The book is a deeply felt exploration of growing up surrounded by grief and how the world responds to you when you don't process in acceptable ways. For much of the book I didn't think the lyrical style served the story, but by the end I realized it's designed to mimic the protagonists disorientation and discomfort in the world. I definitely felt disturbed and uncomfortable by much of the book but I think that's very much the intention. If that appeals to you, then I would recommend this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In the wake of her mother's death, Little deals with her grief by developing a fascination with death.  Her father, Wolfgang, is supportive of her new-found fascination, whilst her Aunt Hilda is horrified that a girl would wish to dabble in  such a pastime.  

There were a few things that I think that younger teenagers may enjoy about this book.  Firstly, it is written in verse, which many reluctant reader's enjoy as it leads to speedier progress through the novel.  As a result of this, the plotline is linear, uncomplicated and clearly told, without being patronising.  These factors would make this book accessible to a more reluctant reader, although there is certainly plenty here for an avid reader. 

I enjoyed the references to Australian animals, something which I know many younger readers would find fascinating, but this book does not shy away from difficult topics such as death, grief and mentions of internment camps during the second world war.

Whilst some have classed this as a YA novel (whatever that means anymore), I'd recommend it for readers aged 11-13, as it does not contain any of the 'adult' topics that I've seen in other YA novels.

This is a charming, and beautifully written novel, and I will be purchasing a copy for the school library when it becomes available in August.

https://10kwordsreviews.tumblr.com/post/184324372060/the-art-of-taxidermy-5-stars

This is a lovely little book written in verse. It tells the story of Lottie, a German immigrant in Australia post-WW2. Lottie lost her mom and sister and to cope with her grief, she’s gotten a fascination for dead animals and the process of preserving and reviving them. Her dream is to be a taxidermist, her scientist dad supports her, but her aunt says this isn’t a proper or normal occupation for a girl. 

The Good 

- Very quick read, but it sucks you in from start to finish. I so admire a writer’s ability to paint such a vivid picture and bring such life to characters with so few words and that’s what this book does. 

- I don’t know much about poetry to critique it in depth, but I do love the rhythm of her verses. I found myself reading some out loud. 

- This book touches on many topics in a short period of time: grief and loss, natural preservation, the otherness of being a German immigrant (and her best friend is Aboriginal), science, puberty, feminism. 

The Bad

- Nothing really! I can’t say I’m crazy about the title though, as it makes this sound like a non-fiction guide to taxidermy. There are so many other beautiful images evoked in this book that I think could make a better title. 

The Verdict

- I love that this was historical and about a young, female taxidermist. I’ve never read anything quite like it. I read few things in verse, but I didn’t let this turn me away and took a chance on it. I’m so glad I did! The verse is so effective. The story is not lacking due to a short word count. 

This was an ARC. Thanks to NetGalley for hooking me up. If you want to pre-order, you can do so here.

I'm glad I didn't realize that this book was written in verse poetry when I first requested it on Netgalley, because I might have thought it wasn't for me. I usually find free verse poetry to be distracting when telling a story, but in this case I found it was so beautiful and I really enjoyed it. The amazing thing about poetry is that it gives the reader great freedom in imagination. Reading this book filled my mind with such beautiful pictures and emotions, too. 
Lottie, the main character, is dealing with losing her mother and other people she is close to. She is a young teenager, on the cusp of puberty, and seeing the way she deals with her grief is unusual, but also understandable. She channels her grief into the art of taxidermy, while her aunt tries to do whatever she can stop it because she believes it isn't healthy. She may be right and she might just be trying to help, but this is how Lottie is coping. The book is set in Australia and I appreciated that unique perspective and the addition of some Aboriginal characters and history. 
I will say it took me a bit to get into the story. I had to get used to the gruesome descriptions of dead animals and death (I wouldn't recommend this if you're squeamish). I also found myself just a little bored in the beginning because the most interesting plot points weren't introduced until like halfway through the book. I still really enjoyed the poetry up until those parts though. 
I also can't help but point out that the cover is absolutely stunning!!!

A beautiful story of grief and loss, both of family and friends. A story about the need for belonging somewhere, the need for a group that is ours. Lottie griefs in her own way, and although it sometimes seems to go too far, with help from her family she can turn it into something beautiful. Just like she always intended to do.

The only reason I have not given this book five stars is, that the cycle of aunt Hilde not liking Lottie's way of grieving and throwing all of her loved belongings away, Lottie starting anew and aunt Hilda not liking it and throwing it all away etc. got a bit too repetitive after a while.

The Art of Taxidermy was such a beautiful book.  Written in prose, the book starts as young Lottie has just experienced the death of her mother.  As you progress through the book you see how she, her father, her aunt and grandma all cope differently with this tragedy.  Meanwhile she discovers an acute fascination of dead animals and her aunt struggles to rationalize her new "obsession" with what it means to be a "girl".  This is a powerful story of finding yourself and being true to yourself, as well as an insight commentary of how death affects family, its individuals, and its dynamics.  I loved this book.

A gorgeous, heartbreaking story of grief and healing told in lyrical verse. 

When Lotti loses her mother, she takes a scientific interest in the process of death. Examining decomposition and taxidermy, Lotti strives to re-create life in a last chance attempt to gain what she has lost. 

A tale I think everyone needs to read. Truly touching.

The lyrical style writing was difficult to get accustomed to, but once the reading flow began, this book was incredibly difficult to put down.
Lotti is a young girl struggling with the death of her mother and in turn has taken an interest in the scientific process of death. She is determined to re-create life probably in an attempt to bring life back to those in which she has lost.
Despite there being many challenges to pursue her recreations, she perseveres and still manages to learn as much as she can about decomposition and Taxidermy.
This book was heart-wrenching as I was the same age when I lost someone as close to me as Lotti’s mom. I finally found the character I can relate to. We both grieved through science.
I loved this book immensely.

Thank you for the ARC!

THE ART OF TAXIDERMY is a great reminder that life is short and we need to enjoy it. The author has a very real depth of knowledge in this area and it makes me grieve for my own loved one.

The level of detail and imagery, really brought the prose to life. It’s not a book for the faint of heart. Might be hard for some. But might bring hope for other.

I LOVED this book! This is the first I've read that is written in verse so I had no expectations going in, especially as I don't usually enjoy modern poetry. However, I was really interested in the subject matter of taxidermy as I love nature and volunteer in the natural history exhibits at my local museum, so have an active interest in a career as a taxidermist. And this is what I ended up loving most about this book - the descriptions of nature and wildlife, especially as I have little knowledge of Australian natural history so it was really interesting to learn about the different birds they have there compared to my home country of Wales. I also loved how it shed light on a career that no one ever talks about and is usually shied away from as something cruel and barbaric - it shows that no, taxidermy is not cruel or barbaric at all, but important in terms of science, education, and at its base, as an art form. I enjoyed following the main character, Lottie's, journey to a career as a taxidermist, how she kept going despite others not believing in her and judging her for what she loved, and how she became a master of her art through sheer passion. The discussion surrounding grief, and how Lottie used taxidermy as a coping mechanism that eventually helped her to move on, was done really well. The family dynamics were also amazing - I felt connected not just to Lottie but to her father, aunt, and nan as well. I was also not expecting the discussions around German, Italian and Japanese internment camps in Australia during WW2, and how innocent people were treated terribly by the Australian government, which I never knew about but am glad to learn. The treatment of Aboriginal people disused through the character of Jeffrey was also treated brilliantly, specifically the removal of Aboriginal children from their families to foster parents who often treated them horribly. This book covered so many important topics so well in such a short number of pages AND in verse, which I usually find distances me from the characters, setting, and themes, but in this case did the opposite. It is a beautiful book, both in terms of the writing and subject matter, to the lovely illustrations of plants both on the cover and throughout the book itself. I would highly recommend, even if, like me, you do not read poetry, and especially if you are a nature lover, are currently grieving yourself, or are interested in Australian history. 5 out of 5 stars and I will be buying a physical copy of The Art of Taxidermy when it is released in August!

I was sent a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Lottie is fascinated by dead animals. She collects them, at the same time horrifying her aunt. Her father both encourages her to find her way and tries to placate her aunt. It's not easy being a single parent, and what really happened to Lottie's mother? 

This is a novel in lyrical form, which is new for me, and it was a heartbreakingly beautiful read. You get small clues into the main characters life and history all along the way, like what happened to Lottie's mother? What about Lottie's friend Annie, who seems to share her interest in dead animals.

Even though the subject is sometimes quite macabre, this is also beautifully written. There are parts that are heartbreakingly sad, but also parts that are hopeful for the future.

The sparse lyrical writing conveys so much - but leaves so much unsaid. This is both to the benefit of the book (the story and history unwinds slowly, and sometimes unexpectedly); but it does mean at times that you really want more of the 'weight' of story that would be explored perhaps in more traditional writing styles.

A lyrical and moving novel told in verse about a young girl's fascination with death as she copes with the loss of her mother. 

Charlotte, or Lottie, has a passion for dead creatures as she sees their unique beauty and wants to preserve them in a collection. While her father, Wolfgang, supports his daughter's interest, her aunt Hilda is appalled and would like to see her niece into more girlish not ghoulish hobbies. I liked that this novel explored the gender roles of women at the time and how certain jobs were not socially accepted for a "proper lady."

Meanwhile, Lottie is also finding ways to come to terms with her mother's death and expresses it through the art of taxidermy. I liked the juxtaposition between the grotesque descriptions of animals to the natural beauty of wildlife. Through taxidermy, Lottie can restore beauty in a world surrounded by rot and decay. And I appreciated that this book did not romanticize death and instead portrayed death as being a natural part of life.

Exceptionally written and certainly a unique read. 9/10 would recommend.

*Thank you to NetGalley and its publishers for providing a free ARC*

The novel is written in verse 
and explores love, death, grief, beauty, and the ways that people try to make sense of it all. It’s written in free verse, and it’s b e a u t i f u l. It was a slow start and took me some time to get into as it’s not a style I’m used to reading and the eBook formatting was strange, but each section is quite short and it’s broken up by illustrations like those on the cover. I do think it lacked the depth and description of an ‘actual’ novel, but I was still happy with this way of telling the story.

Representation 
There’s a discussion about indigenous people and a side character – Lottie’s friend – is an Aboriginal boy. It took me a while to notice that this book was set in Australia, and I’ve never read a book featuring an Aboriginal character, so this was something I appreciated as a reader and as someone who wants to learn more.
I think it’s also worth mentioning that Lottie’s family are Germans who emigrated to Australia during World War II, and there is a lot of interesting discussion about the family history.

My one issue? 
It was boring. So little happens that when something does happen it feels repetitive or forced. The book discusses a lot of sad and emotional topics, but I found it difficult to connect to them. I think this might be because Lottie seems entirely disinterested in anything that doesn’t involve taxidermy or dead animals, so it was hard to get to know her as a character and find out why I should care about her and her story.

In summary, I liked this book. The middle sections were slow and there were a few sections I wasn’t interested in as an individual, but I appreciate how this book discusses the complexity of grief.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I was really excited to read this book. I don't read a whole lot of verse novels, but I liked the somewhat macabre nature of this young woman's interests and decided to give it a shot. I really wanted to love it, and I tried to love it, but I simply couldn't. The most interesting bits about the novel to me were the very end, the rest I struggled through. The writing was beautiful and it flowed so smoothly, but the story was lacking, and I don't feel like that can be covered up with beautiful language. I started reading this novel, got about 25% through it, and then put it down for two weeks. I was just so bored. 

Lottie is going through a lot that a young girl/teenager shouldn't have to go through. She is working through the grief surrounding the deaths of her mother and sister. She is working through the difficulties of being a young girl with 'unorthodox' interests. She is from a German immigrant family in a time closely following WWII. She has an Aunt who cares about her very much, but only wants to see her fit into the box of what an ideal young girl should be and what her interests are in. She has a father who is dealing with his own grief and is generally very stoic. She is dealing with a lot, and most of it doesn't really come to head until the very end of the novel. Getting there took some time, and it wasn't necessarily an enjoyable time. There is a lot there in terms of what Lottie is dealing with. But so much of the verse in the novel is spent describing birds (which I understand is because Lottie loves them and has an interest in taxidermy). But instead of spending that time learning more about Lottie and how she is thinking/feeling, I learned about the various bird species of Australia and how beautiful they are. 

Overall, I think the novel would have benefited far more greatly if it discussed and explored more of Lottie's feelings and her relationships with her family. I didn't feel like I got any of that until the very end of the novel, and it's the parts I liked best. I was also surprised at how seemingly abrupt the ending was. Lottie's family seems to finally understand her and her interest and accept that, and then it just ends. There is no further exploration of her becoming fully realized as a young woman or her relationships changing because she is finally allowed to be who she wants to be and grieve how she wants to grieve. Beautiful writing, but the elements of a good story were generally lacking and just left me feeling bored, trying to quickly read through to get to something I actually found interesting.

Australian author.  Beautiful book.  I love my Aussies.  The Art of Taxidermy is described as Ms. Kernot’s second novel, but it’s very short, maybe an hour and a half to read, so…..a novella?  Maybe, but who cares?  It is (drum roll, please) poetry.  Read it as poetry, and let the words sing.  Eleven year old Lottie has lost too many loved ones in her short life, including her mother, and she develops a fascination with death.  She begins to collect dead things as she struggles to come to grips with transformation - from life to death to what?  And what again after that?  I was entranced.  Got in bed one night, started to read, and simply did not stop until this book was done.  Spare, lovely and unforgettable.

Full Disclosure:  A review copy of this book was provided to me by Text Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I would like to thank the publisher, the author and NetGalley for providing me this opportunity.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.

The concept of this story is one that drew me in immediately. It’s about a young girl exploring the intricacies of life and death through the study of taxidermy, with the support of her father and much to the dismay of her late mother’s sister. And it’s told in verse! I have a weakness for verse lately, making this a quick read. 

However, I found that the execution of the story was a disappointment. It felt like something was always missing, I always wanted more: I wanted to know more about Lottie and her family, I wondered why certain things were being left unexplained, I wanted to know more about Lottie’s actual studies with the stuffing of animals instead of her just staring at them. Something would be set up and then would just end. 

Kernot did not provide the artistic insight to taxidermy that the title led me to hope, and often seemed to have the same tone in writing as the aunt had against Lottie, as if the reader was supposed to think she was crazy as well. My hypothesis is just that the story did not translate well to verse, as I feel the plot line itself had great bone structure.

All in all, I gave it 3 stars. It feels a little generous, but I the concept alone was enough to provide a pretty good cushion. There are some graphic scenes about dead animals and vivid death imagery in general. If this is something you can look past, it’s not a bad read. 

Thanks again to NetGalley and Text Publishing Company for sending me a copy of this book!

This wonderful book is written in verse and is based around the 1980's. It's the first type of verse book that I have read, it did not disappoint. 

The story focuses around Lottie, who is silently struggling with the loss of her mother, the book flits between the past and present whilst giving a glimpse at what her family were like when they were still alive. 

As Lottie begins to have a fascination with Taxidermy,  family members try everything to make the little girl she should be and not the girl Lottie wants to be.  The writing and story telling in itself is I would say beautifully morbid, there's a love and sadness that grows within the book and the use of imagery is beautiful. 

It showed how each character portrayed different stages of grief and how they deal with their own sadness and loss which was a very interesting interpretation. 

Without giving too much away, I thoroughly enjoyed this book more than I thought I would and I would highly recommend. Also, can I just point out that the cover works is absolutely gorgeous, the book itself is a beautiful tale. However, if you are squeamish towards certain animal natures, then I would tell you to read lightly. 

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot is a tremendous read and I can't wait for more of her work to follow.  

The book will be released in the UK by Text Publishing Company on the 23rd August 2019 and I would strongly suggest picking it up.

Overall, I really enjoyed the exploration of death and grief in this novel. The only criticism that I had was of the sudden insertion of the Nazi Germany/alternative WWII setting. It seemed to cheapen the overall message for me. I think that the narrative was strong enough without the need for this subplot. Death need not be extravagant or due to grand things like war. I liked the simplicity of death outside of that plot point. It made it more real.

It is important to know what you are getting into, before reading this book. So stating the obvious - this is a poetry book. Not easily read and not everyones cup of tea. If you enjoy "darker" more serious themes in your poetry books, this is for you. I would pass this book, but only because the theme didn't suit me.