Fowl Weather

by Bob Tarte

"More than just a hilarious and raucous romp (which it is), Fowl Weather shows how a parrot, or a rabbit, or a duck, or a cat, can teach us more about ourselves and about the chaos of the world than any therapist or philosopher." —Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants

In Bob Tarte's home, pandemonium is the order of the day, and animals literally rule the roost—thirty-nine of them at last count. Whether it's the knot-tying African grey parrot, or the overweight cat who's trained Bob to hold her water bowl just above the floor, or the nightmarish duck who challenges him to a shoving match, this menagerie, along with his endlessly optimistic wife, Linda, provides daily lessons on the chaos inherent in our lives. But not until this modern-day Noah's Ark hits stormy weather—and Bob's world spins out of control—does he realize that this exuberant gaggle of animals provides his spiritual anchor. It is their alien presence, their sense of humor, and their impulsive behavior that both drive Bob crazy and paradoxically return him to sanity.

With the same sly humor and dead-on character portraits that made Enslaved by Ducks such a rousing success, Tarte proves that life with animals offers a wholly different perspective on the world.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Birds, Biography Memoir, Nature

306 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Bob Tarte lives on the edge of a mink-infested, shoe-sucking swamp in West Michigan with his long suffering wife, Linda. Bob is the author of the books "Kitty Cornered," "Enslaved by Ducks," and "Fowl Weather."

Every Friday from 12:30-1:00 pm ET, one of the cats from "Kitty Cornered" answers lifestyle questions from other cats. Catch the LIVE cat comedy @BobTarte #Ask6Cats.

Reviews

[Hope · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this at the library after hearing Nancy Pearl recommend it,as a humorous book. Now, either NP and I have vastly different views on what is humor, or she read the first book by this author, and not this one. While there were some chuckle moments, I would not classify this as humor in any way - the author's father dies, his mother gets Alzheimer's, many pets die, he is depressed much of the time - distinctly unfunny. The events were, in reality, spread out over a period of 5 or so years, but the way they are portrayed makes them seem like they were happening one right after another, adding to the sense of gloom. The various humans that populate the book never really get fleshed out, and seem less like real people than cutouts, while the animals get personalities and quirks.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a light-hearted follow-up to Enslaved by Ducks, this chronicle of one emotional disaster after another probably isn't what you're expecting. While there are still plenty of animal anecdotes, the main focus is on the author's human-related issues following his father's death and his mother's decline into Alzheimer's. Though he maintains his tongue-in-cheek delivery throughout, the author's own descent into depression heavily colors the writing, making this book far darker (and at times much weirder) than his first.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah well. I probably should have payed more attention to the title, "FOWL Weather". While it is still quite funny at times (I really enjoy Tarte's humor), it was difficult to feel lighthearted given the number of animal injuries and deaths, as well as the account of the steady decline of Tarte's mother into Alzheimer's. I picked this up to take a respite from life's stresses and instead found myself feeling stressed out by someone else's continuous bad fortune!! In addition, there is this strange theme that runs through the book that has to do with Tarte's supernatural encounters. I wasn't sure if some of these things were merely for laughs or actual anecdotes. It didn't quite gel with my expectation of a book chock full of stories about animals.

Though it's hard not to love Linda Tarte, his wife - just reading about her makes you want to know them both. They seem kind of nutty in a truly wonderful, life enriching way, ha! I really admire Tarte's honesty about his struggles with depression and anxiety and that was at least one welcome and pleasantly surprising element in this book.

The idiosyncrasies of the Tartes' animals and their dealings with them are the best parts of his books but there just wasn't that much here in this one. I'll probably pick up his first book, Enslaved by Ducks and read it again - it is one of my "must read" nature books.

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A low-key but engaging memoir by a rather neurotic writer who lives on a farm in western Michigan, on the banks of the Grand River. It's not a working farm, but a sort of sanctuary for ducks and geese that people keep giving the author and his wife (this is a sequel to "Enslaved by Ducks"). They also have a bunch of indoor birds (a couple of parrots, a mourning dove, a canary), some cats, and a couple of rabbits.

The pet stories are amusing, and provide a light counterpoint to the wrenching but still humorous account of Tarte's loss of his father, and his mother's decline into Alzheimer's and assisted living. The whackadoodle classmate from parochial school that shows up at his father's funeral and then stalks Tarte for a year is one of the funnier characters I've read about lately.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

How disappointing. While the book does include some fun stories and an amazing array of animals, it's in large part about the death of the author's father, the spiral of his mother into the chasm of Alzheimers', and his own struggles with depression and anxiety. When the book appears to be a light-hearted, fast, fun read and that's what you're expecting, this is a real downer. I probably should have saved myself the time and quit partway through, I did finish it.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as I did Enslaved by Ducks. This one seemed rather odd and Tarte was always putting himself down. Still, I read the whole thing, but it took me awhile.

[Millie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book but oddly entwined with a lot of stuff about his relationship with his parents. Death, widowed mom, worrying, parents. I want animal stories! Seems chummy enough at times but the family stuff clogs the book up. I prefer Tom Cox's cat books.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like his other books, this is mostly a funny, light hearted read. In spite of losing his father and his mother's newly diagnosed dimentia, he still manages to find humorous things going on in his life.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be those people

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trials and tribulations of caring for a menagerie. Sad and funny.

[Aimee G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like his sense of humor with dealing with animals and friends and family.

[Trulee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob is hilarious. I don't know what the plot was, but we enjoyed laughing as a family as we read this book out loud.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this funny and touching follow-up to his memoir Enslaved by Ducks, Bob Tarte reminds me of a sapling on a hill, buffeted by the winds of a gathering storm. While bits and pieces of his life swirl around him spiraling out of control, and Bob finds himself unable to affect the weather, all he can do is put his head down and turn a shoulder to the wind and stand his ground.
Tarte’s humorous musings about life’s mysteries both past and present create a comical thread throughout his narrative. As unable to find answers to his questions as he is to stop the events happening around him, it’s lucky for Tarte that he has Linda and their menagerie to keep him grounded. While Tarte searches for order in an unfair universe of hose demons, sick pets, a death in the family, his mother’s onset of Azheimers and a former classmate that blows into his life like a tornado, Bob finds the most clarity while interacting with the animals that he and his wife care for.
Chock full of quirky characters doing and saying all sorts of improbable things, Fowl Weather is a fun read, and Tarte an author, that despite all his self proclaimed weirdness, is likeable and easy to relate to.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope Bob Tarte is hard at work on another book about his animals, wife, friends and family. I've thoroughly enjoyed both of his books.
Start with Bob's first book, Enslaved by Ducks, so you can find out how all of these animals were adopted by Bob and his wife, Linda.
These books are more than just funny stories about animals. Bob shares stories about his friends and family, problems with depression, grief over the loss of his dad, his mother's increasing dementia. This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:
"I had definitely learned something from Matthew the goose, and from the other animals, too. The mixture of wildness and comfort they brought to my life was life itself in miniature. There was no arguing with a gander - or with a parrot that bit off a bunny's tail, mice that nested inside the dining room chair, creatures that shrieked in the middle of the night, or a crazy former classmate. There was no reasoning with death or Alzheimer's disease. I could resist them, ignore them, or gnash my teeth over them, but I couldn't prevent them from occurring."

[David Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't the kind of book I normally read, but the cover was intriguing and since we've populated our current lives with cats, dogs and chickens, it looked as if it might be an entertainig read.

The protagonist, I assume this is all about Bob, is a character frought with foibles and genetic limitations and attributes far too common. I truly feel for his long suffering wife and enjoyed the fact that the creatures populating his tale shine with individualism. Each of our chickens, bird brains that they be, have their own personalities, likes and dislikes.

While the story didn't contain a true story arc and actually seemed to end simply because Bob chose to stop writing, it was entertaining, often light hearted, but often depressingly real. I didn't feel a strong compunction to pick up the book, but did enjoy each moment I spent with it.

I won't seek out his other works, but if I stumble across one at a used book sale, I'll surely pick it up.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How 39 animals and 1 sock monkey took over my life."

Bob Tarte opens a window into his world, a world of feathers, whiskers and floppy ears. Bob and his wife, Linda, live in Michigan with countless ducks, geese, rabbits and cats and are plagued by an old schoolmate who enjoys funerals, butting in and rehousing pampered ducks. Bob Tarte shares 5 years with us, some moments laugh-out-loud funny and others heart breakingly poinant.

From the first page I was hooked. I found myself laughing, crying and unable to put this book down. Through the loss of his father and his mother's battle with alzheimer's disease, Bob clings to his sanity with the help of Linda and the zoo they live in. This book is a must read for all animal lovers, whether you are owned by a single goldfish or "39 animals and 1 sock monkey".

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make sure you read his other book, Enslaved by Ducks, first.

This book was a bit darker than the other one, but I still loved it. Bob Tarte has a wonderful humorous way of describing things. I did get a little tired of his lasting depression every time one of his animals passed. It felt a little repetitive.

I wish there were more videos online, so we could meet some of his animals. On Youtube, there are a handful of videos him and Bill Holm put together. They are bizarre and give a different impression of the author. And it was lovely to put a face and personality to Bill Holm.

[Keli Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I felt like I was reading this guys diary... it is more a diary than a book like this is my crazy life...well I have a crazy life too.. maybe I should write a book... and he talked a LOT OF TRASH ABOUT people and named them by NAME...like I hope you would be OK if someone did the same about you...I do think though if I met him we would be friends because we could talk about all our crazy life experiences.. and well I don't blame him for naming Eileen by name because she drove him CRAZY!!!

[Bridget Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm only 39 percent through this book and will not be finishing it. I am an animal lover and had such high hopes for this book. Not only did I not find any humor in it, I was disgusted by the deaths of the animals and the gruesome descriptions of some of their deaths. I am so very thankful that I didn't spend $11.99 on it but at the same time I am disgusted at the fact that I wasted $1.99 on it as well.

[Natalie Laufer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lovely read

Another lovely read

by Mr. Tarts. All his books have a great deal to recommend themselves to the reader. One feels immensely sympathetic to his obvious existential despair, tempered by what can only be termed his brave humor. Mr. Tarts, you aren't alone, and your tales are heartwarming. More! Makes us feel less alone in the universe. The best to you, your family, both human and otherwise.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had a disaster while I was reading this book: coyotes killed two of our ducks, the alpha female and Gimpy, the crippled male. We were heartsick, and for a while I couldn't finish reading Fowl Weather. I couldn't enjoy this book as I did the first one, but I know it is good. Bob Tarte's website still quacks me up: http://www.bobtarte.com/

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Bob's first book, Enslaved by Ducks. As a pet owner, I can relate to the lengths he goes to to care for his pets. I was really excited to read the follow up, but have been a little dissapointed. There are less comedic stories about the myriad of pets, and more talking about depression and death. Still enjoyable, but the first was far better.

[Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books was so great. I didn't expect to like it but the stories really warmed my heart as cheesy as that sounds. As an animal lover I totally related to the author. And it's set right outside of Grand Rapids in Michigan. This book helped me ignore my crappy apartment on Iowa St. and the crappy winter with now snow.

[Bre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one as much as his first book. I can totally relate to Bob and Linda. Ive had quite a large mix of pets myself. I can understand how they may be a lot of work but the love they give makes up for it. They may stress you out one minute, but make you laugh the next. I can't picture my life without pets!

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of a story about depression than animals. The author has several animals that are very dear friends to him but the book focuses more on how they help him during his times of depression than the animals being the primary focus. A very sad but good read so I would suggest having another book, or two, to read while reading this one.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as light-hearted as his first book, Enslaved by Ducks, but quirky-funny. This book covers the next several years and includes the departure of a favored parrot, the death of Tarte's father, and his mother's descent into Alzheimer's. It doesn't sound as though it could be funny, but it is.

[Joanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark mostly-autobiographical humor about Bob and Linda Tarte's animal and human families. Bob Tarte's first novel, Enslaved by Ducks, was lighter and funnier, I think, whereas this one is darker and a little weird.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute and funny book. The author was able to make me laugh with his tale of his many animals. Plus he was able to bring some humor to sad subjects such as his dad dying and his mother's alzheimer's. I look forward to reading his other book.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't as full of funny animal stories as "Enslaved by Ducks," in fact it was pretty depressing, since a lot of the characters you grew to love in the first book met their demise in this one. However, it ended satisfactory.

[Ilsabe]

This is the story of a man struggling with his father's death, his mother's dementia, and the death of various deeply loved pets. Well written, but difficult to finish as the author's depressed state was such a dominant presence and hard to take in large doses.