Customer Reviews

My Fine Feathered Friend

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Who knew chickens could be so interesting and funny? When New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes finds a chicken in his New York City backyard, he learns how much surprising personality a chicken can possess. In this hilarious true story, Grimes chronicles how the chicken grew in his esteem from mere baffling presence to a source of constant entertainment. The chicken (simply referred to as The Chicken) co-exists with a cadre of Mafioso-like neighborhood cats, mercilessly making a sport of teasing the most anxious of the felines. The chicken embarks on a surprising and sometimes disquieting diet (chowing down on everything but the lawn furniture) and even survives assault by police helicopter. In between anecdotes, Grimes recounts fun fowl facts and a brief history of chicken breeding. Does this part sound boring? I would have thought so, too. In Grimes' deft hands, the tale is fascinating. (You'll learn why chicken breeding was actually a hot trend amongst the Glitterati as recently as 1944 and why some poor chickens were bred to have tail feathers over 15 feet long.) Grimes also has a delicious sense of humor that delivers chuckles and cackles with every page. Delightful illustrations, too. Engrossing us with a mere 85 pages, Grimes definitely subscribes to the "leave 'em wanting more" school. The book is a terrific, quick read for all -- from small-fry to the hard-boiled -- and would be a wonderful gift for anyone in need of good cheer.

Either way, you can't go wrong with this book.

It's both and amusing and informative short read. I read sections to my wife each evening in bed and we chuckled our way to the books conclusion.

We're thinking of building a chicken coop soon, and the parts of this book where the author digresses from the main story line are very informative about chickens. For example, when chickens first were thought of as a food product.

I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a light read...

I love this story about Chicken and the funny cats living together in the backyard of a big city. I laughed a lot and really enjoyed learning about chickens and eggs. Mr. Grimes is a nice man who loves animals, and is a great storyteller.

This was (supposed to be) an enjoyable, light read about a chicken that took up residence in the authors backyard for a season. At least it was until the last few pages where it upsets me very much.

The author lost me towards the end of his story when he somehow felt the stupid need to betray his "feathered friend" by writing to newspapers about his backyard guest, thus calling attention from the entire city to the harmless Chicken.

Then he actually wonders why his beloved Chicken mysteriously vanishes from his yard soon afterwards.

In my view, this wasn't a book about friendship and love for a wild animal, but the greed of human beings to make a buck anyway they see fit---even at the expense of a beautiful creature that he misleadingly called his "friend". He says he "loves" the Chicken, yet why in the world write to newspapers telling everyone about it living out in the open in his backyard? In New York City? Nobody is that naive not to expect the Chicken to become in danger from people after that.

Had the author not sold-out his Chicken for a few bucks, I believe he would still be clucking away in his backyard enjoying his life....And not the horrible thoughts that entered my mind of what most likely happened to him. Only then would this have been a great story.

As it stands, it's a very good story about the greed & betrayal of human beings at the expense of a beautiful and helpless chicken.

In working class neighborhood Astoria, Queens, a chicken comes out of nowhere to reside in the backyard of the home of New York Times food critic William Grimes and his wife. Somehow the fowl makes a nest amidst the other creatures of the asphalt jungle mainly cats. Even more surprising to Grimes is how much he wants to keep the chicken safe. Soon chicken becomes the Chicken. However, ultimately for no known reason the Chicken vanishes never to return leaving behind two sad humans who still miss their bird.

MY FINE FEATHERED FRIEND is a wonderfully humorous story of how an animal can capture the heart of a human. Mr. Grimes looks into the history of the chicken while relating anecdotal episodes about his particular Chicken. The true tale is amusing and pet lovers will fully understand the author's emotions while laughing at the antics of the Chicken. Mr. Grimes has not laid an egg with the engaging adventures of Chicken in the city that feels more like an amusing parable or fable.

Harriet Klausner

A poignantly told memoir of a season spent in the company of a somewhat bohemian chicken. I gave a copy of this book to my vet after we tried for several months to save the life of one of my pet chickens. She hadn't much experience with chickens, more so with the fanicier hookbills often found in one's parlor, so I wanted her to know what it was like to know a chicken on a more personal level. The author accomplishes this very well, sharing valuable chicken lore with his affectionate and often respectful look at the life of a chicken and life from The Chicken's point of view.

This extremely short book really qualifies as more essay than "book," and as much as I enjoyed it, I wondered who would shell out hard-earned cash for its slim contents.

Then I found myself handing it around to people as I would share a cartoon or funny email. "Zip through it over lunch," I said, "Take it instead of a magazine while you're waiting for your oil change or dentist appointment."

And so I learned what this book is best for: for a few bucks, you can pass a smile around to your friends. The eye-catching cover is hard for anyone to resist, and the illustrations are great. If you know someone who's been adopted by a stray animal, this is perfect for them. But if not, pass it on anyway. It's a light, funny read that will make anyone smile.

In Grime's hands this unusual bird manages a truly universal appeal. I loved the pleasure it seemed to take in sneaking up behind a skittish cat and sending the cat vertically airborne with a sudden cackle. Then there's the pet store employee who tries to explain that they don't carry chicken feed, because a chicken is not a "particular animal." Grimes has an eye and ear for gem moments like these.

What "My Fine Feathered Friend" lacks in size, it makes up with heart. A short version of this story first appeared in the Wednesday dining section of the NY Times. William Grimes was the chief Times restaurant critic(he is now a cultural reviewer for the same paper)when he wrote about the pet and agricultural adventure he never ordered. A shepherd of the stray cats in his Astoria, Queens neighborhood, he did not expect a chicken to show up out of nowhere and join the wildlife community in his urban backyard. The article concluded with the chicken happily integrated with the outdoor cats and keeping the Grimes household in eggs. This book continues the story to its sudden and rather anticlimatic end. One day, the chicken simply vanished as mysteriously as it first appeared. For two months it inspired research, many laughs and much affection, which Grimes discloses in an entertaining narrative.

A guest at the hotel where I work part time left this book in their room. They called the front desk where I work to inquire if we found the book. We did and I told her we would send her book out to her the next day. In the meantime, since it was a slow night at the hotel, I thought I would skim through the book. Well, what I found was a priceless little gem of a book! I read the whole book in a little over an hour. Having had four chickens as pets in the past, I was interested in the subject matter. What a treat to read this book. William Grimes takes a mundane appearance of a lowly chicken in his backyard and creates a story of such interest that I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed reading about the different personalities of his cats and the interaction all of the critters had in his back yard. An unexpected but big plus was his brief history of the different varieties of chickens. As a former pet chicken owner, I know each chicken has its own personality. Mr. Grimes confirmed that fact in his book. This is just a pleasant little book about an interlude in Mr. Grimes's life. I'm buying several and passing them out to friends. I know they will enjoy this book as much as I did.

In 85 charming pages William Grimes weaves an entertaining, soul-touching and witty chicken story. It all starts when Mr. Grimes found a little black chicken in his tiny backyard in the middle of Queens. He has no idea where "The Chicken" came from. The Chicken ends up hanging out and eating with the stray cats that Mr. Grimes feeds. The Chicken ends up being a very tough girl. She survives ice, snow, low flying police helicoptors and roosting in a pine tree.

It doesn't take long for the author to become a chicken fan. Mr. Grimes is soon on a mission to learn as much as he can about his new chicken. He fixes The Chicken a make shift roost and nest box where The Chicken rewards him with delicious fresh eggs. The Chicken also provides entertainment as she chases one of the cats daily for fun. Then as quickly as The chicken appears, he disappears.

This book has a charming cover and very cute illustrations throughout. Any one who loves birds, has chickens or is considering getting them would love this great book. Another thing I love is that this book doesn't have any cursing or foul language. It would be a good gift for a preteen up to an adult. "My Fine Feathered Friend" is one that I will keep in my library for years to come.