What do you think?
Rate this book
Talking Animals
"Joni Murphy’s inventive and beautiful allegory depicts a city enmeshed in climate collapse, blinded to the signs of its imminent destruction by petty hatreds and monstrous that is, the world we are living in now. Talking Animals is an Orwellian tale of totalitarianism in action, but the animals on this farm are much cuter, and they make better puns." —Chris Kraus, author of I Love Dick and After Kathy Acker
A fable for our times, Joni Murphy’s Talking Animals takes place in an all-animal world where creatures rather like us are forced to deal with an all-too-familiar landscape of soul-crushing jobs, polluted oceans, and a creeping sense of doom.
It’s New York City, nowish. Lemurs brew espresso. Birds tend bar. There are bears on Wall Street, and a billionaire racehorse is mayor. Sea creatures are viewed with fear and disgust and there’s chatter about building a wall to keep them out.
Alfonzo is a moody alpaca. His friend Mitchell is a sociable llama. They both work at City Hall, but their true passions are noise music and underground politics. Partly to meet girls, partly because the world might be ending, these lowly bureaucrats embark on an unlikely mission to expose the corrupt system that’s destroying the city from within. Their project takes them from the city’s bowels to its extremities, where they encounter the Sea Equality Revolutionary Front, who are either a group of dangerous radicals or an inspiring liberation movement.
In this novel, at last, nature kvetches and grieves, while talking animals offer us a kind of solace in the guise of dumb jokes. This is mass extinction as told by BoJack Horseman. This is The Fantastic Mr. Fox journeying through Kafka's Amerika. This is dogs and cats, living together. Talking Animals is an urgent allegory about friendship, art, and the elemental struggle to change one’s life under the low ceiling of capitalism.
A fable for our times, Joni Murphy’s Talking Animals takes place in an all-animal world where creatures rather like us are forced to deal with an all-too-familiar landscape of soul-crushing jobs, polluted oceans, and a creeping sense of doom.
It’s New York City, nowish. Lemurs brew espresso. Birds tend bar. There are bears on Wall Street, and a billionaire racehorse is mayor. Sea creatures are viewed with fear and disgust and there’s chatter about building a wall to keep them out.
Alfonzo is a moody alpaca. His friend Mitchell is a sociable llama. They both work at City Hall, but their true passions are noise music and underground politics. Partly to meet girls, partly because the world might be ending, these lowly bureaucrats embark on an unlikely mission to expose the corrupt system that’s destroying the city from within. Their project takes them from the city’s bowels to its extremities, where they encounter the Sea Equality Revolutionary Front, who are either a group of dangerous radicals or an inspiring liberation movement.
In this novel, at last, nature kvetches and grieves, while talking animals offer us a kind of solace in the guise of dumb jokes. This is mass extinction as told by BoJack Horseman. This is The Fantastic Mr. Fox journeying through Kafka's Amerika. This is dogs and cats, living together. Talking Animals is an urgent allegory about friendship, art, and the elemental struggle to change one’s life under the low ceiling of capitalism.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2020
47 people are currently reading
1980 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
May 18, 2024
Bu kitaptan anlamamız gereken büyük ve derin bir anlam vardıysa şayet, ben onu kesinlikle anlamadım. Yok eğer anlamamız gereken şey sanki hayvan metaforunun arkasına gizlenmiş gibi yapan ama gayet kabak gibi ortada olan ve hatta yer yer son derece didaktik biçimde aktarılan sosyal adaletsizlik, iklim krizi, kapitalizmin durmadan ürettiği adaletsizlik, kamudaki yolsuzluk ve yozlaşma, rant sorunları, toplumsal örgütlenmenin önemi falandıysa, bunları neden insan değil hayvan karakterler üzerinden okuyoruz sorusu orada öylece duruyor. Bu kitaptaki karakterler lama filan değil insan olsalardı hikayede ne değişecekti? Kaldı ki bu konulardaki mesajlarını durmadan tekrarlayan bir metnin iyi bir roman olacağı fikrine acaba yazarımız nereden kapılmış?
Vallahi anlamadım ya. Bir noktadan sonra her şey o kadar saçma gelmeye başladı ki, dedim herhalde ben anlamıyorum. Yukarıda sıraladığım meselelere dair gayet sıkıcı ve yavan bir hikaye dinliyoruz. Dünyaya hakim olanlar insanlar değil hayvanlar, insan diye bir şey yok, şehirlerde hayvanlar yaşıyor, biz de yüksek lisans tezini bir türlü yazamayan ve yıllardır belediyede memur olan alpaka Alfonzo'nun hayatından bir kesit okuyoruz. Dediğim gibi, Alfonzo neden bir alpaka mesela, hayvanların konuşuyor olması neye hizmet ediyor, asla anlamadım. Metnin içindeki kelime şakalarının çoğu sanırım çeviride kaybolmuş, dil şakası oldukları için çevrilmeleri zor zaten, sonuçta bunlar da böyle insanı gülümsetmekten bile uzak birtakım cümleler olarak sık sık karşımıza çıkıyorlar.
Vallahi hiç sevemedim maalesef. Üstelik de yazarımız Joni Murphy besbelli ki iyi yazabilen biri, kitabın muazzam giriş bölümü ve sondaki rüya pasajı şahane yazılmıştı ama hikayenin gerisini öyle yavan buldum ki, hiç keyif alamadım kitaptan.
Bu kitaba dair yapılan "21. yüzyılın Hayvan Çiftliği" yorumları umarım George Orwell'in kulağına gitmiyordur, mezarında ters dönmesini istemem adamcağızın.
Bahsettiğim giriş bölümünden sevdiğim nadir cümlelerden birini buraya ekleyeyim bari yine de. "Hiçbir şehir hikayesi yoktur ki sonunda bir vahşet hikayesine dönüşmesin. Hiçbir vahşet hikayesi yoktur ki sonunda birileri tarafından kahramanlık hikayesi olarak anlatılmasın."
Vallahi anlamadım ya. Bir noktadan sonra her şey o kadar saçma gelmeye başladı ki, dedim herhalde ben anlamıyorum. Yukarıda sıraladığım meselelere dair gayet sıkıcı ve yavan bir hikaye dinliyoruz. Dünyaya hakim olanlar insanlar değil hayvanlar, insan diye bir şey yok, şehirlerde hayvanlar yaşıyor, biz de yüksek lisans tezini bir türlü yazamayan ve yıllardır belediyede memur olan alpaka Alfonzo'nun hayatından bir kesit okuyoruz. Dediğim gibi, Alfonzo neden bir alpaka mesela, hayvanların konuşuyor olması neye hizmet ediyor, asla anlamadım. Metnin içindeki kelime şakalarının çoğu sanırım çeviride kaybolmuş, dil şakası oldukları için çevrilmeleri zor zaten, sonuçta bunlar da böyle insanı gülümsetmekten bile uzak birtakım cümleler olarak sık sık karşımıza çıkıyorlar.
Vallahi hiç sevemedim maalesef. Üstelik de yazarımız Joni Murphy besbelli ki iyi yazabilen biri, kitabın muazzam giriş bölümü ve sondaki rüya pasajı şahane yazılmıştı ama hikayenin gerisini öyle yavan buldum ki, hiç keyif alamadım kitaptan.
Bu kitaba dair yapılan "21. yüzyılın Hayvan Çiftliği" yorumları umarım George Orwell'in kulağına gitmiyordur, mezarında ters dönmesini istemem adamcağızın.
Bahsettiğim giriş bölümünden sevdiğim nadir cümlelerden birini buraya ekleyeyim bari yine de. "Hiçbir şehir hikayesi yoktur ki sonunda bir vahşet hikayesine dönüşmesin. Hiçbir vahşet hikayesi yoktur ki sonunda birileri tarafından kahramanlık hikayesi olarak anlatılmasın."
December 28, 2020
Oof. This one pains me quite a bit to write because I a was really looking forward to it. But this book.... I can’t handle how terrible it is, it almost physical pains me. The first part was pretty decent and had lots of potential but then it went downhill quickly. I tried really hard to like it and kept telling myself to keep reading and to give it a chance like I do with every book and that it could only get better. But it didn’t get better, it just got infinitely worse. I made it through to the end (somehow) but it was a rough go and I’m just left so disappointed in this book.
Want to read
July 16, 2020Adding to my to-read list because of the very strong BoJack Horseman vibe I'm getting from the description.
December 23, 2023
Benim kurgusuyla, adıyla ilgimi çekip heyecanlandığım bir kitaptı. Konuşan, sınıflaşan, çalışan, evlerde yaşayan hayvanları okuyacak olmak çok ilgi çekici gelmişti.
İnsan olarak yaşadığımız, kurduğumuz bu düzen içinde bizim değil hayvanların varlığını okuduğumuz bir kurgu.
Başlarda hayvanları okumak hatta hatırlamak, okuduklarımıza yakıştırmaya çalışmak zevkliydi.
Metafor olarak kurgulanan şey hatta yazım dilinde kullanılan mizahlı göndermelerle başlangıcı gerçekten çok güzel. Sonrasında detaylandığı yerlerde New York’ta yaşayan alpaka Alfonzo’nun belediye binasında kayıt dosyalama işinde çalıştığı hayatını okuyoruz.
Olay örgüsü olarak çok insani bir kurguda ilerlediği için hikaye akışında sorun olduğunu söyleyebilirim.
Daha çok hayvanların özellikleri, olabilecek sorunları, kurabilecekleri yaşam çeşitleri gibi çerçevelerde okuma yapmak isterdim.
Hayvanlarla değil politik olaylarla ilgileniyorsanız okumaktan zevk alabileceğinizi söyleyebilirim.
İnsan olarak yaşadığımız, kurduğumuz bu düzen içinde bizim değil hayvanların varlığını okuduğumuz bir kurgu.
Başlarda hayvanları okumak hatta hatırlamak, okuduklarımıza yakıştırmaya çalışmak zevkliydi.
Metafor olarak kurgulanan şey hatta yazım dilinde kullanılan mizahlı göndermelerle başlangıcı gerçekten çok güzel. Sonrasında detaylandığı yerlerde New York’ta yaşayan alpaka Alfonzo’nun belediye binasında kayıt dosyalama işinde çalıştığı hayatını okuyoruz.
Olay örgüsü olarak çok insani bir kurguda ilerlediği için hikaye akışında sorun olduğunu söyleyebilirim.
Daha çok hayvanların özellikleri, olabilecek sorunları, kurabilecekleri yaşam çeşitleri gibi çerçevelerde okuma yapmak isterdim.
Hayvanlarla değil politik olaylarla ilgileniyorsanız okumaktan zevk alabileceğinizi söyleyebilirim.
July 13, 2021
I don’t want to say it was boring so instead I’ll say it was too clever and therefore, not for me
December 2, 2021
First, what I liked: I loved the author's many cute puns that lent much-needed humor to this story, a stinging commentary on our growing disenchantment with political figures, capitalist greed and the hand-wringing over how to save our ailing seas and sea creatures from plastics, pollution and in general, the global climate crisis. Alfonzo, Mitchell, Viv (and Lenny, the literal pig) are assorted llamas, alpacas, vicuñas who tell the story of a dismal future world and New York City, where the critters run everything and drink, smoke and talk just like us. Cats also play a big role here, as they kind of save the day. I was very impressed with the author's knowledge of a certain little-known neighborhood spot in Queens, near where I grew up, lovingly referred to as "The Hole". What I didn't like: the book got a bit preachy near the end, making for a somewhat disappointing ending.
The best line: when Alfonzo cheerfully advises another critter he encounters, "no prob-llama".
The best line: when Alfonzo cheerfully advises another critter he encounters, "no prob-llama".
August 1, 2020
"What else are we going to do but struggle?" Pamella replied. "It's a choice between hope and hopelessness. We aren't against the mayor because we support his opponents. We don't want tea as a solution to coffee, or pig proposals to solve horse problems. If a seal were to somehow become the mayor according to the rules as they are now, that wouldn't be victory. The struggle has always been life and death, I suppose, but it feels different now, in that we--you and I and everyone we care for--won't have a home that's not underwater, we won't have un-poisoned food or air if we don't struggle. Some say the rich will feel the rising seas, too, but you can be sure they'll be the last to get wet, by which time it will be too late for the rest of us. We can't keep running in their hamster wheel" (285).
August 4, 2020
Do you ever read a book and just know that it’s found you at the perfect moment in your life? Well, Talking Animals is absolutely loaded with the catharsis so many of us desperately need in 2020. Alfonzo is a jaded alpaca living in New York City. He’s lost faith in the city’s corrupt government, is having difficulties editing his 1000+ page dissertation, and is increasingly disturbed by the mistreatment of sea creatures. When he and his friend Mitchell uncover a political scandal, Alfonzo has to decide what kind of alpaca he wants to be and what kind of world he wants to help create.
This novel is essentially what Zootopia would have been if it were made by A24 instead of Disney. Part political satire, part millennial lament, Talking Animals is an absolute must-read for anyone overwhelmed and distraught over our current landscape. Joni Murphy's writing is succinct and often hilarious, and I found myself highlighting the majority of the book whilst cheering at its insight.
This novel is essentially what Zootopia would have been if it were made by A24 instead of Disney. Part political satire, part millennial lament, Talking Animals is an absolute must-read for anyone overwhelmed and distraught over our current landscape. Joni Murphy's writing is succinct and often hilarious, and I found myself highlighting the majority of the book whilst cheering at its insight.
May 27, 2020
Alfonzo is an ordinary alpaca on the outside, going through the mundane motions of his job filing records at City Hall. Internally, he's at a crossroads-- still mourning his mother's death, nurinsg a breakup, and finalizing his 1300-or-so page dissertation on all things in alpaca culture, yearning for the day that corrupt government ceases to exist. You know, much like real life, except this is a novel of modern animals rather than humans-- and much like in our world, there's a lot more happening on the inside the office than what meets the public eye. Talking Animals is a political contemporary that dives into sociological and environmental issues, but with animal puns and other delightful qualities. This camelid stands out from the crowd, perfect for fans of BoJack Horseman.
January 20, 2024
Bazen kendimi haksız bir okuyucu gibi hissediyorum. Renklere aldanmış ama ne okuduğunu anlamamış gibi. İlk sayfasından itibaren anlatım bozuklukları ile mücadele etmekten yoruldum, haklıyım. Metaforları severim ancak çok fazla hayvan çok fazla insani değerler taşıyor, bir önemi yok. Politik içeriği fazla buldum, sıkıcı. Hayvan çiftliği ile benzerlik kurulmuş, anlayamadım. 1/5
October 10, 2022
the animal descriptions was so epic
September 4, 2020
I wasn't expecting to be in tears and yet hopeful when I finished this surreal little novel. It's a quick read, full of clever puns and admirable world-building, but there is an undercurrent of sadness that carries us to the somber endpoint. Alfonzo the alpaca is the hero of our time whether we like it or not. And while this book is arguably a novel of New York City ("The city at eleven thirty on a weekday was indifferent to one alpaca's private catastrophe. But it was an open-hearted indifference"), the fate of its animal citizens is the fate of the whole world.
It's hard to resist categorizing this tour de force. Is it an allegory, a satire, a bildungsroman, a novel of climate change? A dystopia? A capitalist apocalypse? It's a tragedy, one in which we are all active participants.
(I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)
It's hard to resist categorizing this tour de force. Is it an allegory, a satire, a bildungsroman, a novel of climate change? A dystopia? A capitalist apocalypse? It's a tragedy, one in which we are all active participants.
(I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)
December 27, 2020
Thank you to ZG Stories and Book*hug Press for this gifted copy of Talking Animals by Joni Murphy in exchange for an honest review.
Talking Animals follows an alpaca named Alfonzo, a PhD candidate in urban behaviour and a public servant at City Hall, who finds himself wrapped up in a plot with his friend Mitchell (a llama) and Pamella (a lemur) to upend the status quo. What follows is a series of strange encounters and a lot of musings about the state of the world, the land, and the sea.
My key take aways from this novel are few because I feel like most of it went over my head. What I liked the most was the commentary on the fact that all of our struggle as a society never really works to change the status quo. The ceaseless progress we feel we have made often turns out to further support the harmful, patriarchal systems that exist. There was a lot of wonderful commentary on corporate America / the world, the environmental degradation at the hands of capitalism, and corruption in general (lovely to read this as I continue to watch the news in 2020 as the current US administration falls apart at the seams. Sayonara!). I also really liked the characters and the wry humour infused into this novella. It made me laugh at many different points; the writing is extremely clever and concise.
What I didn’t like: The last third to half of the novel fell apart for me. It kind of felt a bit like a fever dream? The novel played with different types of structures: the hum of a song, a dream, a pamphlet. This personally did not work for me, but I can see its allure for other readers. The climax of the novel felt anti-climactic; I hoped for something more after the steady build up. I’ll be honest, I got some serious Animal Farm vibes from this book – but, Animal Farm just did it better, in my opinion.
Read If: you like books with anthropomorphized animals, social commentary and criticism, and books that are a slow-burn. Not much plot to this one, but a lot of philosophical issues to ponder.
2.5 stars!
Talking Animals follows an alpaca named Alfonzo, a PhD candidate in urban behaviour and a public servant at City Hall, who finds himself wrapped up in a plot with his friend Mitchell (a llama) and Pamella (a lemur) to upend the status quo. What follows is a series of strange encounters and a lot of musings about the state of the world, the land, and the sea.
My key take aways from this novel are few because I feel like most of it went over my head. What I liked the most was the commentary on the fact that all of our struggle as a society never really works to change the status quo. The ceaseless progress we feel we have made often turns out to further support the harmful, patriarchal systems that exist. There was a lot of wonderful commentary on corporate America / the world, the environmental degradation at the hands of capitalism, and corruption in general (lovely to read this as I continue to watch the news in 2020 as the current US administration falls apart at the seams. Sayonara!). I also really liked the characters and the wry humour infused into this novella. It made me laugh at many different points; the writing is extremely clever and concise.
What I didn’t like: The last third to half of the novel fell apart for me. It kind of felt a bit like a fever dream? The novel played with different types of structures: the hum of a song, a dream, a pamphlet. This personally did not work for me, but I can see its allure for other readers. The climax of the novel felt anti-climactic; I hoped for something more after the steady build up. I’ll be honest, I got some serious Animal Farm vibes from this book – but, Animal Farm just did it better, in my opinion.
Read If: you like books with anthropomorphized animals, social commentary and criticism, and books that are a slow-burn. Not much plot to this one, but a lot of philosophical issues to ponder.
2.5 stars!
January 9, 2022
‘A fable for modern times’ indeed. RTC!
CAWPILE Rating: 7.86 (4 Stars)
CAWPILE Rating: 7.86 (4 Stars)
October 19, 2020
It took far too long for me to read this ~200 page book. I kept nodding off, and that's not a good sign. I had high hopes for this book, based on the synopsis, but it just fell flat. It was boring and I should have dnf'd it much sooner, but I kept hoping for something... anything... to happen. And when it finally did at about 80% in, that too was a huge boring nothing.
This book could have been so great. I mean, it's a book about animals who talk and have jobs and live in New York apartments for goodness sakes!! How can that possibly be boring? you ask. Yeah, me too. But sadly, it was.
This book could have been so great. I mean, it's a book about animals who talk and have jobs and live in New York apartments for goodness sakes!! How can that possibly be boring? you ask. Yeah, me too. But sadly, it was.
August 31, 2022
I saw other people (and even the back of the book) comparing this to BoJack Horseman, but I think a much apter comparison is Zootopia, even down to the "mayor is involved in a conspiracy" element of the plot. I liked the main character of Alfonzo a lot, but I felt like the first half of the novel was so centered on him that the sudden introduction of the conspiracy about 2/3rds of the way through was confusing and made me wish it either hadn't been there or the book had started at that point.
August 31, 2020
Outta the way, “Animal Farm”!
Back up, “Bo-jack Horsemen”!
Joni weaves her words together to paint pictures with the most illustrative alliterations. This is believable anthropomorphism at its absolute best.
Follow that up with a stunningly realistic and often comedic commentary on our present day ‘backdrop’ and you get: Joni Murphy’s “Talking Animals”.
Back up, “Bo-jack Horsemen”!
Joni weaves her words together to paint pictures with the most illustrative alliterations. This is believable anthropomorphism at its absolute best.
Follow that up with a stunningly realistic and often comedic commentary on our present day ‘backdrop’ and you get: Joni Murphy’s “Talking Animals”.
December 29, 2020
"They united then in what they were against, but they did not know that their enemies would go after their ability to think of what they were for."
June 3, 2024
Sigh. I wanted to like this. And I did, for quite a while. The writing in this book is very good; the author is clearly talented and knows how to communicate ideas. But I feel like I did not receive what was "promised" from the beginning of the book versus the end.
The opening/first half of the novel was quite charming, I really enjoyed being in this world, the characters were richly described and developed, and I appreciated the way it played with animals-as-metaphor. The writing was punchy, clever, quick, and immersive. I actually preferred the novel when it was about "nothing", other than Alfonzo's quest for conquering academia and working for some shitty people. There was a lot of great imagery and laugh-out-loud moments that I marked in my copy as being amusing ("Most workers rely on magic, astrology, and prayer when it comes to appeasing their office appliances."; "Authenticity was a favorite fetish of many suburban transplants"). It reminded me of Bojack or Beastars in its world. It was very appealing at this time.
However, around the halfway mark of the novel, it began to shift into something I became far less engaged with. It felt as though the author had 2 half-baked ideas for novels, and couldn't manage to find a way to flesh out either idea into its full premise, so it got crammed together into this one book. It felt like the author was so in love with their own ideas and viewpoints that it stopped having a compelling narrative, and turned into a soapbox - which could've been fine, but it just lacked a level of authenticity. Rather than feeling empowered or enlightened by the words in the book, I ended up feeling checked out, bogged down, and, frankly, annoyed.
Because of this issue, I just felt like absolutely nothing about how the story concluded was something I even cared about. If Vivi was meant to come back - I needed a more compelling reason than "she was also part of the cause the whole time". I think the book would've actually benefitted from being multiple POVs because the page about her brother's disappearance was fascinating and brought me back into the world and then it went nowhere and I was spit back out into the reality of what the book had become. I wanted to learn more about Pamella and her opinions outside of the lens of Mitchell - in general, it would've been cool to see the inner lives of all the characters, and how they were working together for this goal, instead of randomly "btw Alfonzo all of us are political radicals working toward exposing the evils of the government and corporations".
I did always like the way they described going to shows. The imagery and noises of the Kombu show was very appealing to me. Maybe I'm selfish in just wishing the book was just an HBO-esque quirky 20-somethings reflections on life and academia and art instead of political manifesto.
TL;DR lots of potential that just kind of went ultimately nowhere. I don't think I was the right audience for this book.
The opening/first half of the novel was quite charming, I really enjoyed being in this world, the characters were richly described and developed, and I appreciated the way it played with animals-as-metaphor. The writing was punchy, clever, quick, and immersive. I actually preferred the novel when it was about "nothing", other than Alfonzo's quest for conquering academia and working for some shitty people. There was a lot of great imagery and laugh-out-loud moments that I marked in my copy as being amusing ("Most workers rely on magic, astrology, and prayer when it comes to appeasing their office appliances."; "Authenticity was a favorite fetish of many suburban transplants"). It reminded me of Bojack or Beastars in its world. It was very appealing at this time.
However, around the halfway mark of the novel, it began to shift into something I became far less engaged with. It felt as though the author had 2 half-baked ideas for novels, and couldn't manage to find a way to flesh out either idea into its full premise, so it got crammed together into this one book. It felt like the author was so in love with their own ideas and viewpoints that it stopped having a compelling narrative, and turned into a soapbox - which could've been fine, but it just lacked a level of authenticity. Rather than feeling empowered or enlightened by the words in the book, I ended up feeling checked out, bogged down, and, frankly, annoyed.
Because of this issue, I just felt like absolutely nothing about how the story concluded was something I even cared about. If Vivi was meant to come back - I needed a more compelling reason than "she was also part of the cause the whole time". I think the book would've actually benefitted from being multiple POVs because the page about her brother's disappearance was fascinating and brought me back into the world and then it went nowhere and I was spit back out into the reality of what the book had become. I wanted to learn more about Pamella and her opinions outside of the lens of Mitchell - in general, it would've been cool to see the inner lives of all the characters, and how they were working together for this goal, instead of randomly "btw Alfonzo all of us are political radicals working toward exposing the evils of the government and corporations".
I did always like the way they described going to shows. The imagery and noises of the Kombu show was very appealing to me. Maybe I'm selfish in just wishing the book was just an HBO-esque quirky 20-somethings reflections on life and academia and art instead of political manifesto.
TL;DR lots of potential that just kind of went ultimately nowhere. I don't think I was the right audience for this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2021
I LOVE books with talking animals. Unfortunately, most of them are geared to the 4 and under market, so I was excited to learn of this book.
Talking Animals tells the story of Alfonzo, a first-gen Alpaca who endures a boring job in the records retention area of City Hall while trying to finish his 1500+ page dissertation. His best Mitchell (a llama) also is a government employee, but his job does not require working in a basement. Mitchell helps Alfonzo overcome what appears to be a low grade depression by bringing him into a plan to uncover corruption at the highest levels of city government.
This book is pitched on the cover as a modern day Animal Farm, and the comparison is fair (though Animal Farm is a masterpiece and clearly a better book). I enjoyed the characters and the world, but unfortunately not much happens with the story until the last third of the book. The novel redeems itself with its frequent dry humor, including lines such as "Beside them, a chicken stoof nervously, peering uptown, waiting for traffic to clear."
Talking Animals tells the story of Alfonzo, a first-gen Alpaca who endures a boring job in the records retention area of City Hall while trying to finish his 1500+ page dissertation. His best Mitchell (a llama) also is a government employee, but his job does not require working in a basement. Mitchell helps Alfonzo overcome what appears to be a low grade depression by bringing him into a plan to uncover corruption at the highest levels of city government.
This book is pitched on the cover as a modern day Animal Farm, and the comparison is fair (though Animal Farm is a masterpiece and clearly a better book). I enjoyed the characters and the world, but unfortunately not much happens with the story until the last third of the book. The novel redeems itself with its frequent dry humor, including lines such as "Beside them, a chicken stoof nervously, peering uptown, waiting for traffic to clear."
May 10, 2021
I have read a few anthropomorphized stories lately, but this had the best foundation of the ones I have encountered recently. It borders on satire of how our world works. The story is based in New York, and of the other borough's mentioned, the lead protagonist grew up in Ozone Park - a place I lived in myself for two years, and it was so much fun to randomly stumble onto it in a book. It had llamas and Alpacas as the lead protagonists.
In addition to all the possible issues, a society mirroring our current one also has the innate personalities of animals (their natural environment as well as their tendencies). It is something like Animal Farm;' if animals became us, how different would they be?'. It has its weird moments, and it was slightly hard to imagine exactly how they were all living in New York, but some images were clearer.
The ending did not precisely provide closure but gave indications on the direction things may take. It is an imaginative take on the class issue, and it even had a few funny moments. Overall, someone on the lookout for something different could try.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers; the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
In addition to all the possible issues, a society mirroring our current one also has the innate personalities of animals (their natural environment as well as their tendencies). It is something like Animal Farm;' if animals became us, how different would they be?'. It has its weird moments, and it was slightly hard to imagine exactly how they were all living in New York, but some images were clearer.
The ending did not precisely provide closure but gave indications on the direction things may take. It is an imaginative take on the class issue, and it even had a few funny moments. Overall, someone on the lookout for something different could try.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers; the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
November 16, 2025
Absolutely obsessed. This little novel is is a surprisingly thoughtful take on climate change, urban decay, loss, friendship, political corruption, capitalism and our (in)ability to dream within it… These ~200 pages have no wasted words. The characters are whole, their animal forms are charming, and their relationships are deliciously complex.
May 24, 2024
When I first started reading this book, I was having a good ol' time. By the end of this book, I felt kind of sick and tricked.
I like the characters and the blended world of real NY with fictional personified animals NY, and I was enjoying getting involved in their backstories and present relationships. I felt excited to return to reading about Alfonzo and his academic obsessions and failures, his seemingly complacent existence and inability to move out of 9-5 and into a more emotionally fulfilling life. I related to his romance struggles and wanted to hear more about his reasoning for leaving Vivi which I assumed was lack of confidence in his ability to healthily love.
I liked reading about their dwellings and how the author mixed real animal habitats with studio apartments, homes (the cat pair's home of boxes was so fun to visualize and reminded me of an episode of Hoarders) and office spaces.
I enjoyed every character and learning more about them, but eventually all storytelling devolved into constant manifesto, which was not what I was seeking from a very fictional presenting book!
I found it weird that Alfonzo and Vivi sort of got back together at the end without really talking through any of their issues or like... anything at all? She just welcomes him into the brethren of the sea loving society- which I didn't think had a very clear goal! What was their goal? To raise awareness for fish and mammal equality, I know, but what were they doing other than leaking information and acting like that was saving the world?
My biggest issue was not with it's unraveling into a political statement, but with the way it did so. The tone was completely different when the manifesto parts happened, and it took me out of an enjoyable reading space to the point of nodding off or losing focus. The information could have been presented in a more captivating way that aligned with the rest of the story and voice.
I just thought it sort of... flopped. Wasted potential imo.
I like the characters and the blended world of real NY with fictional personified animals NY, and I was enjoying getting involved in their backstories and present relationships. I felt excited to return to reading about Alfonzo and his academic obsessions and failures, his seemingly complacent existence and inability to move out of 9-5 and into a more emotionally fulfilling life. I related to his romance struggles and wanted to hear more about his reasoning for leaving Vivi which I assumed was lack of confidence in his ability to healthily love.
I liked reading about their dwellings and how the author mixed real animal habitats with studio apartments, homes (the cat pair's home of boxes was so fun to visualize and reminded me of an episode of Hoarders) and office spaces.
I enjoyed every character and learning more about them, but eventually all storytelling devolved into constant manifesto, which was not what I was seeking from a very fictional presenting book!
I found it weird that Alfonzo and Vivi sort of got back together at the end without really talking through any of their issues or like... anything at all? She just welcomes him into the brethren of the sea loving society- which I didn't think had a very clear goal! What was their goal? To raise awareness for fish and mammal equality, I know, but what were they doing other than leaking information and acting like that was saving the world?
My biggest issue was not with it's unraveling into a political statement, but with the way it did so. The tone was completely different when the manifesto parts happened, and it took me out of an enjoyable reading space to the point of nodding off or losing focus. The information could have been presented in a more captivating way that aligned with the rest of the story and voice.
I just thought it sort of... flopped. Wasted potential imo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2025
the concept here is so wonderful. sounds silly and there’s a lot of humor like smoking catnip, but it’s a great perspective for all of the ridiculous problems humans have with one another. i loved how well rounded each character was, especially the friendship between alfonzo and mitchell.
November 5, 2025
This feels like animal farm by george orwell 2.0 like after all the humans died out and stuff.
August 23, 2020
Indictment of the capitalism, corruption, and environmental degradation and celebration of the diversity, collective action, and community that makes up New York City BUT every character is an animal!! 4 stars - thought provoking and filled with more highlight-worthy lines than most things I’ve read, however it’s not entirely believable that they are llamas, lemurs, pigs, etc
File under: whimsical, thought provoking, well written
Learned about: the city, corruption, action
File under: whimsical, thought provoking, well written
Learned about: the city, corruption, action
October 17, 2020
The writing was very good. I just couldn't get into the story.
October 13, 2020
First things first - I don't understand why people keep referring this to bojack. Animal farm reference makes more sense for sure.
Second - this book frustrated me! The first half was unnecessary and then when it got very interesting it ended unclimactically. Which I guess is the point if it's to mimic those in bureaucracy attempting to make change?
Finally, it did have some really good political quips and social commentary. But it got diluted from the first part about nothing and the rise of a social uprising that amounted to nothing.
All in all it was a decent read, just wish it started half way through and kept going when it ended.
Second - this book frustrated me! The first half was unnecessary and then when it got very interesting it ended unclimactically. Which I guess is the point if it's to mimic those in bureaucracy attempting to make change?
Finally, it did have some really good political quips and social commentary. But it got diluted from the first part about nothing and the rise of a social uprising that amounted to nothing.
All in all it was a decent read, just wish it started half way through and kept going when it ended.
October 22, 2025
extremely relatable to have your dissertation ripped apart. but joni honey I'm so sorry ... what are we doing here......
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2020
Parts of it were quite poetic. She has some insightful and beautiful observations on cities, modern society, and life. If this were a short story or fable it would all work perfectly. But it’s long enough that it has to be a novel and when it gets down into the actual story it starts to lose its way. It’s not that it’s badly written, but there doesn’t seem to be a justification for why you’re writing about anthropomorphic animals as opposed to just writing about people.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews