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.

Thanks to Text Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this story! All opinions are still very much my own

3.5 Stars*

So here's the thing. I'm not typically a fan of books written in verse. I always find them a bit too abstract and leave the book without feeling like I fully get the story. This book was the easiest to grasp out of all of the ones I've tried, and I actually quite liked the format.

That being said, the story itself wasn't the most compelling to me as I don't really feel like there was all that much development. It follows a young girl and her exploration of taxidermy as a way to cope with the grief she's faced after losing her mother. As a concept, I thought that sounded great, and it was, it was just generally a little bland.

There was also a weird vaguely romantic side plot involving a friend who is one of the very few black kids at her school, but again, this didn't seem fully developed and didn't really add much in my opinion.

This was very well written, with really beautiful prose, but I just found it all a little meh.

Trigger and Content Warnings: loss of a loved one, death of an animal, descriptions of dead animals, taxidermy described in detail, racism, underlying sexism and "girls must do _____" attitude.

3 1/2 stars.

This entire story is written in a prose style via a series of poems. All of the poems are written in first person from the point of view of Charlotte (Lottie), the preteen narrator. It's a rather imaginative way to write a book and I have to say that it actually works pretty well. I enjoyed the style and the writing. It felt comfortable and appropriate for the character.

There was a keen sense of mystery surrounding some of the bits and pieces of the story, which came to light through the pages a little bit at a time. It is rather cleverly done and I enjoyed the movement of the story.

My only issue with this one (as tends to be my downfall on many an occasion) was the ending. I left the story feeling unfulfilled. This isn't to say that the ending is a bad one. It wraps up in a way that makes sense given the previous pieces of narrative. I just couldn't get myself settled with it. Perhaps that is some of the intention, but I didn't like the uncomfortable way leaving it made me feel.

A wonderfully lyrical and visceral book about grief, The Art of Taxidermy is the story of a young girl who has lost too much and the Aunt and grieving Father who are each trying in their own way to help her come to terms with it. When eleven year old Charlotte develops a fascination with taxidermy following a visit to a museum, it is clear that it is part of her interest in death, funeral customs and remains which stem from the death of her mother. While she tries to preserve the remains of various birds and animals she finds, she also tries to preserve her mother's memory in the family home and while her Father is accepting of her curious nature, her Aunt finds it macabre and most unsuitable for a young girl.
Charlotte's grief may be the main focus of the story, but we also see glimpses of other forms of grief through the exploration of the relationships of other family members such as her Grandmother and Grandfather. The entire book is written in verse, and it is a form that I felt worked very well here. The author is able to convey both complex emotions and the beauty of nature, which is unexpected when talking about animal remains. The book has a historical setting and some interesting period details are cleverly worked into the story in a way that makes the reader think.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

It's hard to write a review that's good enough for this book, as it took me a bit by surprise about how incredibly beautiful this book is. Dealing with some heavy themes and some really big emotions, this book is not afraid to take them head on. We meet Lottie, the main character, who having lost her mother, begins to explore her grief and find solace through the art of taxidermy. I loved the verse style, it added a sense of fluidity to the narrative, and although the story is about a lot of still, dead things, it gave the feeling of moving through and finding a type of understanding, and a way to deal with grief and holding the memories of people.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this, will definitely purchase a copy, as it's a book that needs to be held; and it's great to find a new author to keep an eye out for.

Such an odd little novel in verse about a very odd little girl. Perfect for middle grade readers looking for a darker subject matter (death!)

ARC provided by NetGalley and Text Publishing in exchange for an honest review!

I judged this book by it's cover. It is so beautiful.
This is a book written in Verse.

As much as i wanted to love this, I just could not get into it.
i will be honest and say i DNF'd this at around 45%.


“I keep them because I love them. I keep them because they are beautiful. And then I surprised myself and said: I keep them because they remind me of Mother.”

At first, I didn’t think I was going to like this. It is a weird premise for a book. But wow, I was wrong. This prose was beautiful and understated. And it had me thinking of Tim Burton meets Vada from My Girl set in Australia. I just wanted to reach out and hug Charlotte. You really feel for her and eventually her family as you learn their tragic history. I had no idea how Germans, Japanese and Italians were treated in Australia during WWII. I was able to read this in one sitting and it’s going to sit with me for awhile.
TW: As the title suggests, there is a lot of death involved.

This may have hit a little too close to home.

I have had my share of loss in my life especially the loss of my sister a few years ago so I highly identified with our main character Charlotte or “Lottie.”

This book is beautiful in prose and a unique way of telling a story. I already love poetry so this was a home run in more than one way for me. Everything from the description of the dead animals and her interactions with her “specimens” to Aunt Hilda finding her hobby disgusting and unusual captured my attention from the first word to the last. I felt the emotions shared by each character which is something I look for in every good novel.

Anyone feeling misunderstood or alone should read this book. It will help you feel like you’re less strange than you’ve been told.

I gave it four solid stars because that’s what I believed it deserved. NetGalley provided an electronic copy to me via the publisher The Text Publishing Company (Australia) for an honest review which I provided here and on my instagram LetRachelRead.

Thanks!

Lottie collects dead creatures and lovingly cares for them, hoping to preserve them, to save them from disintegration. Her father understands—Lottie has a scientific mind, he thinks. Her aunt wants it to stop, and she goes to cruel lengths to make sure it does.

Such a poetic like novel. The storyline is unlike anything I have read, and the illustrations were a great touch.

The writing was beautiful, but, unfortunately, that was not enough to keep me invested in the story.

I requested this because the taxidermy aspect sounded interesting. Unfortunately, I didn't find the characters very interesting, and I couldn't engage with the story.

I was not expecting The Art of Taxidermy to be a novel in verse, so I was a little surprised when I started reading it. Before this year, I'd never read a novel in verse and I'm still not really sure what I think of them. Style wise, I don't know if this one worked for me, but that doesn't mean it won't work for other people! Content wise, I found this book to be super compelling! I loved the story line and the twist about Annie, but more importantly, I love that the book made me think about taxidermy. Like, I'm sure most people, I know nothing about taxidermy. This book made me think differently about taxidermy, as a celebration of life instead of a weird sort of hobby fetish thing that helps folks celebrate their kills. I appreciated the change in perspective. If you can handle books written in verse, I think it's worth checking this one out!

I didn't realise this was a verse novel, and I wasn't sure if I was completely on board with it as it felt a little gimmicky. That having been said, I did like the uniqueness it lent the story, so it was a case of swings and roundabouts - and once I got a couple of chapters in, I stopped noticing it as much.

"The Art of Taxidermy" follows Lottie, who is searching for a way to connect with her dead mother. Cue an obsession with death and preservation in the form of taxidermy. Lottie's father supports her hobby, thinking it a sign of a scientific mind, but her Aunt Hilda is hellbent on destroying Lottie's creations.

This book explores some huge themes - grief and how we adapt to it, loss, trauma - and does it well, for the most part. I did find the story a little repetitive in places, and some of the descriptions of the dead animals are fairly graphic, so this may not be the book for you if you're squeamish, but if you like your novels with a dark edge, you'll enjoy reading this unique and well-written novel.

NOTE: I was provided with a free ARC copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.