Outfoxed

Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I am a huge fan of Ms. Brown's previous work, but this one went right into the recycle bin. Too much time spent on descriptions of the clothes and the tack and the food and the whiny justifications for hunting in the 21st century. The characters were wooden (including the cutesy talking animals)and the plot reminded me of a previous entry in the much-better written Rita Mae-and Sneaky Pie series, where I think it should have stayed. This would possibly have made a nice essay about Southern heritage in some niche mag, but doesn't do a thing for mystery lovers or fans of good writing. Sorry.

Rating:
Summary: Mystery involving a different way of life...
Review: I am getting the distinct feeling that many people are not happy with this information concerning fox hunting in America. Myself, I find it interesting (since Virgina is barely a hop, skip, and a jump away from Pennsylvania). Also, many readers are a little skeptical of Brown's anthromorphizing of the animals in her book. Even though we do not understand everything there is to know about animals, I do know as a scientist that many of the past ways of looking at animals are untrue. For years, scientists said animals did not play. That's been disproven on many fronts. When was the last time you saw an otter? Sometimes I think all they do is play and preen themselves. And zoos are now giving animals all kinds of 'human' things like balls, ropes, etc. because they found out that animals like bears and monkees are prone to depression if they don't have much to play with, or never see anything new to explore.

Enough of the ranting. I enjoyed this book. It obviously came before one of her other books I read with 'Sister' in it. Some of the talk between the animals is absolutely hilarious, just because I can imagine the dumb things that we do as humans probably amuse them. As for animals like foxes becoming used to people, it does happen...we went camping and had three skunks as visitors, who would munch on marshmallows for an hour while around the campfire, and then left to bug someone else. Screams all over the campsite but no one got sprayed. Those skunks knew we were a source of treats. I don't recommend feeding wild animals usually, and especially with rabies in raccons and skunks. But these guys were harmless, and just after our food. I imagine the animals got a big kick out of scaring campers too.

Rita Mae Brown has always been a favorite of mine, and will continue to be as she writes. She is a good writer, and I happen to like the dialogue between humans and between animals. This is a method of writing that has been around for a long time...remember Watership Down, and of course, Animal Farm by George Orwell. This is just a light and enjoyable read. When you have to read bioethics and science stuff all the time, it is nice to have something like this at your bedside.

Karen Sadler

Rating:
Summary: A good, well-written mystery.
Review: I enjoyed "Outfoxed". As usual with Rita Mae Brown's books, I have an initial credibility gap when the animals start to talk. But then I remember that they really function like the Greek chorus in the classic plays, and the comments are delightfully editorial and observative. I revel in the detail, too: the setting of the fox hunt, and the view that the fox hunt is a giant game with rules understood by people, horses, hounds, and foxes alike...that's a delightful perspective. No, the murder isn't particularly important--it isn't meant to be. The suspense comes from wondering which one of the two disgusting antagonists is gonna get done in, and the hope is---that they both will. What's amazing about Brown is that she is able to prolong the suspense up to the very last ten pages: it's then that we find out who the murderer is, and what the motive is for the murder, and that--like the heroine, Sister--the reader feels happy about the demise of the man, and angry about the killing of the fox. The novel exhibits a fine use of suspense and detail, and is a compelling look at social issues and behavior as well.

Rating:
Summary: Outfoxed
Review: I feel compelled to preface this review with the comment that I absolutely stand in awe of Rita Mae Brown. From RUBY FRUIT JUNGLE to her recent autobiography, I find her compelling, down-to-earth, intriguing, a thought-provoker with strong opinions and a writing style that always draws me in and keeps me there until the last page; and then I'm never ready to stop reading - I only stop because the book ends and it would make me look stupid if I kept looking at it. Okay, the point I'm trying NOT to get to is...I found OUTFOXED to be puzzling to say the least. Maybe I just don't want to know that much about foxhunting and the people who do it - there didn't seem to be enough concentration on developing a plot in this story. It was more about the ins and outs of foxes and hounds. I'm very willing to concede that the subject matter just isn't my cup of tea, but the author seemed to skim over the storyline and focus her energies on explaining the process of approaching the hunt. I finished it, but only becuase it was written by the amazing Rita Mae Brown.

I get the feeling that she is just so crazy about the subject of foxhunting that she just decided to write about it and all the aspects she finds so fascinating. It almost seemed to be an essay and that's okay, I just was not drawn in - the writing felt a little too much like a lecture and that wasn't what I expected.

I'm very curious about the reaction of others to this book. I'd love to hear that it's somebody's favorite and that I was just in a fuzzy state of mind. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to draw some conclusions and gain insights from the animal behavior and the humans, too; but there were a few too many cliches and generalizations incorporated in OUTFOXED - regarding human behavior and the lack of integrity displayed by so many of her characters; and what appeared to me to be a certain acceptance of their disloyalty and deceptiveness as just about all you can expect from even the cream of the crop. I wanted to read more about the two sisters and how they dealt with their particular conflicts, but got only a summary of events and then it's back to the hounds.

I could read SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT, BINGO, VENUS ENVY and RUBY FRUIT JUNGLE over and over and pick up something new each time. This latest offering left me feeling not outfoxed, but definitly outside the inner circle.

Rating:
Summary: A mystery about foxhunters - with clever dialogue
Review: I have enjoyed all of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries, in part because I'm a cat-and-dog person. The illustrations are a plus, done by people who really know and love animals. OUTFOXED is written in Ms. Brown's easy-to-stay-with style, with lots of commentary from the animals involved. The book may tell more about foxhunting than you might care to know, but Rita Mae Brown makes the human and animal characters so likable that you keep wanting to know what happens to them next. I hope she will give us more books in this style, as well as keeping on in her collaboration with Sneaky Pie Brown in stories about Mrs. Murphy's doings.

Rating:
Summary: Too many talking animals
Review: I love Rita Mae, I've read just about everything she's written, and I looked forward to this mystery which did not feature Mrs. Murphy (I thought it would be a nice change of pace for me).

Well, you could say Mrs. Murphy is there, in spirit anyway. In Outfoxed were are treated to talking foxhounds, cats, horses, owls, foxes, etc., all of whom have rather high opinions of themselves. To bill this novel as a mystery would be misleading as well, as the mystery doesn't happen until after the reader has plowed through nearly 1/2 book, which actually provides a detailed look at foxhunting.

I've never been foxhunting, but thanks to RMB I have a better picture of it. One thing I found interesting is that Sister Arnold appeared to be more upset with the murder of an animal than with the human being found dead. Like other reviewers, I do wonder if this novel has thinly veiled autobiographical tones.

I would recommend this book to die-hard RMB fans. I imagine others might get a headache from the chattering forest of four-footed folk.

Rating:
Summary: More with Sister,Shaker and Doug
Review: I love the Mrs Murphy series so I was sure I would love Outfoxed---I did. Sister Shaker Doug Cora Diana Inky---I loved them all. Only problem with this book is it came to an end. I wish Ms Brown could write a book a month I would certainly read them all. I know there is another book out there with Sister--what happens with Walter Lundgren and that dirty little secret? I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't finished Outfoxed--but hey what's taking you so long?

Rating:
Summary: Loved the Foxhunting
Review: I really enjoyed her previous equine book, "Riding Shotgun", and was thrilled to see this sitting in the new section of the library. It's such a pleasure to read a book relating to horses by someone who clearly knows what she's talking about. BTW, the book doesn't mention that Ms Brown is a MFH herself, so she knows what she's talking about. Unlike some of the other readers, I enjoyed the animals comments. I suspect they're like that in real life - just enough to let you know you're reading fiction. I agree that the mystery aspect was weaker than the rest of the story, but the book was so enjoyable that I really didn't care. It's tough to find intelligent well written equine books. Ms Brown, would you PLEASE write more of these?

Rating:
Summary: Loved the Foxhunting
Review: I really enjoyed her previous equine book, "Riding Shotgun", and was thrilled to see this sitting in the new section of the library. It's such a pleasure to read a book relating to horses by someone who clearly knows what she's talking about. BTW, the book doesn't mention that Ms Brown is a MFH herself, so she knows what she's talking about. Unlike some of the other readers, I enjoyed the animals comments. I suspect they're like that in real life - just enough to let you know you're reading fiction. I agree that the mystery aspect was weaker than the rest of the story, but the book was so enjoyable that I really didn't care. It's tough to find intelligent well written equine books. Ms Brown, would you PLEASE write more of these?

Rating:
Summary: A Primer to Replace "Riding to Hounds in America"
Review: I think my background as a former foxhunter, horse and hound (both foxhounds and bassets) owner, increased my enjoyment of this book. Origionally a "hunting to ride" participant, I evolved into a "riding to hunt" person. Consequently, the dialogue of the hounds, foxes, and horses seemed very reasonable and natural. The politics, egos, plus good and bad manners and horsemanship of the characters were true to my experiences. At times I paid more attention to the dialog and actions than to the mystery to be solved. It was nice not to have someone killed within the first 30 pages. Instead there was ample time for the story's geographic, social, and technical settings to be painted for the reader. Since one pleasure of reading I enjoy is the chance to learn about new things, I recommend this book as an outstanding introduction to foxhunting.