The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter

by Holly Robinson

Book Overview

"What kind of Navy officer sits on his ship in the middle of the Mediterranean dreaming of gerbils?"

That's the question that Holly Robinson sets out to answer in this warm and rollicking memoir of life with her father, the world's most famous gerbil czar.

Starting with a few pairs of gerbils housed for curiosity's sake in the family's garage, Donald Robinson's obsession with the "pocket kangaroo" developed into a lifelong passion and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307337464
• ISBN13: 9780307337467
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Make room for gerbils...

I was walking past this book in the store...and had to do a double take. I mean...9 out of 10 times when you see "gerbil" now...it's associated with Richard Gere. So I was nearly jumping up and down by the time I took it off the shelf and flipped through the book. I to was a gerbil girl...given my first gerbil...George Washington Gerbil...in 1977. And I was also given my cousin's worn and dog-eared copy of "How To Raise and Train Pet Gerbils" to go with him. So the photos were as familiar as the little agouti fuzzies that STILL run around in a tank in my living room 30 years later. (No...not 30 year old gerbils...I just got stuck loving the little fuzzballs.) The book is thoughtful and well written. I enjoyed it a chapter at a time until I finally just sat and finished the rest of the book. A lovely well-balanced memoir. Though...it COULD have used a few more photos of gerbils. That would have made it a six star book in my mind.

A warm and funny memoir

In every family there's a certain glue that binds one another together and in author Holly Robinson's family, gerbils sealed the deal. Her father had the passion for these small rodents and while her mother and siblings took views of gerbils on different levels, this became a family business where everyone seemed to have a job or two to do with them and no one was left out of the picture. D. G. Robinson, captain of a U.S Navy ship, had a secret...in his spare time he became devoted to gerbils and made sure nobody in the Navy knew about it. That in itself, is a humorous start to "The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter" as he reminds his children that other people didn't need to know their "business". But the real joy of the book is becoming acquainted with the author and her family. Holly Robinson writes about being uprooted from Virginia to Kansas to Massachusetts and delivers a poignant chapter on the death of her younger sister. She also has a keen eye for detail, well-paced humor and a crisp, upbeat narrative. Learning about gerbils is part and parcel to her book, of course, but it serves as a template for the larger discussion about family, friends and feelings. I highly recommend "The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter" for its warmth and humor.

A Delightful Must Read Book!

This was a fabulous book, could barely put it down! The story of the author's childhood was both funny for those of us who also grew up in that era and could identify with all the things that were considered soooo important back then, as well as sad for the bittersweet times of an unorthodox childhood in the 50s and 60s. There is suspense throughout the book, difficult to do in a memoir, but done very effectively here. I highly recommend this book, you won't regret it!!

A fascinating book; A wonderful memoir

The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter is a fascinating memoir! It is often funny, yet also extremely touching in parts. Holly Robinson is such a wonderful writer- she "paints" with words. I've had gerbils for many years, but one doesn't have to have owned gerbils to appreciate this book. It is also a fascinating "coming of age memoir, the story of growing up in a rather "unique" family. The book reads so well, it's hard to put down. Most definately NOT a children's book- be advised of that. I highly recommend The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter! I think it would make a terrific film, too.

Excellent and well written.. a must for any rodent aficionado!

Having gerbils since the age of 8 and a very odd father myself, I can wholly relate to this wonderfully written memoir of growing up in a unique situation. I loved the novel from beginning to end and highly recommend it to any one who has grown up with an obsessive parent or raised gerbils. From the daughter of the writer behind the first "bible of gerbils" I adored in my childhood, comes a heartfelt and entertaining tale of her life and the impact these lovable rodents can have.