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Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog (Hardcover)
by John Grogan
| Category:
Dog, story |
| Market price: ¥ 238.00
MSL price:
¥ 218.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A delightful book chronicling the life of a "challenging" but obviously loveable dog. |
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Author: John Grogan
Publisher: William Morrow
Pub. in: October, 2005
ISBN: 0060817089
Pages: 304
Measurements: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00663
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0060817084
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- MSL Picks -
The author tells the story of a ill-behaved gigantic dog. The dog is a pain in the neck, but the author and the readers fall in love with the dog anyway. You know the dog is going to die at the end, but the author makes you care. The owners make dumb mistakes and make some wise choices. The dog experts would have said get rid of the dog, but the author think once you buy a dog, the dog is your dog and you must put up with his problems. His quirks are your family's quirks because he is your dog. Part of the love you have for the dog is because of his unique problems.
The author writes that what he learned from Marley was his exuberance for living and his pure loyalty to his people. The author also learned about mortality. Dog's lives (especially Labradors) are much shorter than ours. We see the arc of their lives much easier than our lives. We learn life lessons from living with a dog through puppyhood, doghood, middle age and old age.
The author relates painfully, honestly and humorously how he got through it. The book is a story told many times, but the author tells his story well.
Target readers:
Anyone who loves dogs
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John Grogan is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and former editor in chief of Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine. He lives in Philadelphia, PA.
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The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the
wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life
John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.
Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good-Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these."
And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.
Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.
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| View all 10 comments |
Janet Maslin (New York Times) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-01 00:00>
A very funny valentine...Marley & Me tenderly follows its subject from sunrise to sunset...with hilarity and affection. |
John Morgan (MSL quote), Canada
<2007-02-01 00:00>
I bought this book for my wife for Christmas. I couldn't wait for her to open it up so I could read it. It only took me a few hours to read. it's funny, it's sad, it's touching, it's an absolutely beautiful book. it's all about the bond between man and "beast". I often wonder what that means because sometimes, more often than not, man is the beast. Growing up, I was given the privilege of having pets. It taught me responsibility, accountability, and the ability to love something unconditionally. More often than not, I "failed" as a pet owner. Sometimes I forgot to clean up after my pets, sometimes I forgot to feed them or give them fresh water, and many, many times I forgot just how wonderful it was to actually have them in my life.
Reading this book made me truly appreciate the pets I once owned and the pets I now own. I looked at my 2 year old terror in the backyard in a new light. Yes, he was busy gnawing on a shoe...probably mine...probably one of my best...but for all of his craziness, his goofiness, and his stubborness, I love that dog and I know that dog loves me...in fact, if there was a contest on who loved the most, it would be him. He loves unconditionally, without limits, without restrictions. Maybe dog is God spelled backwards for a reason. Maybe that's how God loves us. We don't want to believe that's true. We sometimes think we are "deserving" of punishment and judgment and retribution, but Love only knows Love. Dogs see us as we really are and maybe that's how God sees us, as well...just a thought, please do not send me scriptures "validating" reasons why God must judge us and punish us and strike us down for misbehaving. Like I said, it's only an idea.
This book is filled with great thoughts. Some parts had me laughing so hard I couldn't see straight and other parts had me crying uncontrollably thinking about the pets I have lost while being on this 41 year old journey. My brother and I still weep about the dog we had to put to sleep in 1995. She may not have been the smartest or the cutest, but she gave us plenty of love filled memories and that's what this book is all about.
I recommend it highly for all people especially those who need to be reminded that there really is such a thing as Unconditional Love. Here's hoping you find it in that fuzzy thing that accidentally peed on the living room rug.
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Kathleen Martino (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-01 00:00>
I absoutely loved this book. The author is a phenomenal writer and had me hysterically laughing at Marley's antics right up until the end when nature has a way of changing things.
I felt the author gave an honest rendition of a life with Marley. Although I strongly disagree with some of the tactics used to dicipline Marley, the story depicts an actual portrayal of what mechanisms people use to cope with the animals they love despite their misgivings.
Perhaps Marley could have been trained better by his owners, perhaps not - as a person on the outside looking in it's easy to judge. Nevertheless, this book was real, hysterical, sometimes disappointing (due to some training tactics used), and in the end both sad and pensive.
Although you can only rate 5 stars in this review, I give John Grogan 10 stars for an exceptionally written novel that truly stirs different emotions for as many different people that read this tale.
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Jeanine Colangelo (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-01 00:00>
Any dog owner should own this book. It brought back so many memories of when my boys were puppies and the destruction they did around the house (who hasn't patched walls and replaced furniture?). I had to laugh out loud about the training class and the "accident" in the ocean. I cried my eyes out in the end when Marley passed, it is a horrible thing to lose one's pet. Why can't they stay with us forever? |
View all 10 comments |
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