I read 62% of this book but just couldn’t finish it. I’m not sure what I was expecting from it, but this wasn’t it. We’re coming up on the one year anniversary of losing my heart dog so it felt like a fitting book to read but I just couldn’t get into it at all. It felt disjointed, not always kind, and sometimes I wasn’t even sure where he got his reasoning from for certain things. The personal stories of other people were poignant and I feel for those people but the overall book didn’t have the comforting effect I was hoping for.

I think this book will be a comfort to those who want to look at death from a more scientific and analytical point of view. However, I am not one of those people. The tone felt somewhat cold and detached to me and did not help in the grief I was feeling.

Sorry...actually finished this one a bit ago. I thought I gave feedback.

1 star

Review limited to Goodreads due to rating

What in the Sam Hill hell was this book about? I kept waiting for this book to have some assemblance of meaning, but it was all over the place. I thought the author failed miserably in his mission to write a book on the topic of pet parent grief, which is shown to be a real issue.

Having read this book following the loss of our beloved family pet, it gave insight into the grieving process when a pet dies, how to acknowledge and give value to the loss and how to navigate it in a meaningful way based on family beliefs and ideals. While this process may not be for everyone, there is something to gain for anyone following the death of their pet.

I received an ARC in exchange for my review.

It's worth a read and interesting, but no comfort for those of us who have lost beloved animal children. Having just lost my beloved cat not long after receiving this book or review, I had hoped to find some consolation. Not finding any, I put it down for a long while. Just too sad to read. Some time has passed and I picked up the book again. Not my sort really, but other's will likely find it enlightening and helpful, It's well written and orderly, just not for me.

"After all, how can you possibly compare the death of a pet - a mere animal - to the death of a loved one? Well, quite easily as it happens, because the animal in question was a loved one, too."

Despite the heart rending subject, I really looked forward to reading this.
Having mourned many wonderful companions in my life, I needed the affirmation that it is perfectly normal to grieve for them so deeply. And I did find that here.
The author shared many personal stories that were heartwarming.
But it was a bit hit or miss for me, because some of his strong opinions I disagreed with. Not believing in an afterlife, telling children they will never be reunited with their pets, saying there is no rainbow bridge. He felt it was lying to them, I feel it denies a comfort whether you believe it or not.
Some chapters I just glanced at and some I read thoroughly and in general I came away consoled.
I thought the author went off on too many tangents and I wish he would have kept closer to the immediate subject.
I suggest reading the chapters that have meaning for you to get the most from this book.
Thank you St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC via NetGalley.
3.5 stars, rounding down to 3 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity for review. I am a fan of the author's prior works and was pl.eased to receive this for review. My review opinion is my own.

I have lost so many companion animals over the decades and was searching for comfort from the title of the book. This book is not just for those grieving and offers little comfort but a lot of important information regarding animals especially dogs and cats. . After my most recent loss of a `19 year old cat I was hoping for a book from the author on animal companion loss according to the title . The author has many different subjects included here including the reason for veganism, the argument for rights of companion animals and what our companion animals give us in their short lives as well as some short stories of exceptional animal love and grief. So this book has something for everyone not just those of us grieving and it was a worthy read.

I recommend this book for all who love animals and those who suffer from grief of losing a beloved pet.

Princess Fuzzypants here: The price of love is the pain of loss. Anytime you open up and bring someone into your heart you run that risk. Although most of us would rather feel the pain than to have missed the love, when the one you love is a pet, there is a very strong likelihood that you will experience the loss... quite possibly time and time again. It is simple math. Humans live longer lives than cats or dogs.
But as much as it hurts, many humans chose to go through it many times in their lives. The reward exceeds the cost more times than can be calculated. But, while the humans can intellectualize this, nothing softens the overwhelming sadness.
This book looks into the experiences not only of the author but others whose lives have been blessed by animals. He runs the gamut well beyond cats and dogs and looks at what the animals return to us. You may not agree with all of his opinions. I am not a fan of delaying a decision for euthanasia when it is clear the animal is suffering. Hope is a wonderful thing but that decision is both the hardest and most loving a pet parent ever has to make.
Be prepared to cry and to laugh at the stories. And be prepared to be amazed, if you do not already know this, how deep and rich are the feelings and the intelligence of our animal friends.
Five purrs and two paws up.

After losing my pet of 14 years I thought this book would offer consolidation and comfort- it does NOT. In fact it seems to harp on the loss.

Masson's catalogue has never disappointed me in the past, and this title was no exception. An investigation of animal death and our responses to it (as well as the response of the animals that share our lives) there is a great deal happening in this book. If you've picked it up in order to confront a loss, this may be a good thing as there is a lot here to distract. Masson discusses our coevolution with canines, why the shift towards veganism is important, and the value of adopting animals from shelters. He also charts changing animals toward animal sentience and animal rights, writing, "recognition of dogs and other animals as sentient, and thus fully capable of suffering as much or more than human animals may not have been completely won, but scientists are now far more inclined than they were some years ago to acknowledge sentience in animals we know." My only complaint about this one is that it seems to focus more on canine friends than feline ones - but that may simply be a product of how much research has recently been done on dogs.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "Lost Companions" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. After losing my beloved cat Lennon unexpectantly in October of last year at the age of 10, I have been looking for ways to heal as I am still very upset over his loss. He was truly my best friend. I requested this book, hoping to find some closure or at least some warm thoughts from someone who had been through something similar. This book was not it. As I was reading, I just felt like I didn't fully agree with the author on his opinions and viewpoints.

This is a well written book, it just wasn't what I was expecting to read. I was looking for a book to help with the pain of losing my beloved furbaby and this book just didn't do it. Please don't let my review stop you from reading this book, it might be just what you are looking for. Thank you St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I lost my golden doodle almost a year ago and it was the hardest thing I have yet to go through. I'm still grieving everyday although I have since then gotten a new puppy. I thought this book would be perfect for me but honestly it was a little confusing and disjointed. One chapter was anecdotes about people who loved and lost their pets and then the next chapter would be preaching on the nonexistence of the afterlife or how we should all go vegan one day or how he doesn't believe in euthanasia. I found little to no comfort from Masson but rather from the people's stories he included throughout the book. I did cry a lot throughout the novel anyway but it is not what I was looking for unfortunately. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who just lost a pet either.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

This book was not what I expected. While I agree with some observations about our relationships with our pets, (I have two dogs that I am very close to). The book felt almost mechanical. I expected some comfort as one of my dogs is 17 and I will lose her soon. I did enjoy parts of this book but I wasn’t compelled by it.

I'm not sure what I expected out of this book. I guess, after losing both our dogs last year, I was hoping to find some empathy, or comfort, or even a "justification" for the utter devastation we felt over losing our girls. But all I got was cold and clinical, a book completely lacking in anything resembling comfort. If you're looking for one person's opinion on this subject, great. If you're looking for kindness and warmth, keep looking.

#Lost Companions#HerBalist
This book was not what I expected it to be.. I was looking for more compassion and a warmth on looking out cat. So even though I didn't like parts of this book because I believe that we will see our pets again. Some other people may find what they are looking for in this book. Thank you Get Galley for letting me read this Arc copy and review it.

This is not intended as a fast read. It is a reflective, philosophical account of one man's experiences with animals and the lessons he learned. He makes recommendations for the end of their lives. He tells others' tales of their animals. Through it all, he keeps reminding that animals are sentient creatures; they have emotions. Particularly, he considers dogs and the way they have evolved in a few years from a wild state to being a home companion, ever mindful of man's needs. He presents a strong case for becoming vegans. It is not necessarily a book to enjoy, but is a book that gives the reader much to think of in forming his own philosophy of the animal kingdom.

Not what I was expecting from the description. Rather than offering comfort for grieving pet owners, Masson is more pragmatic in his approach. He also does not seem to be a cat person, as he describes his pet cat once seeking him out when he had a high fever, which he later interpreted as the cat looking for a warm place to sleep. I was a little taken aback by the chapter on why everyone should be vegan--I am not in need of a lecture on the topic, and it doesn't really fit with the rest of the book.

I requested this book shortly after losing my cat after 13 years. I was devastated at the loss of my baby girl and heartbroken from the decision to put her to sleep as she was very sick and dying from kidney failure. I wanted someone to tell me I made the right decision and to make me feel better. So the timing was probably off for reading and reviewing this book. I enjoyed the parts from the other pet owners. Maybe if I had read it before she passed, I would have been more prepared, but instead it made me sad. That is not a reflection on the rating though. I would give it a solid 3.5 to 4 ⭐. Thank you netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who recently lost my beloved dog, I thought I would find some comfort in at least some of this book. Unfortunately, I did not. Masson seems to write from a place lacking compassion and comfort as he at one point writes about not believing in the rainbow bridge or afterlife etc which would be ok- that's his perspective but there are many out there who do believe that (me included) so writing about both perspectives would've been more helpful for me. I found the tone lacking in kindness and very preachy throughout. The author clearly has something against cats and I found his writing about them condescending, to say the least. The only part I did agree with was staying with your pet for euthanasia but here again, the author wrote about this very personal aspect from a place of being the righteousness rather than compassion. I would recommend looking elsewhere if you've recently lost a pet and you're looking for words of wisdom and comfort