A Bear's Diary

by Ralph Hancock

In 1805 the young Lord Byron, a new undergraduate at Cambridge University, was annoyed to find that he was not allowed to keep a dog in his rooms. So he bought a bear instead. And that might have been the end of it - except that Daisy was no ordinary bear. Three years later, thanks entirely to her unsparing efforts, the idle and dissolute young poet left Cambridge with a Master of Arts degree under his belt, and Daisy set out on a career as a scholar, entertainer, navigator and statesbear. As Napoleon's armies swept over Europe, it was a time when history was being made. She fought beside the future Duke of Wellington, gave wise advice to the Tsar of Russia and Sir Stamford Raffles, unfortunately rescued John Bellingham who was later to shoot the British Prime Minister, and in company with an eccentric Russian aristocrat took a ship through the icy Northeast Passage for the first time. This is her diary, written over seven momentous years that shaped the modern world.

Genres: Historical, Fiction

264 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2020

Reviews

[caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of A BEAR'S DIARY by Ralph Hancock in exchange for my honest review.***

Cambridge, November 6th, 1805
I did not dance well at the Bonfire Night show on Midsummer Common.
Afterwards, Fred said to me, «Daisy, me ole dear. Yer knows and I knows yer gettin’ a bit old for this game. An’ I got Bruin, an’ ’e’s learnin’ fast. ’E’s a chip orf the ole block. Now, Daisy, yer bin a good bear an’ a good friend to me all these years, an’ I’ll not see yer starve, I’ll do right by yer. There’s this lord, Byron ’e’s called, ’e’s a student at the university, an’ ’e wants to buy yer. ’E says ’e ain’t allowed to keep a dawg in ’is rooms, but there’s nothin’ in the rules agin ’avin’ a bear. We ’ad a laugh about that. ’E seems a good enough lad, and I think yer’ll be all right. Good lookin’ boy, though ’e’s a mite lame, gave me good money for yer. ’E’s comin’ to get yer tomorrer.»

This book was everything it says it is, and more. It literally is a bear's diary .
The book is written from the prospective of Daisy, a dancing bear who is somehow extremely erudite. Right at the beginning of the book, she is bought by Lord Byron, an idle Oxford student who is told he cannot have a dog with him at school. Through daily sporadic entries, she tells us about her life at Oxford - how she helps her owner with academic assignments, and even how she aids him in his graduation.
We then follow her though her pilgrimages in Portugal, the Indies and Russia, of which I will not say much as it would spoil the novel.

This book is perfect for who used to love Winnie the Pooh or Paddington Bear as a child. Although it has little to no direct parallels to those stories, the feeling of a bear who is your friend is pretty comforting and absolutely interesting.

A Bear's Diary is also perfect for fans of the dark academia aesthetic , and lovers of greek and latin classics.

In conclusion, I loved this book and I am surely going to purchase a physical copy of it.

[George1st · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an exceedingly erudite and learned individual Daisy is. Well versed in Latin and ancient Greek, she is able to quote the great philosophers at length.
She has no problem in passing the end of year Cambridge exams which she surreptiously took in place of the great Lord Byron. Of course no female would have been allowed to sit them at that time.
In addition to her remarkakable attributes, she is also an accomplished professional dancer. There is one other thing that distinguishes Daisy, she is a bear.

Based on the true story of Lord Byron's bear at Cambridge University, the book consists of Daisy's diary written over seven years.

Her adventures include fighting against Napoleon's armies, travelling around the world and giving prophetic advice to the Tsar of Russia.

Amusing, whimisical and showing a good deal of historic reseach, this was an enjoyable if somewhat different read.

Once the initial absurdity of the premise is accepted, the reader becomes more attuned to Daisy's mindset and character as the book progresses. By the end one can almost believe that this actually happened.

[cailleach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This breezes along as a travelogue of sorts of Daisy, a dancing bear who has become too old is sold off to Lord Byron, who is told he can't keep a dog at Oxford, so keeps a bear instead.. Daisy is a very special bear, she can fight and write greek essays that garner firsts, saving Byron's bacon when in reality I suspect Byron's bear led a pretty awful existence.She then travels on with his manservant to Portugal, the Indies and Russia gaining a pack of bears, being reunited with her son and fighting for life and justice. It's all light hearted but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief at the things the bears could do and I found the anthropomorphism a bit cloying after a while. It was fun at first but ultimately, I lost interest. I never liked Paddington Bear, Winnie the pooh or The wind in the willows as a child, I guess even as an adult anthropomorphism isn't for me.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fresh approach to an historical tale. It will definitely take a sense of whimsey as well as suspension of disbelief to accept the diary of a bear that reads Greek and Latin and managed to complete Lord Byron's final university exams for him, but accepting all that, I marched on and enjoyed Daisy's adventures.

In the tradition of picaresque tales, Daisy moves from city to country, dancing to war, and manages to have a very philosophical outlook on her life and times. If a reader is looking for a book that doesn't make them feel like they have "been there, done that," this might just be the perfect choice.

I got a kick out of it and am grateful to Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a candid review

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daisy is a bear of a different kind. Bought by Lord Byron as a joke she is the best investment he ever made, While he spends his student days in dissipation and fornication Daisy writes his essays and sits his exams for him with success.
Leaving the unreliable and disreputable Byron behind she sets off on her travels taking the reader to the theatres and courts of London, she meets royalty, fights for Wellington in Portugal and Spain, travels to Russia, Japan and New York she fairly gets about all the while collecting bears and performing with her dancing troupe collecting friends wherever she goes.
More travelogue than diary Daisy is not much for self analysis or reflection but perhaps this is true of all bears. Daisy faithfully narrates her adventures with her merry band of bears and dedicated human friends giving the reader a brief and entertaining glimpse of this period of history all over the world. Quoting the classics as she goes

[Elizabeth Grieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read, this is the tale of Daisy, a bear who at the start of the book, is briefly owned by none other than Byron, who keeps her in his rooms at Cambridge. However, she is no ordinary bear, not only to dance, but to read and write in English, Latin and Greek. She does not stay long with Byron, and embarks on an epic series of adventures. Along the way, she gathers a troupe of bears who go to perform for royalty, fight in the Napoleonic wars, explore the Arctic and much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend it.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

[Rebecca Batley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well written and an original take on a well known tale. Unfortunately I really struggled to engage with this book. I’m not even sure why......except it didn’t hold my interest.
It was an interesting premise though.

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book.