Run With the Hare

Don't be deterred by the cover, which promises 'a heartrending contemporary story' - this is no Barbara Cartland in disguise! It's the story of Elaine's involvement with the activities of a local animal rights group. Elaine's reason for joining the group is largely to get to know Mark - aloof, handsome, intelligent - not a promising beginning, you may think! Don't despair - the story develops well as Elaine becomes involved with the group, most notably in sabotaging a particularly nasty organised dog fight, and her infatuation with Mark subsides as she becomes aware of his egocentricity and shallowness. The book is storngly written, without the evangelical overtones which too often weaken the genre. The male characters are rather stereotyped and the language occasionally over-emotive - 'dangling naked turkeys and . . . slabs of cold animal flesh' - but third, fourth and fifth-years will find this an intelligent and thought-rovoking read.