05/23/2022
In this offbeat yet heartfelt debut, essayist Bartels digs into the fraught topic of pet death, exploring the rise of pet cemeteries and other formal ways to recognize a beloved animal’s passing to the mythical “Rainbow Bridge.” Taking readers on a colorful tour of pet commemorations throughout the world and history—from the final resting place of Mariah Carey’s 18-year-old cat in Hartsdale, N.Y., to the “lavish” 1787 memorial Mozart hosted for his pet starling, where mourners were all “heavily veiled”—Bartels demonstrates that such consideration of animals is not a new thing, nor is it confined to the U.S. Indeed, as Bartels writes, “ancient Egyptians treasured intimate relationships with their pets; it wasn’t uncommon for an entire household to go into mourning when a pet cat died.” Taxidermy, cloning, and mummification may be extreme, but Bartels covers these often exorbitantly priced rituals (mummifying a pet can set one back $28,000) with pathos and wit, and lends her narrative a touching personal spin by documenting the demise of her scaled and feathered childhood companions, including, among her many “temporary pets,” an unfortunate goldfish—“the flushing/reanimation trauma was acute enough that for all future fish deaths, I switched to burial.” Animal lovers shouldn’t pass up this illuminating and thoroughly charming work. (Aug.)
"Good Grief is just what the doctor ordered—a wonderful, unusual, and healing book, full of wisdom and compassion. Nothing can erase the searing sorrow of losing an animal you love. But this insightful, inspiring, intelligent book will offer real comfort. E.B. Bartels' extensive and fascinating research reveals deep and transformative truths about the essential process of grieving. Read this book to affirm that love never dies, and you are not alone." — Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of How to Be a Good Creature
"A warm homage to a special bond." — Kirkus Reviews
"In this offbeat yet heartfelt debut, essayist Bartels digs into the fraught topic of pet death... Bartels covers [the topic of mourning rituals] with pathos and wit, and lends her narrative a touching personal spin by documenting the demise of her scaled and feathered childhood companions... Animal lovers shouldn’t pass up this illuminating and thoroughly charming work." — Publishers Weekly
"These deeply personal and heartfelt stories will affect anyone who has had a pet. . .Illuminates our human desire to bond with and honor our fellow creatures." — Booklist
"Good Grief is a love letter to animal family had and lost, and a much needed hand to hold in the lonesome after. If ever you've felt unseen in grieving for an animal companion, this book will heal you with traditions, new and old—a love known the world over. Bartels' storytelling is gentle, generous, and joyful. In Good Grief you'll find the community that is essential not only to mourning, but to celebration." — T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls
"Compassionate and revelatory. . .Bartels draws on her vast experience as a lifelong pet-owner as she explores the powerful and evanescent bonds between humans and their companion animals. . .[Good Grief is] a moving and kaleidoscopic portrait of the abiding love between humans and animals—a love that transcends the boundaries of time and culture." — Chicago Review of Books
"Good Grief is a tender and often funny guide that celebrates the imaginative and far-fetched and entirely ordinary ways we grieve, celebrate, and memorialize—and, yes, sometimes try to preserve—our departed pets. While author E.B. Bartels provides arcane and fascinating details of mummification, cloning, taxidermy, and freeze drying, the heart of Good Grief lies in the profound lessons our animal companions provide—both in life and in death." — Cat Warren, New York Times bestselling author of What the Dog Knows
"In writing and researching Good Grief, E.B. Bartels has given us animal lovers a gift. This book oozes empathy, is full of fun facts (wait until you read about Man O’War’s funeral!), and Bartels is a wonderful writer and a trustworthy guide. If you have ever grieved the loss of an animal friend, you will find your people in these pages. I found it a supreme comfort and a total joy, and it's a book I will treasure forever." — Annie Hartnett, author of Unlikely Animals and Rabbit Cake
"A poignant and fascinating read that demonstrates how deeply connected humans have always been to their pets. Anyone who has loved a pet will love Good Grief." — Sarah Chavez, Executive Director, the Order of the Good Death
"Bartels has written a rich, informed, and personal meditation on how we say goodbye to our pets. There’s comedy afoot, but it’s cloaked in a moving respect for the deep love between animals and their people." — Matthew Gilbert, author of Off the Leash
“Good Grief is masterful, tender, truthful, revelatory, loving. E.B. Bartels has done a world of good for our animal family, and for human hearts that need the reminding that our animal companions are always trying to tell us: It will be ok. Just keep loving. How right they always are.” — Grant Hayter-Menzies, author of Muggins: The Life and Afterlife of a Canadian Canine War Hero
"If you’ve ever had a pet, or loved a pet, this is a must-read. . . It’s a gentle, insightful, funny book that reminds us why we open ourselves up to the animals in our lives." — Book Riot
"Bartels does an excellent job of making a grieving pet parent feel seen. . . An insightful look into many cultures and grief practices pertaining to humans and their furry (or scaly) friends from around the world." — Library Journal
"Good Grief is a tender and often funny guide that celebrates the imaginative and far-fetched and entirely ordinary ways we grieve, celebrate, and memorialize—and, yes, sometimes try to preserve—our departed pets. While author E.B. Bartels provides arcane and fascinating details of mummification, cloning, taxidermy, and freeze drying, the heart of Good Grief lies in the profound lessons our animal companions provide—both in life and in death."
"A poignant and fascinating read that demonstrates how deeply connected humans have always been to their pets. Anyone who has loved a pet will love Good Grief."
"Bartels has written a rich, informed, and personal meditation on how we say goodbye to our pets. There’s comedy afoot, but it’s cloaked in a moving respect for the deep love between animals and their people."
"Good Grief is a love letter to animal family had and lost, and a much needed hand to hold in the lonesome after. If ever you've felt unseen in grieving for an animal companion, this book will heal you with traditions, new and old—a love known the world over. Bartels' storytelling is gentle, generous, and joyful. In Good Grief you'll find the community that is essential not only to mourning, but to celebration."
"Good Grief is just what the doctor ordered—a wonderful, unusual, and healing book, full of wisdom and compassion. Nothing can erase the searing sorrow of losing an animal you love. But this insightful, inspiring, intelligent book will offer real comfort. E.B. Bartels' extensive and fascinating research reveals deep and transformative truths about the essential process of grieving. Read this book to affirm that love never dies, and you are not alone."
"In writing and researching Good Grief, E.B. Bartels has given us animal lovers a gift. This book oozes empathy, is full of fun facts (wait until you read about Man O’War’s funeral!), and Bartels is a wonderful writer and a trustworthy guide. If you have ever grieved the loss of an animal friend, you will find your people in these pages. I found it a supreme comfort and a total joy, and it's a book I will treasure forever."
06/01/2022
Anyone who has lost a pet knows how challenging the grief can be. It can often feel isolating, as others dismiss feelings of grief over "just an animal." Bartels does an excellent job of making a grieving pet parent feel seen, as she explores the history of humans and pets and how domestic animals have been honored after death. She discusses grief practices worldwide, such as mummification, taxidermy, memorials, and pet cemeteries, and also looks into the psychology of why humans love their pets so much, even when they know the animals will pass on before them, thus setting themselves up for heartbreak. Those who may be sensitive to reading about the death of animals will want to have a box of tissues nearby. This fascinating information about grief is beautifully woven together with tales of Bartels's own beloved pets and what the love and loss of those animals has taught her. VERDICT This book validates any pet owner's grief and provides an insightful look into many cultures and grief practices pertaining to humans and their furry (or scaly) friends from around the world.—Carleigh Obrochta
2022-05-04
A pet dies. Then what?
“When we open our hearts to animals,” Bartels observes, “death is the inevitable price.” At the age of 5, she grieved for her first pet: a fish. A bird died when she was 9; a friend’s hamster, in her care, unexpectedly succumbed; another fish died when she was in college; and she’s mourned many other animals, too, including several dogs. In her appealing debut book, the author examines the process of grief that follows the loss of a pet, recounting her own experiences; talking with veterinarians, ministers, archaeologists, and many pet owners; reading pet owners’ memoirs; and looking at ways that other cultures deal with animals’ deaths. She also recounts her visits to pet cemeteries, some of which allow humans and pets to be buried together. Japan has established hundreds of pet cemeteries, many operated by Buddhist temples. At Dog Mountain, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, founded by an artist known for his woodblock prints of his black Lab, a small chapel welcomes pet owners who come to “reflect on and memorialize and remember their pet” with photographs and written tributes. Although Bartels acknowledges that pet ownership falls largely to White Americans with disposable income, she discovered that attachment to pets has a long history. For example, an Egyptologist specializing in animal mummies told her that some mummified animals surely were beloved pets. Grieving pet owners have resorted to taxidermy and even cloning to keep some physical evidence of their pet’s existence. At a cost of $50,000, though, cloning is a choice most people can’t afford. Bartels warmly describes her connections to all of her pets, even her first fish. Pets, she writes, “bolster your emotional state,” accept your hugs and kisses, listen to your most intimate confidences, and provide “companionship, completely without judgment.” Because sadness over an animal’s death is rarely shared, the author hopes her book will help grieving pet owners find solace.
A warm homage to a special bond.
12/01/2022
Bartels has had more pets than most, with animals ranging from fish to birds to dogs, and everything else in between. While we have rituals and traditions to mark the passing of humans, we do not always have those for our beloved companion animals. And, often, the grief for a pet is seen as less than that of grief for a human loved one. Bartels explores the various traditions and beliefs that cultures around the world have for pets. She also shares stories of her beloved animals. Narrator Eileen Stevens gives a nuanced performance, skillfully conveying the more poignant moments of the book as well as the lighter sections, making this potentially heavy topic more accessible. Bartel shows that grief transcends not only time and space, but also species, and that our grief for lost animals is just as real as it is for our human family. VERDICT Bartel's debut is sure to appeal to animal lovers. Recommend to fans of Caitlin Doughty's Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Mary Roach's Stiff.—Elyssa Everling