them than many people realize. As someone who had, or was had, by a cat for 18 years, and a large dog for 16 years . . . I was moved by the honesty in these essays and touched by the realization that I am not the only one whose cat had been in my life longer than almost anyone else. If you have recently lost a family member of the non-human kind, this book may bring some healing to you. If you know someone who grieves the loss of their pet, this book would be a lovely gift in honor of that pet.

This is a wonderful collection of short essays by twenty-one writers about what animals have meant to them in their lives and especially the ones they truly loved and lost.

The contributors include such well known writers as Thomas McGuane, Mark Doty, Jane Smiley, Anne Lamott, and former two time Poet Laureate and Pultizer Prize winner Ted Kooser. They introduce the reader to dogs, cats, horses, and pigs that provide bittersweet thoughts and memories of their favorite animal companions that still provides them with a link to the past and love that ultimately is as strong as the loss they inevitably suffered.

I agree with another reviewer that there are a couple of stories here that are really out of place but will leave that to the readers' experience to decide. Even with these potential problems the book is a much needed effort for those that have loved and lost a companion animal and may be seeking solace in what for many is a very trying time. It also will appeal to animal lovers just looking for a good read by very talented writers. You will be rewarded by some funny, joyful, and inspiring stories and antics of a variety of breeds from the full blood to the ever present mix but all, for a variety of reasons, end up being Best of Breed to their human protectors.

Animal stories are in favor in the publishing world today and the shelves in local book stores are loaded with every type imaginable. Most are not worth the readers' time and money but this one is really worth a look. I have found myself going back and re-reading a couple of the stories and being glad I did.

If you ever had a pet, you'll still remember that certain wag of a tail, that particular soft purr in the ear or that wet snout and lick on the cheek that made your heart light and happy at the end of a long day. In "Cherished," twenty-one talented writers share similar memories of their pets with the readers.

As popular pets, it is no surprise that dogs and cats take center stage in this anthology. Horses follow. The odd man out in the collection is May-Lee Chai's essay on her brother's pig. Regardless of type, it is a delight to read how animals come to belong to someone (or is it how somebody ends up belonging to them?). Robin Romm picked up her little dog Hope straight from the street. Judith Lewis Mernitt bought Spud, her toy-breed mutt at a store and found Seamus, a cairn terrier in the classifieds. Others like Monica Holloway found love at first sight at the animal shelter. And then there are those like Bill Mernit whose future wife's dog rather chose him.

But the focus of "Cherished" is on the loss of these beautiful companions. Some were given away, but most contributors to this book saw their pets to old age. And so readers are made privy to the toll sickness have taken on the animals, to the dreaded call to the vet, to the sight of the needle and to the last thanks and words whispered as these pets are put to sleep. And also to what is left: the sadness, the grief, the memories and, most importantly, the lessons. Each essay in "Cherished" is not only about a pet, but also about the owners and how the presence of an animal, how the unconditional love and comfort offered by a cat, dog or a horse helped fill the space left by an absent parent, understand the meaning of love, navigate personal crisis, and find faith as well as courage and acceptance.

If you've ever grieved for a pet and as you read "Cherished," don't be surprised to be flooded by your memories of your own special animal companion. It happened to me. As each writer introduces his/her pet, you too will re-live your first meeting with yours. And as each contributor of "Cherished" says good-bye, your eyes may tear up as you remember that bittersweet moment when you too had to part with your beloved pet.

First, let's face it, we animal lovers are generally extremely passionate about our "Bestest Friends" and thoughts and treatment of them, even down to how we think of them. Thus, one knows beforehand (or would expect) warm and lovingly told relationships between these 21 authors and their cherished pets. Reading through this collection was sort of disappiointing because of the (for me) strangely detached nature of some of the writers and their former charges. So for these stories I found myself wondering why the writer was even bothering to share them with us and thinking "surely there must have been a great many stories to present to us than this one" in many places through this 200 page read.

Then, as expected, in many cases we are given reflective and deeply moving tales of the relationship(s) between other people and their now gone "best friends". These particular reflections (and there are many of them) DO make this book worthwhile but jarringly make the previously mentioned ones even further "out of place here" and disturbing to one who has always deeply loved all my cats and dogs.

As a personal note here, I had my dearly beloved black lab, Ivan (Croysdale Ivan Ginnich McDonnough), for 15 wonderful years. I would so love to go on here and tell you of him, but it is not the place to do so. However, when his time came and he collapsed on me and I rushed to the vet and got word that he was riddled with cancer I was grief stricken that he had been so sick for obviously so long and I had no idea of this. My "guilt" and perceived "selfishness" has left me sorrowing since 1993 with an empty spot that says "no" to another dog, ever. My heart just has not been able to process certainly not another lab and generally not another canine "best friend"...it's been unthinkable.

And yet, with some of these stories, particularly those of Arden, Baron, Winesburg, Molly, there has been an enlightenment come to me and yesterday and today I have caught myself more than once thinking "maybe". I'm not sure if these particular stories have really had some effect like this on me or if it just, finally, is time for this grief to move on after all these years. What I do know though is that these thoughts have come after reading these stories.

Not everyone will be pleased with this book, for sure, and some won't like it at all, but others, like myself, will find parts in it that make it worthwhile because of these particular loving and wonderful relationships shared with us by their authors.

If you should decide to purchase and read this book, I hope you find good there for you also.

~operabruin

"...and finally the tears open my heart to the animals who follow." Barbara Abercrombie's compilation of writers' stories of loss of pets of different species will move you enormously, especially if you're an animal lover who can relate to the wrenching experiences of losing a pet dog, cat, pig, horse. If you're that animal lover, you'll know exactly of what these individuals write, know exactly what they've felt. What is it about these creatures who enter our lives, grab hold of our hearts, sometimes reconfigure the lives we've led to that time, and who then, all too soon, take leave, often through a natural passing, other times eased from one world to another with a help that we resort to only because we just can't let them suffer any longer at what must be life's end. For a while I thought, "What am I? A glutton for punishment?" for so often, in reading, I could relate totally, so often were memories and experiences of "pet love, pet loss" re-explored in reading of another's loss. In particular Abercrombie's anthology reinforces for us just what a magnificent experience it is to welcome an animal into our lives, how often life-altering it is to give ourselves over to an animal to whom we make a life's commitment, how painful it can or will be when that creature must take its leave. Open yourself to this sometimes painful, always gripping exploration of others' recalling of memories that, more than likely, will stay with us forever.

For me, reading a collection of short stories or essays can be hit or miss. Sometimes I feel like my interest level varies from story to story, wishing some would go on longer and wanting to skip over others entirely. And then sometimes I pleasantly find that I enjoy almost all the essays, taking something away from each of them. Fortunately for this book, it was definitely the latter.

Cherished brings together essays from 21 different writers on animals they have loved and lost. Across the stories there is quite the range of experiences. Sometimes the pet is one who has been living with the owner a long time,with others the relationship is more fresh and realized. But regardless of the differences of particular details, the common thread seems to be that each story provides the opportunity for the reader to reflect, grow and learn. There are a lot of lessons about humanity, life and death that emerge in each of the stories. Because of this I found that even if you have never experienced the loss of a pet or are not currently experiencing one (I currently am living with my first pet) there is still a lot of thoughtprovoking material here. I think this was my favorite part of the book - it really made me think.

Beyond the thoughtprovoking aspect of the book, it is also well written in general. The writers do a great job of bringing their personal relationships with their pets to life and I found myself captivated by their stories and always excited to dive into the next one.

Overall, I thought this was a great book. If you're an animal lover and looking for something thoughtprovoking, this is a great read.