3 Review(s)

The book is a collection of short stories, each featuring different animals endowed with human-like intelligence and characteristics. Reed’s clever beasts are anthropomorphized creatures who engage in various behaviors and activities that are both amusing and reflective of human society.Each story is a blend of satire and fantasy, where the animals navigate situations that often mirror human dilemmas. For example, you might find a story about a fox dealing with issues of vanity, or a parrot pondering the nature of communication and language. These tales are light-hearted but often carry underlying messages about human nature, society, and the follies of mankind.Reed’s writing is marked by its wit and playfulness. She uses the framework of "unnatural history" to poke fun at the conventions of scientific study, while also delivering stories that entertain and provoke thought. The tone is often humorous, with Reed using the animals' actions and dialogues to comment on various aspects of human behavior, such as pride, ambition, and social pretensions.