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    Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order
    Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order
    Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order
    Audiobook10 hours

    Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order

    Written by Bob Tarte

    Narrated by Stephen R. Thorne

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When Bob Tarte bought a house in rural Michigan, he was counting on a tranquil haven. Then Bob married Linda. She wanted a rabbit, which seemed innocuous enough until the bunny chewed through their electrical wiring. And that was just the beginning. Before long, Bob found himself constructing cages, buying feed, clearing duck waste, and spoon-feeding a menagerie of furry and feathery residents. His life of quiet serenity vanished, and he unwittingly became a servant to a relentlessly demanding family. "They dumbfounded him, controlled and teased him, took their share of his flesh, stole his heart" (Kirkus Reviews).

    Whether commiserating with Bob over the fate of those who are slaves to their animals or regarding his story as a cautionary tale about the rigors of animal ownership, readers on both sides of the fence have found Tarte's story of his chaotic squawking household irresistible-and irresistibly funny.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 11, 2017
    ISBN9781541472112
    Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order

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    Reviews for Enslaved by Ducks

    3.5/5

    182 ratings20 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      These people are certifiable.
    • 3/5
      Enslaved by Ducks was not the greatest. I just really wasn't fond of the author. He came across as really whiny rather than funny. About halfway through the book, the jokes started to recycle - yes, he is horrible at building, his wife will steamroll him and get the next animal for the menagerie, the docile creature they thought they were getting turns out to be a terror.
    • 3/5
      Very humorous book about a couple and their ever growing animal family.It seems that every unwanted,rejected,cantankerous animal comes to live with them! Nice story of their endless love and devotion that only animal lovers can appreciate. Spolier- skip over the parts of the author's shrink and the prescriptions.The animals are loveable and the stories very funny!
    • 3/5
      from the Wild Thing bookbox, mostly hilarious and sometimes sobering read. The author and his wife start with a bunny…and then the pets multiply…and multiply. There's actually a list of them at the front of the book, which I had to reference from time to time (who exactly was Howard again??). Birds of varying species were hand fed and let out to roam the house, bunnies had their own area and play time, ducks and geese had a custom divided pen - and supervised backyard play time. The anecdotes and self-deprecating humor was hilarious, but at the same time I just thanked my stars that this couple wasn't living next to ME!
    • 1/5
      The author explains how his once city life seemingly abruptly turns into a rural life with a matching menagerie. While there are several funny stories, the overall book left me feeling sad for the animals and angry with the author and his wife. Bob Tarte and his wife acquire new animal after new animal (returning some) without once researching the animal they are about to acquire. They then are horrifically surprised when the situation ultimately goes bad for them, and for the animals. If this book were any longer than a couple of hours, I would have stopped reading in disgust.
    • 4/5
      The title of this book definitely made me buy it and, thankfully, the story inside fit the expectations. The author recounts his life after he moves away from the bustling city to placid (so he thinks) rural living and the eventual burgeoning family of animal pets galore.

      I'm sure some readers will get upset by the seemingly random way that pets are adopted or given back, but the story is well told and for me, anyway, rather humorous.

      Certainly I felt some kinship with the author. Hummingbirds dictate my weekend wake-up times when their nectar needs replenishing. Blue jays will not hesitate to sound off when the peanuts are not up to their idea of valued weight, and the raccoons have a tendency to forget their job duties of eating snails and slugs when they fancy a taste of marshmallows.

      How we interact with the wildlife we share the land with says much of who we are, I suppose. I refuse to believe I am "enslaved". More like, rented.

      Book Season = Spring (before you think of adopting bunnies)
    • 3/5
      I loved this book, much of it is familiar to me as our home has often been filled with animals of all kinds. In the hands of a different writer, it could have been a comic masterpiece, along the lines of Bill Bryson. But it was heartwarming and at it's best towards the end.
    • 1/5
      The gold standard, for me, of animal writing is Gerald Durrell. Tarte's not even close, in my eyes.
    • 1/5
      Though the writing was correct, and the book itself wasn't difficult to read, that's as positive as I can get about "Enslaved by Ducks". I can not connect with a man that makes an art out of whining. Tarte complains about getting his first pets, about getting depressed because of losing the pets he never wanted and always complained about, about not being able to tell his wife that he doesn't want more pets, and about using the pets as an excuse to take anti depressants. He seems to want to give a redeeming tint to all this whining by implying at the end that he is happy, being "enslaved by ducks", but it feels more likea loser who doesn't care about finding a better situation.
    • 5/5
      A funny little jewel of a book. Loved it, and you will too if you love animals. Is one pet ever enough?
    • 5/5
      If you have ever been owned by a pet you will be able to appreciate the inadequacy felt by Bob Tarte. Having never been an animal person, Bob holds up fairly well as first his wife and later anyone and everyone deposits bunny after duck after parrot into his life. Though at times painful, he evolves into a do-it-yourself zookeeper and fence builder, and ultimately an animal lover. Bob Tarte invites us to laugh with him and even at him as he stumbles along the minefield of pet care.Bob Tarte is a laugh-out-loud writer with a gift for drawing the reader into the circus of his life. His wit and word play made this a refreshing and enjoyable read. He neither omits the inevitable loss that comes with the joy of pets nor sink into the fluffy saccharine sweetness that so often fills books about animals. With sarcasm and irony you will be drawn into the lives of 2 humans and the 5 rabbits, 3 parrots, 2 doves, 2 canaries, 4 parakeets, 1 starling, 2 cats, 14 ducks, 2 geese and 4 turkeys that control them along the way.
    • 5/5
      This book is hilarious--I read a review on this site and immediately picked it up. A refreshingly humorous tale that not only warns the reader of several irascible duck breeds but also offers advice if your sudden menagerie of animals turns into a veritable circus. The descriptions of hard-won relationships and comical anecdotes are both heartwarming and entertaining--a wonderful book.
    • 4/5
      If ever there was a book that speaks to your heart about raising animals as pets rather than for putting food on the table - this is the book. Ducks, rabbits, and a menagerie of other animals steal the scene as Bob Tarte and his wife try to fill out their lives by bringing in a pet - or two -- or three or -- many more. Enslaved by Ducks shows how animals can completely change the way we live.
    • 4/5
      This was an entertaining read. Enslaved by Ducks is the first of two books telling the story of Bob Tarte, His wife and family of pets. The author tells of being a young man who was completely disinterested in the animal kingdom to someone who has learned the joys of life with pets after being dragged kicking and screaming into this knowledge by his wife Linda. Linda is a unique individual whose empathy with animals is legendary.Their story is told by Bob himself in such a humorous and entertaining way that fifty pages into this book I had purchased the next one, Fowl Weather.
    • 3/5
      An amusing tale of a man who semi-inadvertently converts his house in the country to a veritable farm. Bob starts out hating almost every animal he and his wife come to own and then gradually begin to love them so that it is heartbreaking when they pass on. The book is an enjoyable read, but it was marred somewhat by my desire to strangle Bob every time he picks up another animal while simultaneously explaining to himself and the audience why the new acquisition is a terrible idea.
    • 4/5
      Funny, engaging story of a couple's lifetime with animals, mostly birds, ducks, turkeys...I liked this one a lot.
    • 3/5
      Not enough ducks.
    • 3/5
      I expected too much. After reading "Life in the Goat Lane" I was anticipating something similar. I am struggling to get through the book right now.
    • 4/5
      A very funny book that will ensure you do not ever get a pet. Not even one rabbit.
    • 5/5
      Very good book telling what it is like to be surrounded by animals.