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In Review

09 January 2009 12:22 BST

We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee

HarperCollins Entertainment, out now, 320pp.

In a nutshell... <

Journalist Benjamin Mee and his family, well, buy a zoo.

Who's it by?

Benjamin Mee is a journalist who was writing a book on animal intelligence and behaviour and writing a DIY column in the Guardian. A science journalism graduate, he has also written for Men's Health and brought scientific theories to a mainstream audience in various newspapers and magazine articles.

What's it all about?

While looking for a place to buy for his 76-year-old mother after his father's death, Benjamin Mee, living in France with his wife and two children, received details of his "dream scenario" by his sister. Unusually, the property in question was a struggling zoo.

We Bought A Zoo tells the story of how the dilapidated Dartmoor Wildlife Park, populated by around 400 exotic animals, was transformed into the busy Dartmoor Zoological Park by an ordinary family using a trial-and-error method. Along the way, Mee has to deal with an escaped jaguar, fighting (among people as well as animals), an escapologist wolf, and a tiger which stands up during general anaesthetic.

The book also describes how the family coped during the gradual deterioration of Mee's wife Katherine due to a brain tumour and how they coped with her loss.

Behind the narrative, Mee's interest in science and animal psychology is also apparent, with information about the animals' background, behaviour and thinking also included. An argument is also made for the conservational and social benefits of zoos.

As an example...

"The truth was that a Class I dangerous animal in our care was now running free in public, and that's not how things are supposed to be. Phrases I used in radio interviews like 'He's just a harmless scavenger' and 'He's basically just a big girl's blouse' have been quoted back at me derisively by friends who heard my torment."

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster

Unlikely. While the book contains all the prerequisite excitement and comedy for a smaller British production, the whole process - from the zoo's purchase until opening day - was filmed by a camera crew and broadcast as a four-part series on BBC Two last year.

So is it any good?

Mee's writing style is conversational and engaging. His friendly voice gives him an instant likeability factor meaning that you are very much on his side during the long - and eventful - struggle to get Dartmoor Zoological Park up and running.

Comic anecdotes are paired with details of the perhaps unexpected intricacies of setting up and financing a zoo - even one that comes with the animals ready-installed. The combination of wild animals, adventure and comedy coupled with the compelling writing style would make his story appealing to almost anyone.

Another of the book's strengths is Mee's honesty, and the way he speaks about his wife's deterioration is tender and truthful - his description of how he learnt to help her to walk and the family's search for a cure are particularly powerful moments.

However, at some points the book does begin to read almost like a 'thank you' list. For example: "This was the first of many generosities from Mike, whose reassuring voice often saw me through difficult times in the months ahead".

This, though, is easily overcome by the book's other appeals and what makes it special is that Mee does not seem so different from the rest of us. In this way, it might inspire the reader to approach some of their own personal challenges. Moreover, it's certainly a good advertisement for the zoo - I know I'll be going, if just to visit the animals which caused him all that drama.

7.5/10

Eleanor Thompson