I seem to be on a dog story kick these days, having recently completed "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" in the not too distant past. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for books that have animals among the cast of characters. Animals have such distinctive personalities that can be exploited under the power of the pen as easily as those of humans.
At any rate, the is the first Laurien Berenson mystery I've read and I'll probably go back and read others in her "Melanie Travis Mystery" series. The heroine is a teacher who is on leave after giving birth to her second son. Juggling a young family is part of the story line in this book, although Melanie does manage to get herself in the deepest do-do while her spouse is minding the kids.
In this book Melanie is kajoled into helping the owner of a doggie day care discover who killed her brother and partner in the day care business. There are the usual cast of suspects-- the maintenance guy, the sister/partner, the silent partner, and a variety of jealous husbands from the dead guy's amourous misadventures.
I can't say this is the most amusing or the best written mystery of all time, but it is amusing enough to keep me reading and wanting to read more of Melanie Travis' sleuth stories.
Liz Nichols
Showing posts with label dog stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog stories. Show all posts
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
I've read some very fine novels in the past couple months, and Garth Stein's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is no exception. Stein does a masterful job of using a dog as his narrator, a very wise dog, I must admit. This dog, Enzo, reflects on his life and his family on the last day of his life.
Enzo, educated by watching TV while his people are away, and by being taken on a variety of adventures with his race car driving master, believes firmly that he will become a man in his next reincarnation. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that dogs do not have an opposable thumb, they might be able to do a variety of human tasks already.
Enzo witnesses the struggles of his master's family while the wife goes through fatal brain cancer and the venemnous way the wife's parents go about taking their granddaughter away from Enzo's master. It is a heart-wrenching story that many people will be able to relate to on many different levels.
This is one of those books that will continue to define the best of American fiction writing for years to come.
Liz Nichols
Enzo, educated by watching TV while his people are away, and by being taken on a variety of adventures with his race car driving master, believes firmly that he will become a man in his next reincarnation. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that dogs do not have an opposable thumb, they might be able to do a variety of human tasks already.
Enzo witnesses the struggles of his master's family while the wife goes through fatal brain cancer and the venemnous way the wife's parents go about taking their granddaughter away from Enzo's master. It is a heart-wrenching story that many people will be able to relate to on many different levels.
This is one of those books that will continue to define the best of American fiction writing for years to come.
Liz Nichols
Monday, January 12, 2009
"Santa Clawed" by Rita Mae Brown
"Santa Clawed" is the 18th collaboration between Rita Mae Brown and her very wise cat, Sneaky Pie, in the Mrs. Murphy Series. This is one of those tried and true mystery series that you are always glad to read because you get to spend time with old friends in the process.
Harry Haristeen, her veterinarian husband, Fair, and their assortment of four-legged sleuths are always pleasant to revisit every few months.
The latest was published just in time for the Christmas season, and is set in the Haristeen's home town of Crozet, Virgina during the busy holiday preparations. A Christian brother is murdered at his order's Christmas tree lot, and there are eventually additional murders to turn the monastery and the town a little sour on the Christmas spirit.
As usual, Tucker the dog and his cat friends discover the murderer before their humans do. It's always interesting to to see how the animals get the message across to their owner when she is in the presence of one of the bad guys. The brave cats and dog always prevail.
A great holiday season read.
Liz Nichols
Harry Haristeen, her veterinarian husband, Fair, and their assortment of four-legged sleuths are always pleasant to revisit every few months.
The latest was published just in time for the Christmas season, and is set in the Haristeen's home town of Crozet, Virgina during the busy holiday preparations. A Christian brother is murdered at his order's Christmas tree lot, and there are eventually additional murders to turn the monastery and the town a little sour on the Christmas spirit.
As usual, Tucker the dog and his cat friends discover the murderer before their humans do. It's always interesting to to see how the animals get the message across to their owner when she is in the presence of one of the bad guys. The brave cats and dog always prevail.
A great holiday season read.
Liz Nichols
Sunday, December 21, 2008
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski
For a first novel, this one is a doozie.
Like all great novels this one can be read on many different levels. It can be read again and again and each time the reader can take away a new insight or follow a different character or motif through the book. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" will become one of the cherished classics that will be read by generations to come; it is timeless.
This is much more than a story about a boy and his relationship with his family and his dogs. Certainly it is that, for one of the major themes is the coming of age story that leads Edgar to go off on his own and live off the land with a pack of his dogs. This is also the story of a post war couple trying to make it in a small family business. It is a Cane and Abel story of two brothers who have very different personalities, motives and very real jealousies that poison the lives of everyone around them. This is a dog story that delves very deeply into the behavior and training of dogs. It dissects the different personality types of both dogs and people and explores both human and human-canine relationships on both the conscious and subconscious level.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a tragedy with several flawed characters (including the boy, Edgar). There is no insipid, contrived happy ending here.
There are a few thematic elements that require the reader to suspend belief. For example, the Alpha dog, Forte, if taken literally, must be at least 25 years old by the end of the book, and yet he still seems to be going strong. That's a bit of a stretch for any dog, let alone a ferrel one. Still, when looked at metaphorically, Forte is more like the Biblical patriarch of the Sawtelle dogs, and is therefore symbolic and ageless.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a masterpiece of American literature and is as worthy of a permanent place on home and library bookshelves as the works of our finest authors. I know this first novel was a long time coming, and I hope that David Wroblewski, who lives in Colorado, has many more great stories in him.
Liz Nichols
Like all great novels this one can be read on many different levels. It can be read again and again and each time the reader can take away a new insight or follow a different character or motif through the book. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" will become one of the cherished classics that will be read by generations to come; it is timeless.
This is much more than a story about a boy and his relationship with his family and his dogs. Certainly it is that, for one of the major themes is the coming of age story that leads Edgar to go off on his own and live off the land with a pack of his dogs. This is also the story of a post war couple trying to make it in a small family business. It is a Cane and Abel story of two brothers who have very different personalities, motives and very real jealousies that poison the lives of everyone around them. This is a dog story that delves very deeply into the behavior and training of dogs. It dissects the different personality types of both dogs and people and explores both human and human-canine relationships on both the conscious and subconscious level.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a tragedy with several flawed characters (including the boy, Edgar). There is no insipid, contrived happy ending here.
There are a few thematic elements that require the reader to suspend belief. For example, the Alpha dog, Forte, if taken literally, must be at least 25 years old by the end of the book, and yet he still seems to be going strong. That's a bit of a stretch for any dog, let alone a ferrel one. Still, when looked at metaphorically, Forte is more like the Biblical patriarch of the Sawtelle dogs, and is therefore symbolic and ageless.
"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is a masterpiece of American literature and is as worthy of a permanent place on home and library bookshelves as the works of our finest authors. I know this first novel was a long time coming, and I hope that David Wroblewski, who lives in Colorado, has many more great stories in him.
Liz Nichols
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