This book is written in four parts, five if you include the prologue, each from a new characters perspective. I liked this aspect of the book as it was a unique way of telling the story and it really got me hooked. It added a little bit of mystery to the story, and you had to read it all to see how it’s all connected. I really did enjoy this book and haven’t stopped discussing it, now I’m forcing my partner to read it, because I think he’ll enjoy it, plus I’ll get to talk about it some more.

It’s the first of Polly Clark’s works I’ve read, but after reading this and seeing her style, I’m really interested to read some more by her to see if this is something that she does or if this was a one of.

A unique novel in the way that some of it is told from the point of view of a tiger, which I thought was very well done. I loved Polly Clark’s last book Larchfield and I think she should be far better known. Her books are beautifully written, full of lyrical, poetic language but still completely readable.

Frieda has had to leave her job researching bonobos after a horrific attack. She is still very much healing and not functioning properly. She takes a job as a zookeeper and proves herself competent enough to work with the tigers, much to the disgust of a male co-worker who is obsessed with the tigers and treats her horrifically.She takes care of the Empress, an injured tiger and comes to respect her and to heal in her own way.

In the wilds of Russia, Tomas lives an unhappy life on a nature conservation with his father. They live in the middle of nowhere where they track tigers in the hope of gaining support from Putin. He is disturbed to find that poachers have killed the male tiger and there appears to be a woman living in the forest.

The characters are beautifully, humanely drawn and I loved the way the author told the tiger parts of the novel. The descriptions of the animals and of the wilds of Russia are very well described and it was obvious that Clark had done a huge amount of research about tigers and their habitat.

A gripping, beautifully written example of ‘cli-fi’, a genre of fictional stories dealing with the very real environmental issues. Tiger follows Frieda (the addict doctor), Tomas (the smouldering conservationist) and Edit (survivalist, Mother and certified badass) as their lives become inextricably tied to the lives of a specific family of Siberian tigers.

There are strengths to each of the overlapping narratives but this book really finds its stride and the peak of its beautiful prose when we leave the South-West of England and join the tigers in their native habitat which Polly Clark does a stunning job of bringing vividly to life.

The descriptions and perspective of the tigers themselves left me with goosebumps. Powerful, majestic, unpredictable and dangerous. These are the creatures as narrated to us by David Attenborough but without the dangerous, sharper edges sanded down for the comfort of a Sunday night viewer.

Emotive, compelling and gripping. I think the start could have been a little stronger and the manner in which the various threads were brought together at the end felt a little rushed but otherwise a fantastic book. Highly recommend - 4.5 🌟 from me.

Pretty sure I bought the physical copy myself but a big thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for providing me with a free electronic copy so I was able to read this on holiday.

4 characters connected with a Tiger. It's beautifully written, I am not surprised that Clarke is also writing poetry. I enjoyed Frieda's part most. there were some parts utterly heartbreaking which made me cry. I wish it was a bit less "sad"- but I also understand maybe it was essential for the story. and the cover is absolutely beautiful, I think this was one of the prettiest looking books of 2019.

Tiger for me is an example how a novel can be a hit with some readers, and a did not finish for others.

Unfortunately, I found myself in the latter group, whilst I did finish the novel, it left me feeling strangely unsatisfied at the end.

Tiger explores poaching, wild animals being kept in captivity and our relationship with the wild. Whilst the novel tries to thread these threads together with a novel, it just falls flat.

Frieda is a primatologist, suffering from PTSD after a severe assault. After losing her job she goes to work in a family run zoo, helping with the arrival of a female tiger. We are undertaken on a journey through Frieda’s morphine addiction, her struggles with recovery, settling in her new job and the preparations for the arrival of a new tiger.

We are then taken from a small family zoo in the UK to the Siberian Taiga. On the way we follow the viewpoints from Tomas a Russian conservationist and Edit a huntress. And the Siberian Tiger’s viewpoint herself. Whilst I found Tomas and Edit’s viewpoints more interesting I could not relate to any of the characters and the novel fell flat for me.

This has proved to be big hit with many readers but personally I failed to connect with it, as I didn’t find any of the characters relatable – or even realistic. In 4 parts, linked by a tiger, the story is essentially about the survival of tigers in the wild and in zoos, and the nature of man’s relationship with them. The first part concerns Frieda, a primatologist, who has been injured in a mugging and is now addicted to morphine. Having lost her job as a bonobo researcher she goes to a small zoo where, surprisingly considering her background, she is put in charge of a new arrival, a tiger, where again she makes some questionable decisions, and where she meets a fellow zookeeper called Gabriel, whose own behaviour leaves much to be desired. It’s a relief to get away from them and set off to Siberia, where we meet Tomas, a conservationist, and his team of stereotypical Russians. Then in part 3 we meet an Udeghe woman Edit, who also doesn’t have much luck with a tiger, in this case the Countess, and in part 4 we get a glimpse into the Countess’s own world view. So….lots of interesting stuff about tigers, and you can’t fault the research, but the characterisation of the humans lacked depth, the dialogue is clunky and many of the incidents overblown. I’m surprised at the enthusiasm with which the book has been greeted, and just have to accept that it simply isn’t one for me.

Fascinating and beautifully written exploration of the Siberian tiger from the point of view of the zookeeper, poacher, an indigenous woman, a Russian man and last but not least, the tiger herself. Polly Clark evokes the hostile landscape of the Russian taiga where every minute is a fight to survive extreme cold and isolation and, in this gripping novel creates an unforgettable sense of place. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I just couldn't gel with this book. It started off so well and I loved the feeling of tension with the hunter and the tiger in the epilogue. Things nosedived for me once we got onto Frieda's story. Frieda is a researcher studying Bonobo apes. She's also an addict and when her addiction is found out, she is fired from her researcher job (don't steal morphine folks) and goes to work in a small zoo. I immediately struggled to engage with Frieda's story because I have an irrational hatred of primates and a not so irrational hatred of zoos.

The novel goes on to follow the viewpoints of two other characters living in the Siberian Taiga, Tomas a Russian conservationist and a huntress named Edit. The eponymous Tiger links all of the characters together and we get her viewpoint too.

Tomas and Edit were more interesting than Frieda but I'd disengaged from the novel by the point they came along.  The book and the characters are clearly well written but I just couldn't get a grip on them personally.

I know some people absolutely love this book but, it just wasn't for me.

My thanks to Quercus, Riverrun Books for an eARC via NetGalley of Polly Clark’s ‘Tiger‘ in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Polly Clark had previously published three poetry collections as I felt that ‘Tiger’ had a lyrical quality to its prose. Due to this I opted to purchase the audiobook edition narrated by Emma Spurgin-Hussey‪ to listen alongside reading ‬and so immerse myself in Clark’s elegant use of language.

While the focus of the novel is a family group of Siberian tigers, it also the story of four humans that become caught up in their story.

The first part of the novel is set in England. After surviving a horrific attack (by a human) Frieda, a primatologist, has become addicted to morphine. After losing her research position working with bonobos she obtains a position at a private zoo in the Devon countryside. Initially she is working with the zoo’s primates but is soon transferred to work with Luna, a rescued Siberian tiger, brought there as a potential mate for Lyric, the zoo’s male tiger.

The rest of the novel is set in the Siberian Taiga. Tomas, a Russian conservationist, is deeply concerned when poachers kill the local king tiger. During the harsh winter one of his mates, the Countess, has taken over patrolling his territory. When Tomas discovers that a Udeghe huntress and her daughter have crossed paths with the tigress and her cub he fears for the safety of all.

There are heartbreaking scenes in this novel though this was crucial to highlight the plight of the Siberian tiger 🐯. These were balanced by scenes that spoke of hope. Strangely I found myself cheering for Vladimir Putin as the text highlights his outstanding support for the conservation of the Siberian tiger bringing them back from the brink of extinction.

On her website Clark provides details of the time she spent with Russian conservationists in the Taiga researching the novel. This certainly accounts for how powerful her depiction of this stark yet beautiful landscape was.

The first section of the novel had a strong personal appeal given it featured bonobos. Before vision problems ended my ability to drive, I volunteered at a zoo and had duties that involved promoting awareness of various primates. I grew to love and appreciate the community of bonobos located there and spent many hours quietly observing these fascinating apes.

I adored Tiger’ and it quickly has become one of my favourites of the year. Given its themes, literary qualities, superb storytelling and vivid depiction of the Taiga, I would expect to see it nominated for upcoming literary prizes. I will certainly be cheering for it.

I know that I will be recommending this unique novel widely including suggesting its inclusion in our County Library’s Reading Group Collection as it has a great deal to offer in terms of discussion material as well as a highly engaging story, setting and memorable characters both human and tigerkind.

I was very lucky to receive an ARC digital copy of this book through NetGalley. Thank you very much to the publishers for approving this.

‘Set across two continents, Tiger is a sweeping story of survival and redeeming love that plunges the reader into one of the world’s last wildernesses with blistering authenticity’

The story is told from several perspectives and the first narrative is that of Frieda, a primatologist, primarily studying Bonobos. Whilst recovering from a violent attack in London, Frieda develops an opioid addiction which results in her losing her job. She starts her new role as a zookeeper and here she confronts a very different ward: an injured wild tiger.

The second narrative is told from Tomas, a lonely Russian conservationist who is deep in the Siberian Taiga. The king tiger has been killed by poachers and a spectacular tigress now patrols his vast territory as her own.

The third narrative is from a Udeghe huntress named Edit, who has escaped her village with her young daughter, Zina, and are now both living out in the wild. In a winter of treacherous competition, Edit and Zina’s path crosses with the tigress and her cub…

Review:
I will start by saying that this book is different from anything I have ever read before. It is cleverly written, it’s educational and it’s evident that a lot of research went into it (which always wins bonus points).

I really enjoyed Frieda as a character and would say that her perspective was my favourite part of the book. Isolation and loneliness are consistent themes throughout but with Frieda it is different. She’s content in her isolation. She’s ‘different’ but she owns it.

Each character within the book is completely unique. They’re all experiencing their own completely different challenges in life and it’s interesting seeing the contrast between. As the story continues, we see how the characters and their lives link together through the Tigress,
something the author manages to do cleverly and successfully.

Overall, I think the author delivered a really lovely story. I’ve never read anything from Polly Clark before but it is clear she is an excellent writer. There was a lot of research put in to this and the book is extremely educational. That being said, this book is not my usual ‘type of book’. This year I’ve challenged myself to read more books that I wouldn’t usually and to discover more genres than my usual thrillers. That being said, with Tiger I didn’t find myself racing through it to finish it. As clever as the story was, I wasn’t gripped. I am still glad I had the opportunity to read it though and I will still keep my eye out for any future writing from Polly Clark

Being asked to be part of the Social Blast for Tiger by @mspollyclark 🐯- published by @quercusbooks
Its powerful and fantastically written. So beautiful.
It's about life, changes within life and freedom. 🐯
Personally I found this book has so much to offer and it delivers through out.
It sucked me in from the prologue. Its utterly engaging.
🐯
The intensity of the story and it offers so much more than just about a Tiger. It is a book that is also thought provoking.
🐯
For me it is certainly a book that is up there as the best of the year! I wouldnt be surprise if this ends up being an award winning book.
🐯
Thank you so much @quercusbooks

Wow, I loved this book to bits. I had the feeling of 'this book was written to my taste' the whole time i was reading it.
The book consists of 4 stories of 4 different people entwined by a Siberian tiger. First of all, in this book, there was lots of research as it contained a lot of analogies of different animals. I love watching documentaries and learning about the wonders of wild life. So, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about amazing animals, their features, descriptions, etc. It was very well researched, and it kept me googling these information and learning more. I love it when a book pushes you to make your own research to learn more or makes you interested in something.
I don't want to describe the story too much, as it was very enjoyable to peal the layers of this onion myself knowing very little when I was reading it.
First of all, it has a majestic opening. It grabs your attention immediately, then switches on to one of the stories, which is Frieda's. She's a Primatologist working with Bonobo monkeys. But, she's in a struggle of her own leading to drug addiction after a big attack she had.
Then, we go to Siberia where we have Tomas, a Russian conservationist and read about The King tiger, the Countess and her cubs.
Another character is Edit, who's a member of the Udeghe people. This story was right in the middle of the wilderness, with superb descriptions, atmosphere. It was a real joy.
Lastly, we read from countess tiger's eyes.
Then, all characters come together with their relation or love for tigers, hence the title :)

I really LOVED this book, I can't say enough. The settings, the wilderness, the unusual characters and how these stories came together. It was different than the books I read recently. It revived my love for reading and discovering gems like this. It was like reading many different books at one time, each character being distinct. Moving from one to another was sad and equally exciting. I didn't want to leave the one I was reading about, but I was curious about the new ones.
I won't even talk about the descriptions, atmosphere, the joy of reading about nature and animals. It totally took me to another world. I remembered the times I was in South Africa being closer to the animals. And it made me long for this pure life style.

I congratulate Polly Clark for this very accomplished book, multi layered, complex and rich! I'd definitely follow her from now on to read her other works.

And let's appreciate the super lush cover that reflects the core of this novel.

Thanks so much to Quercus Books and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This books was a surprise. I hadn't any specific expectations as I hadn't understood if it was a book about tigers or human that works with tigers.
I was partly wrong because this is an amazing novel about life, changes, freedom and tigers.
It's full of food for thought, you read and you think and reflect on what you are reading.
At the same time is an engaging and entertaining read, a page turner you cannot put down.
I loved the poetic and intense, it makes you feel like you are living what is happening on the page.
I would like to go back and read it again as I am sure I would find other things and other aspect that I missed.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this, all opinions are mine.