Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order | 
| Author: Bob Tarte
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy Used: $3.62
You Save: $20.33 (85%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 166664
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 308
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.4
ISBN: 1565123514
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.08870977455
EAN: 9781565123519
ASIN: 1565123514
Publication Date: January 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: EX-LIBRARY; used item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned for refund. Buy with confidence - your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
When Bob Tarte left the Michigan suburbs for the country, he was thinking peace and quiet. He'd write his music reviews in the solitude of his rural home on the outskirts of everything. Then he married Linda. She wanted a rabbit. How much trouble, he thought, could a bunny be?
Well, after the bunny chewed its way through their electrical wires and then hid inside the wall, Bob realized that he'd been outwitted. But that was just the beginning. There were parrots, more rabbits, then ducks and African geese. The turkeys, stranded on a nearby road, fighting for their lives. The starlings. The sad, ugly duck for sale for 25 cents.
One day Bob looked around and saw he was not only outnumbered, but that he'd become a servant to an extremely demanding family: Stanley Sue, a gender-switching African grey parrot; Hector, a cantankerous shoulder-sitting Muscovy duck; Howard, an amorous ring-necked dove; Chloe, a mallard who learned to limp; and a host of others. And, against every instinct in him, Bob became their slave.
He read all the classic animal books--The Parrot Who Owns Me, The Dog Who Rescues Cats, Arnie the Darling Starling, That Quail Robert, The Cat Who Came for Christmas--about the joys of animals, the touching moments. But none revealed what it was really like to live with an unruly menagerie. This hilarious memoir gives us the other side--about a man who, against all bets, was converted to a doting and proud animal lover.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 54 more reviews...
 Great Book June 8, 2008
Enslaved by ducks is hilarious. I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever had (or wants) a lot of pets. It is a quick read and I found myself laughing out loud many times with others wondering what was so funny. Bob Tarte certainly captures the essence of the different personalities of the species he happens to be writing about at the time whether it be bunnies, ducks, geese, or parrots. After reading this book you may find yourself realizing that "animals are people also".
I was in a reading rut..... May 28, 2008
And then a friend recommended this book. She and I both own parrots...I have both a Timneh and 2 Congos, and I always like to read about parrots and the people they own.
I had just finished reading one of Stephen King's books, and was a bit out of sorts. It had been a long hard read and I was disappointed in it. And me....a big King fan.
'Enslaved by Ducks' is far removed from Stephen King. And just what I was looking for. Like another reader mentioned, Bob Tarte has a similar style to Dave Barry, who I love. The book was funny, and it was sad. When you own animals and lose them for whatever reason, it's a big deal. I just wanted the book to go on forever. Of course, now I can order 'Fowl Weather', and keep going, but I'll most likely be sad when I'm done with it.
I loved the book and the style in which it is written. It would be neat to visit with Bob and Linda and have a cup of coffee with them, and meet the menagerie.
Anyhow....I recommend the book highly, and had a great time reading it.
 Liked it, but enough with the birds April 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The first third of the book, I laughed out loud several times. A very engaging writer. I love animals, but am not much on birds. So about halfway through the book, I pretty much had my fill of our feathered friends.
 Didnt really like this one.. March 28, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I didn't care much for this book. After a few chapters of reading about the many pets this man had in his house it got very boring. I gave up on it.
Just as good as I hoped it would be, March 20, 2008
Heard about Bob Tarte's latest book, "Fowl Weather" during an NPR review. When I checked it out at Amazon, I came across the rave reviews for "Enslaved by Duck" and decided to get both. I started with "Enslaved by Ducks" because I couldn't resist the title and it didn't disappoint. Bob and his wife are two people that you enjoy spending time with. You only wish your friends were as funny and warm-hearted as these two. I have to confess that I feel the story did sag a bit toward the end and became somewhat repetitious, but you're free to stop any time you want and don't have to slog toward the credits like I did. Am looking forward to reading "Fowl Weather".
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