Pets Aplenty - Malcolm D. Welshman

Summary:  Join novice vet, Paul Mitchell, in a further six months of hilarious escapades he experiences while working at Prospect House Veterinary Hospital. He's confronted by a ravenous pig while sunbathing naked in a cornfield. He locks jaws with a caiman with scale rot and battles with Doug, a vicious miniature donkey that's always sinking his teeth into him. It ends with a Christmas pet blessing which erupts into pandemonium as frightened pets and owners scatter through the pews. Throughout his adventures, Paul is loyally supported by the team at the hospital - in particular Beryl, the elderly one-eyed receptionist, and, Lucy the junior nurse - together with whom he shares this merry-go-round of mayhem. It's a gripping, fast page-turner that's guaranteed to keep animal lovers entranced. (Summary and image from goodreads.com.  I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.)

My Review:  Paul Mitchell is a novice vet in an English vet clinic.  Single, lonely, and trying to find his footing both personally and professionally, he tries to navigate working with his ex-girlfriend, as well as doing his best in Prospect House.

This book should be titled Puns Aplenty.  The novel was rife with them, fairly choking every chapter with them.  A few I could stomach.  But puns on this scale were much too much to handle.  They obscured the storyline entirely, becoming so obvious and so desperate that it distracted me entirely.

Second, I had a really difficult time empathizing with our protagonist Paul.  I didn't find the character extremely likable, and in fact, his, um, excessive hormones nearly made me abandon the attempt to read this book more than once.  Not only were his musings unnecessary, they succeeded in making Paul utterly repellant.  I found myself rooting for the badger, the caiman, and the mad donkey.

My Rating:  One and a half stars

For the Sensitive Reader:  Paul's imagination is clearly R-rated.  There is also a bit of foul language.