Review by Booklist Review
Montgomery and her husband began keeping chickens on their New Hampshire property in the 1980s and the always sparkling nature writer has been in love with these underestimated birds ever since. In this account of her adventures in the "Chicken Universe," she recounts many sweet moments, including how she raised chicks in her office, writing at her desk with little ones cuddling on her lap. The tales she tells about her flock, the Ladies, and her friends' chickens, reveal the wondrous extent of chicken intelligence and affection, from their sharp sense of place to gift for language, love of play, and sense of humor. Nearly everything people "know" about chickens, she writes, is wrong. As always, Montgomery is spellbinding and informative in her accounts of human interactions with other species, seamlessly covering natural history and up-to-date science. From learning to live with rogue roosters and Pickles, a "special needs" chicken, to how the free-roaming Ladies, who loved to be caressed, spent their contented days, until the "recovering ecosystem" led to the return of predators, Montgomery's not-to-be-missed chicken chronicle is enlightening and enlivening.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Noted author and naturalist Montgomery (The Hawk's Way; The Hummingbird's Gift) invites readers into the cozy, companionable world of her chickens, known as the Ladies. Beginning with day-old chicks delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, Montgomery and her husband have raised chickens for several decades. Montgomery immerses herself in what she calls the "Chicken Universe," and when the chicks' feathers emerge, everything in her office, including herself, is coated in keratin dust. Her involvement in the lives of her Ladies never diminishes. This sometimes tragic and frequently comic chicken-chronicle acquaints readers with a variety of personable hens and is infrequently garnished with photographs. Montgomery weaves research results into her tales of daily life with her Ladies, challenging commonly held notions that chickens are not terribly smart. In addition to generations of hens (and a few roosters), Montgomery introduces readers to other chicken enthusiasts, including a couple who run a rooster sanctuary and a neighbor who engages in small-scale construction projects for the benefit of the Ladies. Back matter includes a selected bibliography. VERDICT Montgomery's expertise as a naturalist and fluid writing style combine for an engaging and eye-opening read. For all collections.--Judy Poyer
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Setting the record straight about the humble chicken. Montgomery's portrayal of what she terms the "Chicken Universe" is packed with colorful characters, ranging from variously feathered chickens to variously informed neighbors, friends, and other interlopers who offer advice and provide delightful anecdotes. In turns laugh-out-loud funny and tear-jerking, Montgomery's account is consistently thought-provoking and informative. The author reframes the assumptions that many laypeople carry about chickens, debunking stereotypes about their lack of intelligence with support from specific scientific studies and stories from her own experiences with her "Ladies," as she affectionately refers to her flock of hens. From the outset, Montgomery states that "almost everything people 'know' about chickens is wrong," and goes on to prove as much throughout her account. The author acknowledges these misunderstandings without much judgment, instead setting the record straight and sharing the vibrant and varied lives of these birds. As she says, "[Chickens] have a great deal of wisdom to share with us, as well as comfort and joy." Montgomery does not shy away from the more unsavory, less palatable truths of these animals, at times criticizing the human tendency toward anthropomorphism and at other times wryly questioning if she too is falling victim to the very same. With a subject matter that could easily lend itself to sanctimonious sentimentality, Montgomery maintains a degree of discernment, insisting that chickens do not deserve our respect because of the ways in which they are similar to humans, but instead for the simple fact that they are living things, with their own lives. An unflinching and surprisingly heartfelt account of a complex ecosystem. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
