The Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets

by Diana Wagman

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
55	5	475,102	(3.36)	1
"Winnie Parker, mother to an angst-ridden teenage daughter and ex-wife to a successful game show host who left her for a twenty-something contestant, begins a normal day in her hum-drum existence by dropping her car off at the repair shop. After accepting what she believes is a ride to pick up her rental car, Winnie realizes too late that she's been kidnapped. What follows is a riveting psychological game of cat and mouse set in the kidnapper's tropically heated house--kept that way for Cookie, a menacing seven-foot long Iguana headquartered in the kitchen. While desperately seeking to escape--which leads to several violent clashes with her increasingly unstable kidnapper--Winnie also tries to understand why she was taken captive. Is her kidnapper merely seeking a ransom or does he have something more sinister in mind? Does he know that Winnie's mother is an Oscar-winning actress? Or did he connect her with Jonathan, her famous ex-husband? When the truth reveals itself, Winnie is not only forced to fight for her life, but must also protect the lives of those she loves from the kidnapper's deranged master plan."--P. [4] of cover.… (more)

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This is one freaky book! The whole storyline is both topical and insane! It is both terrifying and funny, and that's hard to do. A divorced, "stuck in the mud" mom is kidnapped. She does not know why she has been chosen, she is neither wealthy, nor famous although her ex-husband and mother are both. She has to use her wits to survive, and it's even more complicated because her kidnapper is unstable and his moods and motives keep changing, so she has to stay on her toes to keep up- and keep herself alive. While this is happening the novel shifts back to her story with her ex, her mother and her daughter. There are chapters where we hear from others in her life, what they are doing while she is fighting for her life - they are unaware of what has happened...
In the midst of all of this we have a 7 foot iguana, scenes from the illegal reptile smuggling trade, and some background on our kidnapper and his past - and somehow this all works!!
The reason for the kidnapping is not hard to figure out - and yet it is both ridiculous and highly plausible - and therein lies the terror! (

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Rdra1962 | Aug 1, 2018 |

This story is kind of hard to describe, emotionally, I'm probably still processing it. It wasn't a difficult story line, nor were the characters deeply developed. However, I think it would be an excellent recommendation for any book club, as there are so many points of contention and discussion. The role of happiness - how we define it, how it defines us, what we do to achieve it - is a central line, but not in a content manner. (

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Sovranty | Nov 30, 2016 |

Winnie Parker is a divorced mother of a teen girl who is flirting with danger. One morning after dropping her car off for repairs, Winnie is kidnapped by a disturbed young man with an unclear agenda. Winnie tries to understand how the man came to select her as she tries to escape his sweltering apartment, which has been dedicated to his aggressive oversized iguana. Winnie's daughter and ex-husband are slow to realize she is missing and their storylines alternate with Winnie's and the kidnapper's. This is one of the strangest books I've read in a long time. Each of the characters was likable but also detestable. All were strangely flawed. I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to recommend it but it isn't a story that could be easily forgotten. (

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voracious | Feb 1, 2015 |

I'm torn between 3 or 4 stars on this book. I didn't enjoy the characters at all and the writing was only okay. The story line and the connection between captive and kidnapper was really well done and made up for some of what the book lacks. I enjoyed reading it and got through it quickly, which is always a good sign of a captivating book. I would recommend this book solely for the look into the dynamics of the kidnapper situation, which is interesting enough to keep you reading more. (

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yougotamber | Aug 22, 2014 |

Winnie Parker is a very lonely divorced mother. On her way to her tennis lessons she drops her car off at a dealership and takes a bus to the rental shop. She soon realizes that she is in the wrong car and has been kidnapped by a young man. They pull into his garage and go into his piping hot house. Winnin meets Cookie, her captors pet Iguana. Soon unfolds the real story of each character (Winnie's ex husband, her daughter, her captor and his pet).

This story was OK. I finished it very quickly, but not because I couldn't put it down and wanted to know what happend, but because the story was almost young adult. It was almost good. I'm not sure I woudl recommend it. I can't quite put my finger on why I did not really like this book. I was disappointed in the anti-climactic ending and the characters were very underdeveloped. I didn't end up liking any of the characters. (

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MinDea | Apr 8, 2013 |

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"Winnie Parker, mother to an angst-ridden teenage daughter and ex-wife to a successful game show host who left her for a twenty-something contestant, begins a normal day in her hum-drum existence by dropping her car off at the repair shop. After accepting what she believes is a ride to pick up her rental car, Winnie realizes too late that she's been kidnapped. What follows is a riveting psychological game of cat and mouse set in the kidnapper's tropically heated house--kept that way for Cookie, a menacing seven-foot long Iguana headquartered in the kitchen. While desperately seeking to escape--which leads to several violent clashes with her increasingly unstable kidnapper--Winnie also tries to understand why she was taken captive. Is her kidnapper merely seeking a ransom or does he have something more sinister in mind? Does he know that Winnie's mother is an Oscar-winning actress? Or did he connect her with Jonathan, her famous ex-husband? When the truth reveals itself, Winnie is not only forced to fight for her life, but must also protect the lives of those she loves from the kidnapper's deranged master plan."--P. [4] of cover.

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