A Bear’s Diary

A delightful read, this is the tale of Daisy, a bear who at the start of the book, is briefly owned by none other than Byron, who keeps her in his rooms at Cambridge. However, she is no ordinary bear, not only to dance, but to read and write in English, Latin and Greek. She does not stay long with Byron, and embarks on an epic series of adventures. Along the way, she gathers a troupe of bears who go to perform for royalty, fight in the Napoleonic wars, explore the Arctic and much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend it.

What an exceedingly erudite and learned individual Daisy is. Well versed in Latin and ancient Greek, she is able to quote the great philosophers at length. She has no problem in passing the end of year Cambridge exams which she surreptiously took in place of the great Lord Byron. Of course no female would have been allowed to sit them at that time. In addition to her remarkakable attributes, she is also an accomplished professional dancer. There is one other thing that distinguishes Daisy, she is a bear. Based on the true story of Lord Byron's bear at Cambridge University, the book consists of Daisy's diary written over seven years. Her adventures include fighting against Napoleon's armies, travelling around the world and giving prophetic advice to the Tsar of Russia. Amusing, whimisical and showing a good deal of historic reseach, this was an enjoyable if somewhat different read. Once the initial absurdity of the premise is accepted, the reader becomes more attuned to Daisy's mindset and character as the book progresses. By the end one can almost believe that this actually happened.

This is a very fresh approach to an historical tale. It will definitely take a sense of whimsey as well as suspension of disbelief to accept the diary of a bear that reads Greek and Latin and managed to complete Lord Byron's final university exams for him, but accepting all that, I marched on and enjoyed Daisy's adventures. In the tradition of picaresque tales, Daisy moves from city to country, dancing to war, and manages to have a very philosophical outlook on her life and times. If a reader is looking for a book that doesn't make them feel like they have "been there, done that," this might just be the perfect choice.

I love a ripping yarn and "A Bear's Diary" is a ripping yarn. It is a great story and it's well researched and beautifully told. The illustrations are dreams of delight. All in all a wonderful story. Well done.

I was intrigued from beginning to end, and enjoyed the reading experience. I was interested in the characters, and looked forward to learning where their stories would lead.