I originally requested this book as my own daughter is really into taxidermy. Can I also say the cover is gorgeous. I was surprise to find the book written in verse. For me personally I rather enjoy books written in verse, I read it, then my daughter read it and we both really enjoyed it. She connected with it as like I said she studies taxidermy as well.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book! I think I would have enjoyed this story and the way it is written a lot more if I had read it in the winter time. I just did not enjoy the subject matter or the characters for majority of the story. I did like the writing style of the author though. I just think you have to be in the right mood for this type of story. Its a case of “it’s not the book, it’s me” kind of rating for me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
 
This was another book that I knew I had to try to get based on the cover first. As soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. It’s stunning! Then when I read the title I was totally sold. I've never read a book that was about taxidermy so this book intrigued me right off the bat. I didn’t realize until the other day that this book was written in verse. I have only read a few other books in the past 6 years that were written like this one and I enjoyed those, so I didn’t think that it would be a problem. Which it wasn’t at all. I thought that it being written in verse added to this story. 
 
We follow our young main character, Lottie. She is obsessed with all things dead. Something about death is so beautiful to her and she wants to remember these creatures that died so she decides to keep them. Although this is a strange thing for a young lady to do, this is a way for Lottie to cope with death. Her mother died when she was younger and she misses her terribly. Her father, who is such a good father, just wants Lottie to be happy. Lottie’s aunt thinks her obsession with dead animals is unhealthy for a little girl, but her father thinks that she just has a scientists mind. He lets her witness what a taxidermist does, which makes her fall in love with all things taxidermy. She decides she wants to try these things on her own. Once again making her Aunt angry and going to all costs to make Lottie stop being like this. 
 
I loved Lottie. You could tell that she truly had a passion for recreating things. And this was her way of feeling closer to her mother. This book was so heartbreaking at times, just to see the struggles that Lottie has. I could have read this book in one sitting and it would have taken me maybe 2 hours. It’s a quick read because it is written in verse. But this book packs an emotional punch that even surprised me! 
 
I recommend this book to everyone! I feel like this is a special book that everyone should read. And the fact that it is a quick read makes it even better.

DNF at 8%. 
I think a lot of it had to do with the copy I received, as the layout was just so confusing that it took concentration away from the plot. On that note, the plot itself seemed so painfully basic that it was almost blocky, there was absolutely no flow to it.

3.5

This is the first full length book that I have read in free verse & I wasn’t expecting it. 

It is quick to read and it didn’t take me long to get used to it which was refreshing.

It explores living in a country where you are not accepted, death, friendship, pushbacks from family about what you want to do with your life, loss & grief.

I would definitely try another verse book by this author but it wasn’t really my preferred style.

Firstly I think the use of a certain racial slur was unnecessary. There were other less extreme ones used that I think got the point across plenty well without needing to use the N word.

I also just think this book wasn't for me. I'm not overly fond of verse or flowery writing. But I'm naturally drawn to books about grief as someone who had suffered it. I hoped that I would deeply connect to that portion of the story, but unfortunately I dont think this book was anything special.

I received an ebook copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story full of grief and dead animals -- a fascinating mix. I have never read a story that had such a strong focus on taxidermy and, to be honest, I enjoyed this. This story follows a young girl who lost her mother at a young age and is being raised by her father and her aunt. One of the ways she copes with her grief is by bringing life back into dead animals she finds. Her aunt is worried about this behavior, but her dad is supportive. This was an interesting take of grief and loss and moving forward.

Not going to lie the cover of this novel caught my attention and that's why I requested it. Later when I started it i realized it's told completely in Poetry Verses. This book was a little bit of a stretch for me and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it! I found her obsession with dead things a Tiny bit creepy! But Death is not a common topic in YA novels, let alone in Fiction either, so kudos to Sharon for touching on that subject!

A lovely book of verse of a young girl who has a fascination with death and finds beauty in it, making her the odd one out to others, especially her Aunt [who loves her but can't understand her]. Her father understands though, death has touched both their lives in major ways and I loved how supportive he was of Lottie. Lottie's relationship with Annie was my favorite part of the novel as well as her finding friendship with Jeffrey. The history behind the characters is beautiful and tragic and steeped in the history of Australia. I felt this was a very lyrical read with a delicate framework of death and life, and their relationship with each other.

I usually avoid poetry books, and I didn't even know this was a poetry book. I just requested it on Netgalley because the cover and blurb seemed attractive.
I'm so glad that I got to read this book, because it was beautiful, small and big at the same time. Sad, but beautiful, yes.

Pros
Death: This book was very different from things I usually read. Death is not a celebrated topic in most books. In this book it was the main topic and the way it was portrayed was beautiful. I could appreciate death in the way it was a big part of this book. It also shows a way of coping with grief and the way people mourn in different ways.
Simplicity: The poetry in this book is one of simplicity. The book is so poetic and it's build up out of verses. It's easy to read and easy to understand. The poetry actually made me fall in love with this book, while I usually avoid reading it. Very well done.
German: It was fun to read more of a language that I speak next to Dutch and English. Germany is a part of the story and of the characters life and I liked reading about it in a way that it feels like home.
Small and big: The book feels small, with its short sentences. It contains not as much words as a lot of books with 200+ pages do. But it was so well done that the book felt small, but at the same time very big. The message in this book is big, the emotions are big, the depth of everything that happened, all very big.
Answers: You are gradually getting your answers with a little plot twist here and there. I felt that all the answers came at the right moment and there were some things that I didn't see coming. So next to being poetic, the book has some mystery and I was seeking for answers.

Cons
Birds: I am not a bird person, I don't know much about all the different species and English is not my native language. So that made it sometimes a bit difficult to picture. Birds are a big part of this book and I just didn't feel like looking up the birds every time, because that got me distracted.

Overall
Small, yet big. Cryptic, yet easy to understand. A book that made me believe that maybe I can love poetry. A small book with a big story, big emotions and revelations. Definitely worth your time, even if you're not sure you will like poetry!

This book is absolutely wonderful. I was intrigued to read a verse novel, as it wasn't a style I'd read before - and I'm so glad I did. I was just transported away into this world. I loved this book.

The theme of grief is heavy, as we explore the reactions to death of not only main character Lottie, but her father and other family members. Developing an intense interest in taxidermy as a way to capture a spark of life, Lottie collects dead birds and attempts to preserve them. Her father recognises her talent and begins to nurture her passion - whilst Lottie is dealing with revulsion from her aunt.

As the story progresses, we are shown the ways in which Lottie's family were treated as immigrants to Australia in World War 2. I found myself thinking about their story for a long while afterwards - and I'm definitely going to pick up a physical copy of this beautiful book.

'The Art of Taxidermy' by Sharon Kernot is an intriguing, flowing read.

A quick yet detail-packed read: The Art of Taxidermy took me by surprise and changed my mind about reading verse for pleasure.

I knew very little going into this book. The description sounded fascinating and unlike anything I have read before, and so I wasted no time diving in. 

The verse format took me by surprise (although had I paid more attention in the first place I would have anticipated it). However, I believe this was a good thing for me, as I have been known to avoid verse in the past. I am glad I didn't this time -- the format was beautiful, and demonstrated the huge talent Kernot has.

The writing was well thought out. Sharon Kernot portrays so much emotion through her carefully chosen words. Some sections would only be two or three verses long -- and yet they were packed with inferences that had me wondering.

The story unfolds from Lottie's point of view. I found her age difficult to judge throughout the book, as there is really only one indicator that stood out to me. It could be the format that made it difficult for a particular voice to come through for Lottie. Her thought pattern and the way she voiced questions often seemed simplistic, making her appear younger than she was.

There is much mystery in this book, with Kernot hinting at things that the reader must work out for themselves. I really enjoyed this element, as different truths came to light with the more I read. A definite explanation was then given towards the end of the book, which connected all the elements more firmly.

I thought the characters were interesting in that they are different from the usual characters I read. Lottie's family are German, but they moved to Australia before Lottie was born to escape Nazi Germany. Lottie's grandfather and father were imprisoned in Australia, with her mother and grandmother left to work the land. This backstory was incredibly rich. It meant that Lottie had issues to navigate in her own life because of her heritage. I found it fascinating to read something from such a perspective.

The element of taxidermy was unique also. It weaves through each poem beautifully and helps in portraying each character, through their reaction to Lottie's unconventional interest. It is an unusual skill and career path to Lottie's aunt -- as it is for many of us today. However, I found it refreshing to read about something I know little of.

Kernot explores so many themes and so many different and interesting ideas that I could end up talking about them for days! Instead, I suggest picking up the book for yourself and exploring Lottie's world.

4.8 stars
Overall, I thought this book was beautifully written and I am glad I chose to read it. It has completely changed my perspective on verse novels, and so I will be much more likely to pick them up in the future.

Sharon Kernot has done a wonderful job at telling a loaded tale, with a quirky and defiant young girl at its centre.

Review goes live 13/08/2019 @ 6pm BST.

I really liked the sound of this novel, but I have to admit it was a bit of a stretch for me. I should have thought about whether I wanted to read a complete verse novel when requesting this via NetGalley. The answer, apparently, is no. 

So, no reflection on this novel, which is beautifully written but I couldn't settle into the style.  Reading other reviews, I can see that readers loved this so do please don't take my view on this!

This was such a surprisingly book. A beautiful exploration of the process of grief through the eyes of a child. 
Lottie lives in Australia and is the child of a German immigrant family. In her short life she has experienced much loss which she struggles to process and come to terms with. 
She acquires a fascination with death and dying, looking for and collecting dead animals, trying to find ways to preserve life and halt the process of decay. 
In it’s lyrical style this book is and exploration of loss and how we deal with it. It explores what it costs to hide from the truth and how loss can permeate the generations. 
It also explores what it means to be on the outside of the norm, what adjustment costs the individual.

The Art of Taxidermy uses prose to highlight the enigma of death. This is not my typical read, but I enjoyed they way that the poetry drew me in.

Simply put, this is a gorgeous story told in verse about a girl dealing with loss. However, I think it is so much more than that. 

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of poems or stories told in verse. I find them to be boring and try-hard or pretentious. However, this was not that. This read like a story but since it was told in verse, the word choices had to have more of an impact and be more meaningful. Sharon Kernot does a fantastic job with her word choice. The concept of taxidermy and the art of it in relation to dealing with death was spot on and there were some moments while reading that I thought were exquisitely and beautifully written. 

This book has so much potential for use in English classes and opens up for ideas and discussions about verse writing, death, war, and family dynamics.

I didn’t know what I was getting when I picked out this book. When I first opened this book and started to read, I was pleasantly surprised. The author, has written this novel in verse and the flow of the writing really goes with and helps tell the story.

The Art of Taxidermy tells a gripping and emotional story about love of family and great loss. The themes are woven through the coming of age of young Lottie, along with her immigrant family in Australia after the second world war.

I was taken in by this book from the first page and was made to feel deeply for Lottie and this family. Sharon Kernot has written a beautiful book and I can not highly recommend it enough. This is a must read.

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot is due to release August 23rd, 2019.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Text Publishing Company through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheArtOfTaxidermy #NetGalley

I loved the fact that this book was told in verse. Also that cover just drew me in and made me instantly want to read it. As a whole I enjoyed the book even if at time it was a bit slow paced and dull.

This story of verse is hidden behind a beautiful cover and one could be mistaken to presume this is a book full of opulence in the times of William Morris designing. This book is so far removed from the images brought about looking at the cover.
This is a book written in verse that examines grief from a multi person point of view. Although a difficult subject I believe it was delivered in as beautiful way possible..
I personally found the verse in this book  difficult to get used to and the repetitive nature made it slow to get into.
I found Lottie's stubborn perseverance  on bringing home dead animals morbid and made me a little squeamish reading of the varying stages of decay.
The book was quickly finished,a little disturbing and boring. I normally prefer my fiction to be a faster pace and moves forward with a definite plot. I think my overall opinion is the book seem stunted.

It was refreshing to read something as unique as The Art of Taxidermy. This is the first book that I have read that is entirely written in verse. It took awhile for me to get into the flow of the novel. It was a bit jarring at first, but as I read further I really started to appreciate the rhythm and beauty of the lines. I was a bit apprehensive about whether or not I would find the verse descriptive enough for me. I like really being grounded with a sense of place in my novels. I find world building especially important for me, however, the descriptions of nature and the surroundings were quite vivid, but it lacked depth on the emotional front for me.

I don’t want to make it sound like the character in this novel weren’t emotional, but the emotions didn’t carry on for me. I didn’t feel much of anything while I was reading this novel. It was beautiful sure, but it wasn’t ripping me up inside like I though it might. I was hoping for an open and almost visceral response. I though this novel would be heartbreaking, but for me it wasn’t. It could be because it was written in verse, but it could also be that most of the tragedy had happened in the past and so it didn’t evoke strong enough feelings.

The story itself is interesting despite not being emotionally provoking. There are a lot of different elements coming together in this book. It discusses elements of racism, second generation immigration, and grief. It doesn’t go in depth for the first two, but the last one is central to everything in the book. The mother, the sister, the grandfather, and the uncle have died. Grief is everywhere in this novel and how we deal with it is different for everyone. The only other topic that it really goes into is following your own path even when others disapprove.