Cheap Full Cry (Book) (RITA MAE BROWN) Price

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Customer Reviews of Full Cry

Not so great...
I admit it: I'm a sucker for Rita Mae Brown's writing, even though at times it seems like she is just dashing off novels without a lot of time spent on craft or style. "Full Cry" is a perfect example. The first two novels in the series ("Outfoxed" and "Hotspur") were fairly tight, intriguing stories, with a good balance of character and plot development and the bonus of RMB's talking animals. Plot-wise, "Full Cry" doesn't compare, but I still read it with pleasure because I enjoy the playful banter between the animals and the earthy, simple descriptions of life in the country. It doesn't seem like she gave her latest book the time she devoted to the others, which is a shame because she has good characters to work with. I also noticed lots of typos and other errors throughout the book, which was quite odd, especially seeing how badly the publishers bungled the jacket description. It's like it wasn't given a final copy-editing read.

Personally, I think Brown would be better off writing non-fiction essays and anecdotes about what she obviously loves best: animals, rural life, and human foibles. I don't think she should bother with fiction so much. Her plots are often thin and formulaic, if charming. I recommend "Full Cry" only to those who read RMB religiously (if guiltily) and indiscriminately, because it's just not on par with her other novels.

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Off Track
Brown wqas simply not up to par! I found it a struggle to get through the book when usally I can't put them down. It was obviosly a gross mistake as far as jacket blurb goes. Who let this get by? I hope Rite Mae Brown can get back on track. If not, I will loose one of my favorite authors!

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Another Winner for Rita Mae Brown
I'm a big fan of Brown's novels and mysteries, and her latest, "Full Cry," did not disappoint me.

I was hooked from the first pages. It's a great read, especially for horse lovers, giving us an up-close look at the fox-hunting culture - particularly Virginia's deeply traditional version. According to her, for example, fox hunters prefer not to kill healthy foxes at the end of a hunt; instead, they are "run to ground" and left to run another day. According to her, the foxes actually come to enjoy the chase. Could this really be true?

Not only is the plot fascinating, including an unusual twist on a murder mystery - who IS killing all those drunks down at the train station, and why? - it's also packed with odds and ends of information. The reader learns, for instance, much about the history of fox hunting and the training of the dogs; perhaps more even than horse-related information.

As always, Brown's animal-empathetic technique of allowing them a point of view and voice as characters in their own right, remains an improbable but enchanting hallmark of her style. In this novel, Brown demonstrates a deeply empathetic concern for the minorities and the marginal in society. I can agree with her there, although sometimes she does fall into a bit of preachiness.

Altogether, however, a wonderful read, especially appealing to animal lovers.