Published by Macmillan audio, St. Martin's Press Genres: coming of age, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, young adult
Format: ARC, Audiobook, eBook
Raw, heartbreaking, beautiful, and powerful. A Good Animal is a beautifully written book that is part coming of age, part romance, and part historical fiction. Sara Maurer brilliantly captures what it is like to grow up in a rural community, what it is like to be a farmer, to raise and breed livestock, to be a teen wanting more, to be a teen being happy with how life is, and about the hard choices one must make in life.
Everett Lindt grew up on his family’s sheep farm. It is all he knows and all he wants. He loves the land, the animals, and the way of life. It’s not an easy life, but it is the life he wants. Mary is the new girl at school. She has moved a lot in her young life due to her father being in the Coast Guard. Mary is restless and wants more out of life. When they fall for each other, they will be faced with first love, with adult feelings and desires, with tough choices, and with teen dreams.
This book is beautifully written, moving, heart wrenching, and raw. This is a book that meanders along yet never felt slow to me. I was engrossed and captivated by the plot, the characters, and the rural setting. I grew up in a small town and could relate to both of the characters. The pull of the land and the pull for something more was captured so eloquently in this wonderful gem of a book.
I had both the book and the audiobook which made for a delightful reading experience. I found the audiobook to be very well done.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
