I've been reading Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy series and thoroughly enjoying it, and so when I saw that she had a memoir about the animals she's lived with, I was excited to read it. This was a sweet, enjoyable book with stories that reminded me of my own life with animals, and I really loved seeing the inspirations for several of her fictional characters. I love her philosophies as well, especially relating to how we as humans are tasked with taking care of the animals who cannot speak for themselves. I began volunteering for a no-kill cat rescue two years ago, and that has changed my life in such a positive way that I can't imagine being away from it.
These stories are heartwarming, entertaining, sad, and inspirational. Brown tells us all about the personalities, quirks, likes, dislikes, and temperaments of the animals she grew up with as a child, and the animals she rescued as an adult. Each of the animals is a character with a rich history, and I grew to love each and every one of them in the stories she shares. She relates the various lessons and values she's learned from each of the animals, from the sassy attitudes of birds, the regal sauntering of cats, the undying devotion of dogs, and the unspoken trust of horses. Many of these stories relate to foxhunting, a sport about which I knew absolutely nothing before I began reading Brown's Mrs. Murphy series, and I enjoy learning about the nuances and details in the sport. A particularly endearing section of the book details the differences between the Catholic gray foxes and the Episcopal red foxes in her run, and how the Catholic vixen loves fine jewelry and other shiny gifts. It must be wonderful to live in an area where you can see such beautiful creatures and watch them raise their babies and then watch those babies have their own babies.
This is a quick read that goes along wonderfully with Brown's fictional titles, so anyone who enjoys her work would likely enjoy this book. Her lessons learned from the animals in her life are ones that just about everyone can appreciate, and I'm happy she shared them with us.