Review of "My Fine Feathered Friend," by William Grimes

Review of

My Fine Feathered Friend, by William Grimes ISBN 0865476322

Five out of five stars

 The main premise of this book is a simple one, a chicken wanders into the back yard of a New York Times restaurant critic. The critic has no experience with chickens and the animal rapidly adapts to its new habitat, reaching a level of mutual tolerance with all of the other creatures sharing their local ecosystem. Being an otherwise intelligent person that is ignorant of live chickens, having been intimately familiar with many dead and seasoned ones, the critic consults several resources in order to learn more about the domesticated chicken.

 What makes the story go is the understated explanations and the deadpan humor. In many ways it is a lengthy and sophisticated chicken joke. The reader learns about chickens along with the author and it is not long before you care about the feathered pet. Although it is short and a quick read, the writing is so engaging that you would have preferred that it be a little longer.