Bernard Jan

What a wonderful but terribly sad story and homage to a beloved pet.

When Bernard Jan lost Marcel, he shares the three days emotional turmoil he and his family encountered throughout the process before they had to say goodbye. What a tearjerker. M. Jan captures all the emotions and imagery pet owners in this situation experiences. Losing a pet whether it is a cat, a dog, a bird even a reptile is extremely hard. Trying to rationalize the decisions and convincing ourselves that it is the right thing to do and all will be ok is easier said than done.

In this 100 pages or so Marcel’s movement and struggles are showcased along the pain Jan and his family went through. It is an extremely hard book to read, I had so many tears I had to put it down several times. I kept remembering losing my long-time companion of 18 years, mon petit “Minou” d’amour and all the good times we had together. I miss her still....

Mr. Jan also share with us their 15 years of treasured life Marcel and he had together from the moment he adopted him till his last breath. I felt the intensity in the writing, the description and moments. This is so masterfully done.

This is an emotional and moving book, extremely well written and powerful.… (plus d'informations)

This is a very touching novella about a pup seal name Danny who spends his days playing with his brother and learning life skills from his mother. It also brings out those with big heart and a desire to save animals: the environmentalists. Helen is a young activist and a crew member of the Rainbow Warriors and will lead the way in the last part of this very emotional journey.

This powerful story invokes all sorts of emotions and focuses on the many dangers Danny faces from birth on. The narration and dialogue are elegant and poetic, the presentation extremely graphic although not gruesome in anyways, definitely no need for pictures. No doubt, the author took a lot of care with this story to drive his points across.

Of course to shock us…..this story brings out some of the dangers Danny will encounter, such as: facing humans during the annual seal hunt, being covered in oil spills during the migratory season north, fighting for his life caught in derelict fishnets left behind by trawlers. The author does not mention the sea of plastic that also roam our oceans. Here come Helen, the saviour, she does her best to safe the young colony from the hunters and Danny from drowning but there is so much to do and little time to do it.

In the last chapters, Mr. Jan does his pitch on activism and has a strong voice about his believes although he abstains from being too preachy….. This is well written story for all ages.

I received a copy for review from the author these are my honest thoughts… (plus d'informations)

Look for Me Under the Rainbow is a short and imaginative tale, aimed at a YA audience but inviting of all ages. Removed from young (and I’m sure some would say adult as well) I’m not part of the intended demographic for this work, but I’ve read Bernard Jan’s writing before so was happy to give this one a try.

From the off the stakes are presented as extremely high. We are plunged into the world of an infant seal pup, where dangers are incessant. The vast whiteness of an endless icy panorama emphasises the vulnerability and natural plight of such a small creature, birthed near helpless onto a shifting frozen surface. The young pup is entirely reliant on his mother and seal family, and at first has many questions about this precarious and exciting world he has been born into.

Seal society has a purposeful folkloric and spiritual tradition, handed down in the mythologies they tell. In this way, the young pup attempts to find insights into the very immediate issues of life and death he sees playing out around him. I found this element of the story very nicely done.

With a book of this kind, with anthropomorphism at the centre of the text, mawkishness is a potential pitfall. Overall, the text avoids this however, setting an exploratory tone from early on, and including the more brutal and pitiless aspects of an animal’s life in quite graphic and brutal detail. This book does not condescend to younger people. There is an agenda to the book, and it is one that is pro animal rights, but I don’t feel in a haranguing or preachy way, instead raising the necessary questions and leaving the reader to make up their own mind.

Some of the most successful passages of the book were, for me, those where the tension of the natural impulse to explore collided with the risk of straying too far. A constant feeling of menace and dread hangs over this novella, the characters subjected to abiding threats, a peril waiting unseen in the snowy landscape. There are some lyrical descriptions involving the natural formations of this world, and also regarding the precipice between life and death, that are very memorable.

A thought provoking read, to be especially appreciated by younger readers who want to explore the ethics surrounding environmental and animal rights movements.… (plus d'informations)

5542. A World Without Color A True Story by Bernard Jan translated from the Croatian by Bernard Jan (read 10 Mar 2018) This is a book originally published in 2017 in Croatian which the author translated into English. It tells of the last three days of the life of the author's cat, Marcel. Anyone who has suffered the death of a beloved cat, as I have, will empathize with the grief which the author and his parents go through as the cat sickens. The title of the book says it is a true story, and I prefer to believe it, even though there is a reference at the end of the account to a "novella" and an 'alternative ending' in which the author despairs. Which ending do I prefer? Obviously, the true one, since we know the author lives. The reading is not one of joy, but of poignant pain and sorrow. I appreciate the author supplying me with a copy of the book in return for this honest review.… (plus d'informations)