Today I drove through the take-out line in a restaurant and sat in my car eating and reading, as I often do. The book was Marley & Me, by John Grogan. I only had a little bit more to read before finishing the book, but had I known what I was in for, I would have saved it for later, at home. Suffice it to say that I cried like a baby, tears streaming down my face, and had to stop every two minutes to wipe my eyes so I could read the next paragraph.
If you have ever loved a dog, this book is a must read. Grogan is a newspaper columnist (Philadelphia Inquirer) and at one time he was the editor-in-chief of Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine. He is a good writer and very funny, whether he is talking about Marley or describing the women of Boca Raton, where he used to live. Here is an excerpt:
" The women were tanned to the consistency of the Gucci leather bags they favored, their burnished skin set off by hair dyed alarming shades of silver and platinum. The city crawled with plastic surgeons, and they had the biggest homes and most radiant smiles of all. For Boca's well-preserved women, breast implants were a virtual requirement of residency. The younger women all had magnicifient boob jobs and face lifts. Butt sculpting, nose jobs, tummy tucks, and tattooed mascara rounded out the cosmetic lineup, giving the city's female population the odd appearance of being foot soldiers in an army of anatomically correct inflatable dolls. As I once sang in a song I wrote for a press skit, "Liposuction and silicone, a girl's best friends in Boca Raton."
That passage really made me laugh. We have some friends who write for a magazine called "Gold Coast", published for the area of Florida in and around Boca. I get a complimentary copy every month. The many photos of local people attending charity events, costume balls and various soirees are prime examples of the descriptions above. Even the men look as though they have seen a plastic surgeon a time or two, and dentists who specialize in crowns and caps must be as rich as the surgeons.
Back to the book: I recommend it for anyone who is an animal lover, but especially for those who have ever owned a Labrador Retriever.
10 comments:
I love that book and the oicture of Marley on the cover --- you could just throw your arms around him and hug hug hug him! I need to re-read that...Thanks for reminding me about it.
Oh my gosh i have been wanting to buy this book for weeks! I am getting it for my friend for his birthday who owns three labs.. check out thier cute pics a few posts back over at my place. Thanks for the reccomendation!
Here from Michele's
ill put it on my list - congrats on making honorable mention on minervas blog!!
I wrote it down to look for it. You give good recommendations.
I read his column in the Phila. Inquirer. He is most enjoyable. I didn't now he was an author as well. Does he knpw you are such a devoted fan?
great book review. I've heard good things about this book and now I know he's also has it out with folks from Boca Rotan, the book will go on my list! My only really "battle" with another blogger was with a woman from Boca who makes Ann Coulter look down right moderate.
I may try it. Of course will have to have two or three boxes of tissues and several containers of nasal decongestant I'm sure. Max is trying to guilt me into letting him into the sunroom again tonight. Looking so pitiful on the porch of his doghouse, whining at the lightening and thunder. He would be perfectly dry and fine inside his house, but he'd rather make me feel guilty.
I recently downloaded this from Audible and am really looking forward to "reading" it! I think I'll put it on my iPod for my 5 hour trip to Vegas...
My husband just finished that book and I'm going to read it soon as we get moved and settled in. He loved it! He said our dog Daisy is Marley personified! LOL!
Thank you Judy, I will put this book on my list, too. I am a dog people and I have been reading many books about dogs. I have 3 good "dogs" books to recommend, too (If you have not already read them).
"Flush, A Biography" by Virginia Woolf. It's the story of Elizabeth Barrett-Robert Browning from the point of view of Barrett's adored cocker spaniel. It's an attempt to understand the world from a non-human point of view.
"Timbuktu" by Paul Auster. The hero of Paul Auster's novel is wet-nosed, flea-bitten and in search of a home. The dog is philosophical, capable of dreams and profound metaphysical introspection.
Dog Love, by Marjorie Garber. She observes not dogs themselves but their prominence in American culture. Examining everything from portrayals of dogs in books and films.
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