Review of Favored Furry Blessings

[ciecheesemeister]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Favored Furry Blessings" by Antoinette Leopoldina Oliveira.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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If you are a pet owner, you may enjoy Favored Furry Blessings, a brief memoir by Antoinette Leopoldina Oliveira, detailing the lives of three of her pets.

When Ms. Oliveira was a single mother living alone with her two small children, she was frightened by the presence of mice in the house. Her landlady felt that a cat would help with the mouse problem and brought the family a gray kitten, whom the author’s daughter named Neika.

Another animal family member joined the household in the form of a black collie/German shepherd mix given to the author’s son Scott by his mentor from the Big Brothers program. Scott named the puppy Biscuit. The third chapter discusses another dog called Apache.

As an animal lover myself, my favorite aspect of the book was reading about the animals and their unique personalities. Neika, for instance, was a very stubborn cat who was not always friendly. She would irritate Biscuit the dog by jumping on his back from a chair or disturbing him when he was trying to sleep. She did not always take kindly to being petted.

My least favorite aspect of the book involved the stories of the dogs being kept outside, in Biscuit’s case, on a chain, as he was an extraordinarily strong dog and could be aggressive to humans. I do not mean to imply that the author was abusive as I do not think that was in any way her intent.

The stories the author is sharing took place in the late 1960s and early 1970s. People’s understanding of how animals should be treated and cared for was different at that time. My father, for instance, always believed that it was unkind not to allow cats to roam free.

After suffering the death of several beloved pets on the busy road in front of my childhood home, I always vowed that my cats would be indoor only. There was one cat that I was unable to stick to that promise with. Isis was semi-feral and would run out around my feet when I was leaving the house. I eventually gave up chasing her. I lived in a quiet mobile home park at the time, and she was very persistent.

I do feel that dogs should not be allowed to roam free, not only for the sake of the animal but also for the safety of humans that the dog might encounter. Having been chased by dogs on several occasions during my childhood, I am somewhat afraid of them. I live in a rural setting at this point, and I am dismayed when I see people allowing their dogs to roam.

I do not believe that the book was professionally edited. I only found three errors, but given the brevity of the book, I feel that these are errors that an editor should have caught, particularly since the first one appears in the first sentence.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this memoir about the author’s beloved pets and would be interested in reading the book she wrote about her dog, Apache, whose story appears in the third chapter of this book. I give Favored Furry Blessings three out of four stars.

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Favored Furry Blessings
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[kittykat6132]

Cute cover, but I don't have pets, this memoir might be something I might not relate to well.

[Rishi_reviews]

The concept of the book seems quite interesting to me. I've seen the secret Life of pets movie, I don't think it'll be as entertaining as that but it'll still be a different experience to rest it. Thanks for the review.

[Alexander C Schmoock]

Good pets are usually an integral part of the owner's life, so I can understand a memoir dedicated to them. Great review.

[Uchechukwu Okereke]

Being the owner of two dogs and three cats, this book seems to resonate with me. I found some of the contexts of the review quite humorous and some a bit frightening especially the ones that triggered the feeling of bereavement. I have a feeling I would come back to this book pretty soon.