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| Plot Summary of Enslaved by Ducks |
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"Writer Bob Tarte and his wife Linda live in Michigan in an old farmhouse with an unused barn. They have opened their home up to many animals over the last two decades, starting innocently enough with a bunny named Binky. Cute, furry, and small; what could possibly go wrong? Chewed electrical cords, damaged furniture, not to mention sullen and surly moods from the little rabbit were the result. Never able to stay mad long, Bob and Linda accepted their pet's bad habits and destructive tendencies with humor, resignation, and the irrational practice of getting even more animals to act as companions for the little miscreants.
Linda's good heart and network of friends and acquaintances, made sure that they expanded their menagerie to include several rabbits, parrots, parakeets, a dove, cats, geese, numerous ducks, and turkeys. Their property eventually brimmed with outdoor pens and barn accommodations for the later three kinds of birds. Not all the animals were taken in at the same time as age, disease, escape, and predatory raccoons took their toll on the makeshift zoo. Often the Tartes would bury their pet and quickly go out to shop for a replacement.
Bob's self-deprecating story of the adoption or purchase of the animals as well as their subsequent care against the unforgiving weather of Michigan is a hoot. All the creatures exhibit their own unique and individual quirks and habits, making for an incredibly difficult and arduous routine for the Tartes. Equally unnerving but funny are the offbeat, oddball individuals who populate the small surrounding towns from whom they acquire the animals. As if the chaotic lifestyle would be enough to make anyone unhinged, Bob seeks therapy for his depression that flares whenever an animal is lost or dies. His "anti-social" psychiatrist Dr. Glaser puts him on a Zoloft prescription that helps Bob cope with the self-induced stress and rigors."
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Enslaved by Ducks |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Animal story?
Yes
Kind of animal:
- animal talks
- all kinds of animals
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
- deluded
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 10 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
Farm/Ranch?
Yes
Farm/Ranch:
- lot of descript of animal care
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Book makes you feel?
- very happy
Is book humorous?
Yes
If humorous, kind of humor
- eccentric personalities
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Autobiography?
Yes
Pictures/Illustrations?
- None
How much dialogue in bio?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Bob Tarte Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Fletcher
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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