I wanted so badly to like this book and have ended up giving it the same dreaded rating which I haven't rewarded since The Stolen Child debacle (Amy, this may be the last time I'll mention this, but probably not.) Althought I personally loved Marley & Me, I had some of the same reservations consistent with what Lesley noted in Lelsey's Book Nook (a new addition to my favorite blogs). Specifically:
It took me a few chapters to get enthusiastic about Marley & Me. Something about the author’s style bothered me, at least initially, and I was afraid I was headed for another disappointing read. However, at some point Grogan stopped trying to sound like Dave Barry ... and I found myself nodding my head and chortling at his recollections of life with “the world’s worst dog.”
What prompted me to read I Have Heard You Calling in the Night? Well, first it was this part of the review in Entertainment Weekly: Calling in the Night is everything Marley & Me is not: smart, acerbic,
laconic, with nary an ounce of treacle dripping through Healy's muscular prose.
Grade: A
It's not that I thought Marley & Me was treacly (although that is such a great under-used word), but I am a great fan of writing that is smart, acerbic and laconic...kind of like how I like my friends.
And second, I am on my second doberman, Toby, and I love the breed, love the temperament and think dobies get such a bad rap sometimes because of movies protraying them as teeth-baring guard dogs chasing inept thieves up chain link fences.
The best part of Healy's book is that Healy is from Scotland, and having just returned from there, it was easy for me to fall into the cadence of his writing. I found myself reading aloud in my head with the Scottish brogue I found so soothing while in Scotland.
However, I wanted more about the doberman and less about the owner. Healy tells his rather unattractive story of too much drink and too little ambition and how his adoption of the doberman, Martin saved him from himself. But I didn't learn much about Martin (the dobie) or even what exactly it was about Martin that helped Healy's transformation.
So, for this book I'm giving a 2-dobie rating:
Di
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