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Why Peacocks?: An Unlikely Search for Meaning in the World's Most Magnificent Bird
When Sean Flynn’s neighbor in North Carolina texted “Any chance you guys want a peacock? No kidding!” he stared bewilderedly at his phone. He had never considered whether he wanted a peacock. But as an award-winning magazine writer, this kind of mystery intrigued him. So he, his wife, and their two young sons became the owners of not one but three charming yet fickle birds: Carl, Ethel, and Mr. Pickle.
In Why Peacocks?, Flynn chronicles his hilarious and heartwarming first year as a peacock owner, from struggling to build a pen to assisting the local bird doctor in surgery to triumphantly watching a peahen lay her first egg. He also examines the history of peacocks, from their appearance in the Garden of Eden to their befuddling Charles Darwin to their bewitching the likes of Flannery O’Connor and Martha Stewart. And fueled by a reporter’s curiosity, he travels across the globe to learn more about the birds firsthand, with stops including a Scottish castle where peacocks have resided for centuries, a southern California community tormented by a serial killer of peacocks, and a Kansas City airport hotel hosting an annual gathering of true peafowl aficionados.
In Why Peacocks?, Flynn chronicles his hilarious and heartwarming first year as a peacock owner, from struggling to build a pen to assisting the local bird doctor in surgery to triumphantly watching a peahen lay her first egg. He also examines the history of peacocks, from their appearance in the Garden of Eden to their befuddling Charles Darwin to their bewitching the likes of Flannery O’Connor and Martha Stewart. And fueled by a reporter’s curiosity, he travels across the globe to learn more about the birds firsthand, with stops including a Scottish castle where peacocks have resided for centuries, a southern California community tormented by a serial killer of peacocks, and a Kansas City airport hotel hosting an annual gathering of true peafowl aficionados.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 11, 2021
40 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
About the author
Sean Flynn
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There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
August 5, 2021
There is a restaurant thirty miles or so from my house that pre Covid, my hubby and I would go to once a month. In back of the restaurant was a barn, a pond where the owners kept a range of animals and birds, swans etc. He also had peacocks and when one parked their car the peacocks would often be trolling through the parking lot. Beautiful birds, these not afraid if humans at all.
In this memoir of sorts, the author, explains how he and his family came to own peacocks. Though he himself, not his young sons, would be the one that became attached, obsessed with doing everything right for his new charges. Three, Carl, Ethel and Mr. Pickles. He also went to great lengths to learn the history of these birds, so the reader follows along. From early British courts, to Greek mythology, to the Spaldings of Chicago, to of course Flannery O'Connor we learn the historical and personal significance of these birds. He also travels to Scotland and other places where peacocks are kept. The chapter on the killing of these birds was difficult and not pleasant, but the majority of the book is informative, humorous, he has a wry sense of humor, and wonderful to read.
Plus, everytime I think of a peacock named Mr. Pickles, I just have to grin. The wonderful minds of children.
ARC from Edelweiss.
In this memoir of sorts, the author, explains how he and his family came to own peacocks. Though he himself, not his young sons, would be the one that became attached, obsessed with doing everything right for his new charges. Three, Carl, Ethel and Mr. Pickles. He also went to great lengths to learn the history of these birds, so the reader follows along. From early British courts, to Greek mythology, to the Spaldings of Chicago, to of course Flannery O'Connor we learn the historical and personal significance of these birds. He also travels to Scotland and other places where peacocks are kept. The chapter on the killing of these birds was difficult and not pleasant, but the majority of the book is informative, humorous, he has a wry sense of humor, and wonderful to read.
Plus, everytime I think of a peacock named Mr. Pickles, I just have to grin. The wonderful minds of children.
ARC from Edelweiss.
December 4, 2021
I'm really not sure what the point of this book was. The author tells the story of adopting peacocks, ostensibly to rescue them from an unsafe environment, but really because the owner wanted rid of them. I've read other books that discuss adopting a bird and how it affects a person's life (the most famous being H is for Hawk, but Featherhood: A Memoir of Two Fathers and a Magpie is another one), but the others I've read go much deeper than this book attempted, and I felt like I got something out of them. Meanwhile, this book read more like an nauseatingly long e-mail to extended family and friends letting them know how the peacock rearing was going. It's entirely forgettable.
April 18, 2021
I chose to read this book as I thought it would be a bit quirky and that I could learn something new. It was all that yet I never dreamed I could be so entertained and Why Peacocks would come to be one of my most favorite books of this year. So clever and Flynn’s words often made me laugh. Great storytelling regarding this most unusual yet beautiful 'pet'. I must also do a shout out to the chickens in Flynn’s menagerie of pets. Such personalities. They were a hoot! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
November 27, 2021
This book is neither a nature or a science book, although the author relates a little of each about peafowl. Instead, this is a journalist’s personal story into the birds he decides to buy and keep as pets. Flynn is a professional whose writing is ordinarily confined to researching and letting us know about world events. So “why peacocks.” Flynn has a small lot in semi-urban Durham, North Carolina. It is in no way big enough to be a farm, but is large enough to keep a variety of pets such as a cat, a dog, a miniature horse and 2 chickens. A peacock offer comes along and something he had never considered comes to his home and is now his responsibility.
Most people find peacocks beautiful to look at. The idea captures the author’s heart but he does virtually no prior research on care of these “pets.” It soon becomes evident they are an expense, are not really tame, don’t like to interact with humans and must be kept in cages which make them difficult to admire. His other “pets” are domesticated and easy, but peacocks are large, make a racket and on his little lot are really interesting only to him.
His impractical attitude towards livestock and the “let’s all be friends with the animals” approach annoys me. The one animal he gets angry about is the predating fox. Did he allow that to happen? Yes. Is that what foxes do? Yes, especially when they are raising kits in your rickety barn and you’ve done nothing to discourage the foxes from setting up there.
I’d recommend the book to people who enjoy a nice family story and someone interested in a little quick information on peafowl.
Most people find peacocks beautiful to look at. The idea captures the author’s heart but he does virtually no prior research on care of these “pets.” It soon becomes evident they are an expense, are not really tame, don’t like to interact with humans and must be kept in cages which make them difficult to admire. His other “pets” are domesticated and easy, but peacocks are large, make a racket and on his little lot are really interesting only to him.
His impractical attitude towards livestock and the “let’s all be friends with the animals” approach annoys me. The one animal he gets angry about is the predating fox. Did he allow that to happen? Yes. Is that what foxes do? Yes, especially when they are raising kits in your rickety barn and you’ve done nothing to discourage the foxes from setting up there.
I’d recommend the book to people who enjoy a nice family story and someone interested in a little quick information on peafowl.
June 27, 2021
This was an exceptionally entertaining book to read for me because I am a bird person. Not cat, not dog (although I have had dogs)- but a bird person. I would LOVE to meet that Dr. Burkett (the Avian doctor vet here). My Vet loves birds and has quite a high skill with them too, but not as specialized as Dr. Burkett is. You haven't lived until you've seen a cockatiel with an IV? I know how weird it is but we are out there. Some places in masses with the parrots. And Sean Flynn knows too- if they look sick they are FAR sicker. Birds hide it WELL. They have to.
This is memoir and for a time near the 1/3rd or so point I thought it was more about him and his family than the peacocks. But it is truly about both topics. He travels much for his news job and by including all the Peacocks fame places! That was beyond enthralling. Especially the Lanes near LA where they have the peacock serial murderer.
But it's about, at core, those things in life that are done just for the doing. No specific purposes and tremendous amounts of effort and cost, but "just because". Most people do understand that and also how those "liking" foibles make people so core differing from each other.
Every chance I see peafowl now I will be observing their conditions and actions in a far deeper manner. I see them strutting around Brookfield Zoo (they are left out in the open areas and used to be often by the big pond that held so many flamingos)- at least once or twice a year.
It was nearly a 5 star read by the ending. Not because of the humor or the serendipity of his tasks or outcomes either. In fact, I disagree pretty much. Definitely holding a fairly strong and nearly opposite set of equivocations for both his parenting explanations to his boys and some of his decisions with the birds themselves. But then I don't have peacocks. He should absolutely have known far more about them, their habits, their feed, their apt surroundings before the facts of owning them or constructing their protections.
Chickens as pets make me sad. (He has other pets.) I don't know why. Oh yes, I do know why. Because it always ends exactly like these girls.
Recommending this book if you are a pet person. Or if you have an interest about peafowl being able to live in the wild with all that plumage. And especially if you have been owned by birds, as I have. Ones much more savvy than the peafowl. But none that are close to being as hefty or beautiful.
This is memoir and for a time near the 1/3rd or so point I thought it was more about him and his family than the peacocks. But it is truly about both topics. He travels much for his news job and by including all the Peacocks fame places! That was beyond enthralling. Especially the Lanes near LA where they have the peacock serial murderer.
But it's about, at core, those things in life that are done just for the doing. No specific purposes and tremendous amounts of effort and cost, but "just because". Most people do understand that and also how those "liking" foibles make people so core differing from each other.
Every chance I see peafowl now I will be observing their conditions and actions in a far deeper manner. I see them strutting around Brookfield Zoo (they are left out in the open areas and used to be often by the big pond that held so many flamingos)- at least once or twice a year.
It was nearly a 5 star read by the ending. Not because of the humor or the serendipity of his tasks or outcomes either. In fact, I disagree pretty much. Definitely holding a fairly strong and nearly opposite set of equivocations for both his parenting explanations to his boys and some of his decisions with the birds themselves. But then I don't have peacocks. He should absolutely have known far more about them, their habits, their feed, their apt surroundings before the facts of owning them or constructing their protections.
Chickens as pets make me sad. (He has other pets.) I don't know why. Oh yes, I do know why. Because it always ends exactly like these girls.
Recommending this book if you are a pet person. Or if you have an interest about peafowl being able to live in the wild with all that plumage. And especially if you have been owned by birds, as I have. Ones much more savvy than the peafowl. But none that are close to being as hefty or beautiful.
May 11, 2021
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
3.5 stars, rounded down. I'll explain why I rounded down in the end.
This is a very unique read, and I must say it was very interesting to learn more about peacocks as a domesticized bird. This book is both about how the author got his own particular peacocks, how he learned to keep such an unusual pet, find his own people and what the birds taught him. But also, since the author is a journalist, he shares a lot of interesting snippets about the birds - their histories, what types of peacocks exist, how they are bred and stuff like that. It was all very interesting and I would have never even remotely learned any of this anywhere else.
And why did I round the rating down? I really don't understand why someone would finish an optimistic book about pets with a few pages about
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
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3.5 stars, rounded down. I'll explain why I rounded down in the end.
This is a very unique read, and I must say it was very interesting to learn more about peacocks as a domesticized bird. This book is both about how the author got his own particular peacocks, how he learned to keep such an unusual pet, find his own people and what the birds taught him. But also, since the author is a journalist, he shares a lot of interesting snippets about the birds - their histories, what types of peacocks exist, how they are bred and stuff like that. It was all very interesting and I would have never even remotely learned any of this anywhere else.
And why did I round the rating down? I really don't understand why someone would finish an optimistic book about pets with a few pages about
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
August 10, 2021
Memoir of a family keeping peacocks as pets--among other critters. Much peacock lore and history here. The book flowed nicely with gentle humor in spots.
June 14, 2021
I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but somehow I could not resist the peacock premise. This is a memoir of contemporary family life. Sean, the author and narrator, tells the story of how his family settled in North Carolina on a property just large enough to keep chickens and peacocks. This is a funny, wry memoir about unexamined decisions and unexpected passions. It made me laugh and it also made me find out more about peacocks. I would recommend this.
May 16, 2021
A delightful book for bird lovers which I am, but I didn't know much about peacocks other than the eye-popping beauty of the male. This book recounts the author's experience of acquiring and caring for peacocks and peahens and gives some history of the worldwide allure of these birds as well as the experiences of other peacock owners that he interviews. An interesting and informative read.
February 5, 2021
I never thought that a non-fiction book about peafowl (a delightful term I've learned from Sean Flynn) would make me both laugh out loud and cry multiple times, but that's exactly what happened. As much as this is a story about Carl, Ethel, and Mr. Pickle, the peahen and peacocks the family has spontaneously adopted, it's also a story about Sean Flynn's family and, just as the tagline says, their search for meaning. Why do humans love the magnificent beauty of peacocks so much? What binds us to our pets, and what's left when they die? How do you explain death to a child, especially death of a pet? The rabbit hole of peafowl love (dare I say obsession) that Sean Flynn takes us down is incredibly fascinating, hilarious, and written with the seasoned wit and narrative prowess of a journalist of Flynn's caliber. I'm fairly certain Flynn could write a book about the history of dirt and I'd read it. But I most enjoyed the intimate look into the family's relationships, as well as Flynn's rumination into his own life as both a journalist of death and a loving father and husband, with all screw-ups, insecurities, and self-doubt included. By the end, I was as charmed by Sean Flynn and his wife and children as I was by their magnificent birds.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2021
One summer, two peacocks and a peahen walked into my yard. They stayed for a while and then disappeared. I had no idea there were peacocks in North Idaho, so I wanted to learn more. I picked up this book because I figured it would help me. Unfortunately, it’s more of a memoir and the peafowl seem just an excuse for the author to write about his life. There are some fascinating details about the species and their behavior, but I was expecting more. Instead, Flynn talks about his family, the backstory of everybody he meets, the shortage of sand and the refugee crisis. These may be interesting facts for other readers, I just wanted more about these beautiful birds and I always figured the kind of people who read these books are animal nuts like me. The author is likable but, if he has a wild passion for animals, it doesn’t show. I’ve loved other animal memoirs (like Sy Montgomery’s), but only when the creatures are front and center and the humans just the background. This book has it backwards and I just don’t find humans as interesting as other animals.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Simon & Schuster!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Simon & Schuster!
October 24, 2021
I enjoyed it, but pictures of his birds and maybe the birds he saw on his travels would have made me like it even more.
August 1, 2022
An entertaining book that is more memoir than science or nature. I did have expectations of this book being like Eager (beaver book) or Other Minds (octopus book) or The Book of Eels (eel book) but it is a little different than those. This book is more about the author and his family's foray into taking on peafowl as pets on their faux farm. The author's writing is humorous and self-effacing, often making fun of himself on this journey. I would have loved more stories about peafowl in general and a little more on their biology (maybe there isn't that much?) but it is still wonderful. It is a worthy read if you like the fusion of memoir and science.
December 4, 2021
3.5 stars. This book took !e about 7 days to finish with is quite rare. i started reading it and then got distracted by other books and completely forgot about it for a few days. Not a bad book though, just didn't compel me as much as I thought it would. Interesting subject with peacocks but wasn't the most fascinating animal non fiction read either
July 10, 2021
Loved this book. Never thought much about peacocks. Neither did the author, yet he ended up with six! Such an easy and wonderful read. Wise, tender, moving and often quit funny.
April 25, 2021
Midlife crisis? Long-time passion? Catalyst for a memoir? Escape from reality of a job ranging from reporting war time atrocities to heartbreak from raging fires? Family dramedy? Natural observations? History? Why Peacocks seems to cover all those very nicely.
Sean Flynn is enchanted by peacocks. After a household pet makes an unfortunate exit, Flynn starts going down a path that leads to the purchase of two male peacocks and one female peahen. Tenacious and curious as a reporter, Flynn seems to ignore that part of his personality as he grapples with the responsibilities of being a new “pet” peacock owner. As he educates himself, he educates the reader. He never loses sight of the impact of these birds on his supportive family, who are both a source of laughter, poignancy, and a reality check.
Flynn make the peacocks’ personalities (and other barnyard denizens) come to life. But he also illuminates the quirky personalities of other peacock aficionados from California, Scotland, India and his own home state….plus there are also mentions of Martha Stewart!
This is not like any memoir or avian book that I have ever read (although my experience is not all that vast). Enjoyable, humorous, quirky and informative. Yay! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book.
Sean Flynn is enchanted by peacocks. After a household pet makes an unfortunate exit, Flynn starts going down a path that leads to the purchase of two male peacocks and one female peahen. Tenacious and curious as a reporter, Flynn seems to ignore that part of his personality as he grapples with the responsibilities of being a new “pet” peacock owner. As he educates himself, he educates the reader. He never loses sight of the impact of these birds on his supportive family, who are both a source of laughter, poignancy, and a reality check.
Flynn make the peacocks’ personalities (and other barnyard denizens) come to life. But he also illuminates the quirky personalities of other peacock aficionados from California, Scotland, India and his own home state….plus there are also mentions of Martha Stewart!
This is not like any memoir or avian book that I have ever read (although my experience is not all that vast). Enjoyable, humorous, quirky and informative. Yay! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book.
September 4, 2022
This book was both fascinating and had me just skimming pages at times. Hence my ⭐️⭐️⭐️ review.
I throughly enjoyed the personal story that Sean Flynn told about his and his family’s experience with their various pets, more specifically the peacocks. That’s why I picked up this book.
But there were times that I feel he digressed into less enjoyable tangents that caused me to begin to lose interest and I’d have to try to skim in order to get to the narrative I was really interested in.
Overall it was very enjoyable and I did learn a good deal more about peacocks than I did prior to reading this book.
I throughly enjoyed the personal story that Sean Flynn told about his and his family’s experience with their various pets, more specifically the peacocks. That’s why I picked up this book.
But there were times that I feel he digressed into less enjoyable tangents that caused me to begin to lose interest and I’d have to try to skim in order to get to the narrative I was really interested in.
Overall it was very enjoyable and I did learn a good deal more about peacocks than I did prior to reading this book.
September 14, 2022
This book caught my eye at the library, owing mostly to the long-running inside joke I have with a friend. But I like books and I like learning so here we are. It did not disappoint. The author is a writer for GQ, and the book reads like a long melodious magazine article. Informative and descriptive, he takes you on a journey through his own menagerie and peppers in hot historical takes. So yeah, I borrowed this book for kicks and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 8, 2025
The best thing about this book was that my mom read it first and a bunch of the writing tickled her so much that she couldn't stop laughing long enough to read me the parts she found so funny.
So by the time I got to it, I had it built up too much probably. But I still enjoyed it.
It starts off with a Christmas story, which felt fitting for my first book of the year, coming off of Christmas with my folks.
It's full of lots of interesting tidbits and history and interviews and weird stuff that happened and family stuff. Does it come together? Maybe not so much. The meaning he finds is gentle, delicate, oblique: life is here, then it's not. Enjoy it, help it along.
So by the time I got to it, I had it built up too much probably. But I still enjoyed it.
It starts off with a Christmas story, which felt fitting for my first book of the year, coming off of Christmas with my folks.
It's full of lots of interesting tidbits and history and interviews and weird stuff that happened and family stuff. Does it come together? Maybe not so much. The meaning he finds is gentle, delicate, oblique: life is here, then it's not. Enjoy it, help it along.
February 24, 2022
Well? Why? An entertaining and informative book about…you guessed it! Peacocks! “An acclaimed
journalist seeks to understand the mysterious allure of peacocks—and in the process discovers
unexpected and valuable life lessons.” (From the publisher.) Join Mr. Flynn and his family through
his preparation for and life with peacocks.
— Darcey
journalist seeks to understand the mysterious allure of peacocks—and in the process discovers
unexpected and valuable life lessons.” (From the publisher.) Join Mr. Flynn and his family through
his preparation for and life with peacocks.
— Darcey
May 13, 2023
I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book, but what I was met with was very lovely. It was funny and informative all wrapped up in a lovely indigo hue. My only gripe is that I would have loved to hear a bit more from the wife. If my partner kept bringing home peacocks and spent small fortunes at the vet, I certainly would have had something to say lmao
August 10, 2021
This was entertaining and informative. It's somewhat of a memoir/history of a family's pets as well. I could identify with the author in his deep dive into owning peacocks, in that I also have a tendency to dive into something without much research and then persevere to make a go of it.
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December 9, 2021I loved the style of writing and the author's family experiences. But, I personally can not read about his line of work. Too upsetting for me. That is the why I did not finish reading the book. If I had finished this book I most likely would have rated it with 4 stars.
April 11, 2022
Excellent book! Entertaining, educational and at times heartbreaking. It examines the roles of pets in our lives, even if the pets are peacocks. I very much enjoyed this book.
September 18, 2021
The memoir part of this book really engaging. The author has a young family and their misadventures raising peacocks and other animals were entertaining. There are many tangents and historical references that I didn't enjoy and felt they slowed the book down.
April 7, 2021
I’ve always been fascinated and mesmerized by peacocks so was instantly attracted to this book title. It never occurred to me that anyone had peacocks as pets, as I’d only ever seen them at botanic gardens, running wild in nearby Palos Verdes, or on Hugh Hefner’s estate on Girls Next Door. Coincidentally, the peacocks in Palos Verdes are mentioned in this book, but I digress. This book is perfect in describing how one ends up with peacocks as pets, and how peacocks and other pets shape our emotional and psychological existence, both as individuals and in families.
This book is well crafted and flows seamlessly from true tales of peafowl ownership to historical and biological references and wonderings. I was so fascinated by some of the historical details that I googled them to see pictures (example, Whistler’s Peacock Room). I laughed hysterically at the Martha Stewart references and easily followed the author’s train of thought, even when it leaned to absurd musings. I cried when he described the loss of pets, and his children and wife’s reactions. All of it was very real. He is neither pretentious nor mundane, and I enjoyed this book much more than anticipated.
I don’t often read non fiction memoirs and I’m glad I strayed from the norm for this. It’s well worth the change of pace. If you, too, love peacocks, zoology, memoirs, do-it-yourself stories, mixed with historical references then I highly recommend this book. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read the ARC.
This book is well crafted and flows seamlessly from true tales of peafowl ownership to historical and biological references and wonderings. I was so fascinated by some of the historical details that I googled them to see pictures (example, Whistler’s Peacock Room). I laughed hysterically at the Martha Stewart references and easily followed the author’s train of thought, even when it leaned to absurd musings. I cried when he described the loss of pets, and his children and wife’s reactions. All of it was very real. He is neither pretentious nor mundane, and I enjoyed this book much more than anticipated.
I don’t often read non fiction memoirs and I’m glad I strayed from the norm for this. It’s well worth the change of pace. If you, too, love peacocks, zoology, memoirs, do-it-yourself stories, mixed with historical references then I highly recommend this book. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read the ARC.
January 25, 2022
Not bad. Interesting about all the different kinds of peacocks and the care and feeding of such. Occasionally laugh out loud funny, occasionally sad, but it all balances out.
May 26, 2021
Sy Montgomery's warm review of Flynn's engaging book had me reserving it at the library immediately. As it happened, a bookstore I follow on Facebook held a free online live author talk the day the book came in for me. One benefit of Zoom author talks is that the author can present while sitting inside the peacock (or, more correctly, peafowl) pen and we could see the cast of characters wandering around (and shrieking) in the background.
After many years of covering wars, mass shootings and other catastrophes, Flynn admits he had gotten to a place where he struggled to maintain his necessary "distance" from the grief and trauma he wrote about. In the online interview, he mentions a career combat photographer he knows who did "brilliant" work in Iraq, Afghanistan and other such hellholes for a long time. And now he only takes photos of fish. Flynn has peacocks. He and his family on their little "phony farm" in North Carolina already had two chickens, a pug, a cat who lived in the okra patch, and a tenant mini-horse. But one day he gets a text asking if he could use a peacock. "Yes, please," replies his wife (a lifelong admirer of Flannery O'Connor, a famous peafowl fancier). They know virtually nothing about them, but his first view of an India blue male in all its splendor mesmerizes him. So there they are, hosts to two peacocks and a peahen (first mistake).
This is not the cute Durrells-in-Corfu kind of charm; madcap pratfalls and hilarity do not consistently ensue - it is often funny, but in the dry, wry voice of a middle-aged man actually a bit puzzled by what has happened to him. He is surprised by the cheery charm of chickens, and it takes him a while to understand the peacocks, who are cautious, quite serious, and much harder to win over. But being a journalist - and a very good one - he knows how to learn about stuff, and writes about it expertly, thoughtfully, and vividly. He weaves in chapters on the history and mythology surrounding peacocks, the structure of their spectacular trains, and the people who breed and keep them (including an heiress who founded a hospital near where I work, and "invented" a new cross-breed of peafowl). There are battles where feral peafowl wander upscale neighborhoods: some people love them, others hate them, and a serial killer starts leaving pea-corpses in the streets. They are big, noisy, destructive - they fight their reflections in shiny car bumpers and scream all night long during the breeding season. Flynn learns they are not at all the elegant, decorative yard ornaments he had expected. They are themselves, with their own needs, desires, and thoughts, just wanting to live their peacock lives. And though he doesn't investigate it in the same long-form journalism way, there is an important thread about how we relate to, are enchanted by, and have our hearts broken by our relationships with animals: his young son's longing for a pet snake, the delightful Barred Rock hens Comet and Snowball, the pug, and how you choose to deal with a foolish young peacock who has gulped down zinc nails and nuts and washers and a copper grommet and requires chelation, weeks of veterinary care and hours of surgery. Warning: animals die in this book.
There might be a bit more background information at more length than is strictly necessary (admirable as he may have been, several pages on Andrew Carnegie feel a bit tangential). But overall, this is a skillfully written, informative, and often moving piece of work (I read it in a day.) It also taught me that when the time comes, I think I will stick with chickens.
After many years of covering wars, mass shootings and other catastrophes, Flynn admits he had gotten to a place where he struggled to maintain his necessary "distance" from the grief and trauma he wrote about. In the online interview, he mentions a career combat photographer he knows who did "brilliant" work in Iraq, Afghanistan and other such hellholes for a long time. And now he only takes photos of fish. Flynn has peacocks. He and his family on their little "phony farm" in North Carolina already had two chickens, a pug, a cat who lived in the okra patch, and a tenant mini-horse. But one day he gets a text asking if he could use a peacock. "Yes, please," replies his wife (a lifelong admirer of Flannery O'Connor, a famous peafowl fancier). They know virtually nothing about them, but his first view of an India blue male in all its splendor mesmerizes him. So there they are, hosts to two peacocks and a peahen (first mistake).
This is not the cute Durrells-in-Corfu kind of charm; madcap pratfalls and hilarity do not consistently ensue - it is often funny, but in the dry, wry voice of a middle-aged man actually a bit puzzled by what has happened to him. He is surprised by the cheery charm of chickens, and it takes him a while to understand the peacocks, who are cautious, quite serious, and much harder to win over. But being a journalist - and a very good one - he knows how to learn about stuff, and writes about it expertly, thoughtfully, and vividly. He weaves in chapters on the history and mythology surrounding peacocks, the structure of their spectacular trains, and the people who breed and keep them (including an heiress who founded a hospital near where I work, and "invented" a new cross-breed of peafowl). There are battles where feral peafowl wander upscale neighborhoods: some people love them, others hate them, and a serial killer starts leaving pea-corpses in the streets. They are big, noisy, destructive - they fight their reflections in shiny car bumpers and scream all night long during the breeding season. Flynn learns they are not at all the elegant, decorative yard ornaments he had expected. They are themselves, with their own needs, desires, and thoughts, just wanting to live their peacock lives. And though he doesn't investigate it in the same long-form journalism way, there is an important thread about how we relate to, are enchanted by, and have our hearts broken by our relationships with animals: his young son's longing for a pet snake, the delightful Barred Rock hens Comet and Snowball, the pug, and how you choose to deal with a foolish young peacock who has gulped down zinc nails and nuts and washers and a copper grommet and requires chelation, weeks of veterinary care and hours of surgery. Warning: animals die in this book.
There might be a bit more background information at more length than is strictly necessary (admirable as he may have been, several pages on Andrew Carnegie feel a bit tangential). But overall, this is a skillfully written, informative, and often moving piece of work (I read it in a day.) It also taught me that when the time comes, I think I will stick with chickens.
May 31, 2023
This was a really fun book! I'm not entirely sure what the search for meaning was or perhaps what the outcome of that search was that Flynn found. I suppose going into this I was thinking there would be more philosophical musings on the meaning of life, the universe, and everything than there was. All of that aside, it was a fun read and I recommend it to all of my zoo friends, especially those on Team Peacock.
#TeamPeacock #BringBackThePeacocks
#TeamPeacock #BringBackThePeacocks
August 10, 2021
I really liked this book. I am interested in this type of thing, so the book was a good fit for me. The thing that kept this book from being a "5" was all the gratuitous cursing, including quite a few "f" bombs. None of them were necessary.
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