Gascon Feathers

Rating:
Summary: a great yarn
Review: Finally a novel that is not only a great yarn in itself, but addresses matters of concern for those involved with animal rights. The story is wholly believable, and outlines what can happen to people who are driven by pure greed. Force feeding animals so that their livers will bloat into diseased-laced monstrosities for a huge export market, borders on lunacy. Burt Keimach manages to skillfully weave humour into the underlying tragedy in order to get his message across. Open your eyes. Read the lines and everything between them. Well worth the effort.

Rating:
Summary: a plea for kindness
Review: This is a well crafted account of greed and corruption infecting the meat industry in general. It not only reveals the awful treatment meted out to animals whose livers will be turned into a trivial delicacy to titillate the jaded palates of overweight consumers, but acknowledges the depredaations of a once gracious and beautiful countryside.
The story is set in a small hamlet replete with characters ranging from the village idiot to the local "belle" whose confused and hectic life reflects a deep uncertainty pervading the shaky economy of the region.
Mr Keimach cleverly weaves the story around the protagonists so that history , bureaucracy,politics, and even inertia assert themselves in a dreamlike message.
With so few novels about vegetarian and animal cruelty issues,
this is a must read for anyone even mildly concerned with these topics.