[1] Although sharing its title with Francis Ernest Lloyd's classic 1942 work, this treatment focuses primarily on physiology and biochemistry, reflecting the authors' areas of expertise.

M. Smith, writing in New Phytologist, considered the book to present "a comprehensive biology of carnivory in plants, with up-to-date facts, informed evaluations and speculations about morphological and physiological adaptations, and how they may have originated", but added that "[t]here are no great surprises".

"[5] In a 1991 review for the Kew Bulletin, Martin Cheek wrote that the book "is like no other on the subject" and "provides a 'modern scientific' insight into the carnivorous mechanisms of plants".

Cheek also pointed out a number of inconsistencies and taxonomic errors in the text (the genus Sarracenia, for example, is said to have 7, 8, and "14 or so" species on different pages), although he wrote that "[i]nconsistencies are inevitable in a multi-author volume such as this".

He continued: "The actual information contained in the book is detailed and sometimes very scientific but on the whole, the text can be read and enjoyed by someone that has a keen interest in learning more about the plants that they cultivate."