THE WHITE BONE Paperback – 1 July 2008

I bought this book as a Christmas present for a family member, after seeing it mentioned in a book about animal emotions that I read earlier this year. I wasn't expecting anything stunning from it, but I liked the concept and thought it would make a good present. I decided to give it a read before passing it on and I was so pleasantly surprised.Usually, books from the perspective of animals are pretty much just "If [insert species here] thought like a human, what would they think?" This book is very different from that, because Barbara Gowdy has managed to avoid human perspectives and culture as much as possible. She's done her research, too, and there are a lot of references to behaviours that have been seen in wild elephants recently that tell us a lot about their emotions and behaviour. Although there are some fanciful elements to it, I don't feel that those damage the concept at all. It's just so refreshing to see an author really delve so deeply into animal behaviour in a novel. Even the characters' perspectives on mating, their thoughts about genitalia, defication or urination that humans may find a little repulsive just serve to give a more animal perspective of these behaviours without making them obscene. She's also created a culture for them based on their natural behaviour which is truly fascinating in it's own way.Anyway, I really felt I needed to rave about how good this book is, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in animal behaviour or just a really, really good novel from the perspective of elephants.

Never heard of Barbara Gowdy before and I normally only read factual wildlife books but this was recommended to me as a "must read" and since I have a passion for wildlife (ellies in particular) I thought it was worth a read. Now it's worth mentioning early in my review the style of this book is very different from any other I have read, with a perspective of the world coming from the mind of an elephant. You will either love or hate it, if like me you opt for the latter, stick with it to around the third chapter. Not because the book is slow or the subject matter uninteresting but simply because the writing style and perspective takes a while to get your head around but once you surrender to the mind of the elephant the book is enjoyable, creative, moving and thought provoking. Writing a book from an elephants perspective (hind leggers are humans for example) is a bit of gamble and one that could have fallen quite flat without imagination and conviction but Gowdy successfully draws the reader in. The overall story is one of survival in a landscape where human hunters are rife, threatening the majestic elephant (and other animals). Is it worth a read? Yes, it really is a good book, well written and with a ton of imagination and one that anyone who enjoys stories about wildlife will enjoy but it's not a book every reader will take to easily.

good

‘The White Bone’ is the story of a family of elephants and their search for the mystical white bone which legend says will lead them to a safe place to live. The author has taken some effort to immerse you in the culture of the elephants, which I enjoyed, but it was slightly spoiled by the frequent use of human terms and gestures. One thing that particularly irked me was the naming of the herds as, for example, the She-M’s – not only is the apostrophe incorrect, but how on Earth do elephants know what M is? They have no knowledge of letters!There are also some fantastical elements, with some of the elephants being telepathic and others experiencing prophetic visions. I generally prefer more realism in my animal stories, but this worked quite well with the setting and it didn’t put me off. I did dislike that it was written in the present tense, and noticed a few factual errors.On the whole, I found this book entertaining, though the ending was something of a disappointment. It’s worth reading if you like animal stories, but be prepared for a good amount of suffering and death – this is not a light or happy read.

This is a wonderful book that takes you right into the world of elephants... but it's not so 'way out' that you have to suspend belief, for me the transition from real world to that of Mud and her family was made effortless by Gowdy's skillful writing. I was however pleased to see the references to zoological texts at the back of the book, it somehow made the book all the more amazing given that there is scientific basis for some of the characteristics and skills with which Gowdy endows her elephants...A highly unusual book - poles apart from e.g. her other book "The Romantic" and a real must buy. I lent it to one of my friends - after reading it she went out and bought copies for her friends too!Overall recommendation: BUY!!!

Elephants, death, birth, family, visions, friendship, loss, prophesy, crisis and the search for peace and redemption, delivered to you in prose as clean and sweet as the African bush itself. Pure magic. I have not enjoyed a book so much in years. Be an elephant for a few hours and get in touch with the deepest part of your humanity.

The 1 star is for the book, I really expected to love this book I was hoping to be drawn into and lost amongst the world of the herd of elephants instead I could not finish this book which is extremely rare for me, I found the writing style awkward and it really failed to bring the story to life, I persevered and made it half way through this book but I could just not fall in love with the story which was very disappointing, I would not doubt the authors skill and intelligence but she just lacked that magic for me that certain story tellers possess and I really wanted to love this book, I do not like to give a bad review to a talented author but I wanted to balance the reviews and opinions I've read on here which built up my expectations and hope before I read (50%) of this book

The White Bone is a wonderful book for both animal lovers and lovers of well written stories. It tells the tale of Mud and her family, as they navigate the treacherous world of poachers and other dangers, in an attempt to find a place of safety. I found this book so moving, and I will never look at an elephant the same way again. I highly recommend!

Superb story of the plight of the elephants Seen from the elephants perspective Really exceptionally written

This brilliant book is not for the faint-hearted, as the other reviews will tell you. On the other hand, I picked it up to read a bit, to take a break from three other books I planned to finish before I read it, and sixteen hours later I finished it, having only put it down to sleep. The elephant lore, and the sense of knowing an alien consciousness, are overwhelming. The story is as grim as it could be, yes, but it is also beautiful and the sense of doom is lifted by its beauty.Halfway through, I found myself thinking, "This is what it's like: extinction." If you know the news you know there can be no happy ending, except in dreams. The White Bone is as filled with reality as with dreams. Maybe it's too late to save the elephants, or the planet. But here is a memorial to what paid for our greed. And when the She shakes us off, at last, the wonder will begin again, no more halted than it was by meteor strikes or the excesses of dinosaurs. Earth was not made for us, this book reminds us.

I read this book years and years ago and remember LOVING it. I couldn't remember the title and mentioned the concept to many friends over the years but never found the book again. With a little effort, I re-discovered and bought the book a month or so ago.They say you can never go home again. It's not that you can't physically find your way there but it will never have the flavor or texture of your childhood. The same was true with this book. It's still a good read. It's still well-written. The innovation of elephant characters, though, can't be invented twice, just as you can't make a first impression twice.If you haven't read it, READ IT and enjoy! If you've read it before, revel in the memory and resist the temptation to re-read.

I like it and I use it in school.