We Are Animals
We Are Animals by Tim Ewins is published by Eye and Lightning Books. The ebook came out last year, and the beautiful paperback was launched on 26th July 2021. Over on @squadpod3 on Twitter and @squadpod2021 on Instagram, we’ve been shouting about this book as it’s a real gem you don’t want to miss! We’re also doing a #CakeAndCocktailBlast on Twitter and Instagram today, so make sure you’re following for that!
It has been SO much fun celebrating Tim Ewins’ wonderful book with the Squadpod over the past week or so. For this final post, I thought it would be nice to have a look back at the brilliant reviews and posts that have been shared. Hopefully as well as finding out a bit more about the book, you’ll find some more AWESOME book bloggers to follow!
I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for taking part, the publishers for their brilliant SQUADPOD discount promotion (see link at the end of this post – we are very excited to be a discount code!), and Tim for letting us shout about his brilliant book and being such a good sport about it all. I tell you, after organising just one tour, I take my hat off to the blog tour pros!
Back to the book…
Blurb
A cow looks out to sea, dreaming of a life that involves grass.
Jan is also looking out to sea. He’s in Goa, dreaming of the thief who stole his heart (and his passport) forty-six years ago. Back then, fate kept bringing them together, but lately it seems to have given up.
Jan has not. In his long search he has travelled the world, tangling with murderers and pick-pockets and accidentally holding a whole Russian town at imaginary gunpoint. Now he thinks if he just waits and does nothing, fate may find it easier to reunite them – if only he can shake off an annoying teenager who won’t go away. But then, perhaps an annoying teenager is exactly what Jan needs to help him find his old flame?
Featuring a menagerie of creatures, each with its own story to tell, We Are Animals is a comic Homeric odyssey with shades of Jonas Jonasson’s Hundred-Year-Old Man. A quirky, heart-warming tale of lost love, unlikely friendships and the mysteries of fate, it moves and delights in equal measure.
Squadpod Reviews
I reviewed We Are Animals last year, and if you fancy some dated 2020 references with your book reviews, you can check it out here. I stand by everything I said then, except Tim seems to do fewer silly voices these days. Shame. I’ll pull out the bit that is quoted in the actual paperback, much to my delight: “Not just a funny book – it’s a story with genuine heart. At times I was reminded of Jonas Jonasson’s novels, but in truth it’s hard to compare We Are Animals to other works: it is resolutely its own beast.”
The fabulous Zoe kicked off our current blog tour with this great review, in which she says that “overall the story is incredibly funny, joyous and just like a big hug.”
Lovely Jackie posted an extract from the book, in which we learn the importance of washing. We had another great extract from Kate, in which the story really homes in on the whole washing theme, this time focusing on the key issue of SOCKS. (Please note: the book contains other themes apart from laundry. I promise.)
Sue’s review contains possibly my favourite pull-quote of the tour: “Imagine, if you will, a case of Danny Boyle does Matt Haig, with delicious flashes of Douglas Adams,” and Vikkie, who also did all the graphics for the tour, superstar that she is, did a publication day spotlight for us too.
Jen did a fab Instagram review (this is really testing my wordpress ‘skills’ so if that link didn’t work, find her on Insta @travels.along.my.bookshelf) in which she called We Are Animals “a wonderful 5 star story of love” and picked out some beautiful moments to share with us. The quail!!!
Karen shared her review and called the book ” a really joyful story about love, unlikely friendships, unexpected events and fate,” and Emma posted a great Q and A with Tim – see if you can spot the response which she emailed me about, asking where the rest of Tim’s answer was. (Please note: the book also contains quirky humour.)
Hayley @shelflyfe did another lovely Instagram review (did that link work???) and brilliantly summed up the many different aspects of the book: “There is so much captured within We Are Animals: lost love; biological and chosen family; the importance of friendship; crime and thriller, and; the macrocosm of life and fate versus the microcosm of each small life, that impacts others in so many ways”
Danielle shared an extract in her Sunday Spotlight, detailing how to spot a vest (I swear, this one ISN’T about laundry), and Hayley @hayleylotusflo1 wrote a really lovely review in which she described We Are Animals as “philosophical, romantic, humorous and uplifting” and “a love story, travelogue, meditation, comedy and tragedy all in one.”
And then I wrote a post summing up all of the other posts, and urging you to listen to the wise opinions of these wonderful bookish folk and get yourself a copy of We Are Animals, with 30% off and free UK p&p if you order directly from the publisher here before 8th August and use our code SQUADPOD. And hopefully lots of you will do just that.
About the Author
Tim Ewins had an eight-year stand-up career alongside his accidental career in finance, before turning to writing fiction.
He has previously written for DNA Mumbai, had two short stories highly commended and published in Michael Terence Short Story Anthologies, and had a very brief acting stint (he’s in the film Bronson, somewhere in the background).
He lives with his wife, son and dog in Bristol. We Are Animals is his first novel.
Author Website: https://timothyewins.wixsite.com/timewins
Author Twitter: @EwinsTim
Author Instagram: @timtewins and @quickbooksummaries
From 23rd July to 8th August, you can get 30% off your copy of We Are Animals using the code SQUADPOD when you purchase directly from the publishers https://www.eye-books.com/books/we-are-animals – this offer applies to anywhere, with free p&p for UK only.
We Are Animals by Tim Ewins
Paperback
Published: Lightning Books (July 2021)
ISBN: 9781785632846
Elspells 