Ostrich: (A Comic Novel)

By Michael A. Thomas

Book Overview

Nevada sheep rancher Sabine Eckleberry's life is in shambles. His wife has decamped to Arizona to run a dog-grooming business; his youngest daughter needs a husband; his irrepressible son VJ wants to turn the ranch into an ostrich-breeding operation; and the wild burros he has adopted to guard his sheep can't get along with their charges. Now his family and friends are about to descend on the ranch to celebrate Sabine's seventy-second birthday. The ranch is soon a chaos of budding and blighted romances, mistaken identities, rampaging poodles, runaway sheep, schemes of seduction and sudden wealth, and a newly hatched ostrich chick in search of love. Novelist Michael A. Thomas has created a cast of memorable human characters, a supporting cast of realistic animal personalities, and a colorful setting in Nevada's rangeland. His keen ear for dialogue and his perfect timing support a plot as complicated and satisfying as a Shakespearean comedy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874173515
• ISBN13: 9780874173512
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Poodles and Ostriches and Sheep, Oh My.

Ostrich was a charming book. VJ and Ev, best friends with totally opposite views and energy levels, are such delightful characters. They play off one another in a way that lets the reader get to know them thoroughly. Sabine and Magda, husband and wife, interact in a truely remarkable and heart-warming way, giving and taking, balancing stubbornness with love. Their three daughters, especially Rosa, are well-drawn and vital characters. And the Colonel, he's a very funny piece of work. Put these interesting characters, and their relationships, into a mix of animals including donkeys, poodles, sheep, and a hair-raising baby ostrich and you'll find as much delight as I did. Michael Thomas has a winner here.

People and other animals

This book is a hoot! Maybe it won't be classified a great literature, but it is vastly enjoyable-- a fun read. In these times of stress, angst, anxiety, etc., emotions seemingly caused by the conditions of life these days, what is more valuable to any of us than to have our spirits lifted by a chuckle or outloud laugh? OSTRICH entertains and amuses while slipping in some astute observations about humans and their foibles. Almost as important here are the animals who the author seems to understand as kindred, not too different from the rest of us. If one can read this and not be charmed by all the characters, two-legged, four-legged, and one even feathered; that person must be beyond hope. Try it, you'll like it.

A 'classic' comedy

A great comedy with a classic and predictable storyline. However, what makes the difference is that Thomas, in my mind, elevates the human and animal characters to the same level and as a result it is extremely entertaining to follow how animal logic manages and prevails over human ambition towards sorting things out.

Pretty funny

Didn't think a book on this topic could tell such a great story. Funny, interesting, and an author with a talent for drawing up characters and developng them brilliantly.

Enjoyable, Uplifting Read; Endearing Characters

Because I'm usually not the the type of person that reads light-hearted books, I didn't know quite what to expect when I picked up "Ostrich." The book didn't let me down. Mike Thomas does a good job of showing the reader the world through his characters' eyes, thus making even the repugnant personalaties in the book quite endearing. When I started the book, I wasn't sure that I would be able to read it through to the end, but by about a quarter of the way into it, I found myself hoping for the next chapter in order to find out how the characters would fare. In the meantime, interspersed throughout the book are nuggets of wisdom on topics that range from love to animal husbandry. This is the kind of book that makes you want to dog-ear the pages containing these nuggets of wisdom, because you'll want to find them at a later time. If you're looking for an uplifting read, I don't think you can really go wrong with "Ostrich."