A round-up of dog-related books. published in the Star-Ledger 10/19/2008. 834 words
City Dog
Alison Pace
Berkeley, 304 pp., $14 paperback
In this Manhattan romance, Alison Pace exhibits a keen eye for characters, both human and canine.
Now divorced, Amy Dodge is writing children’s books starring her Westie named Carlie and a fictional Scottish explorer named Robert Maguire. Chapters from Carlie’s point of view are oddly charming. Chapters told in fictional adventurer Robert Maguire’s voice are strange. As a figment of Amy’s imagination, his hearing her thoughts and his jealousy of real men in her life comes off more creepy than funny.
Even writers’ block isn’t as bad as what the TV studios are doing to a show loosely based on Amy and her dog. They’ve hired a gorgeous actress to film adventures all over Manhattan that are more fun and glamorous than Amy’s life of solitude and afternoons at the dog park. But just when Amy’s at her most melancholy, there are cautious hints that even the cutthroat world of cable television might hold a little romance.
– Elizabeth Willse
Woof! Writers on Dogs
Edited by Lee Montgomery
Viking, 256 pp., $24.95
Love resonates throughout this richly varied essay collection. Authors tell nostalgic tales of the canine companions who accompanied childhood adventures. There are rueful but fond memories of the antics of destructive puppies who grow up to be faithful and mellower friends. Beagles, schnauzers, spaniels, Labs and retrievers leap from the pages as working dogs, neighborhood celebrities, beloved family members and surrogate children. Some authors declare themselves dog lovers and list the names of dogs they have owned — as though it, too, is some kind of pedigree. Others tell the story of one particular dog who charmed his way past their reluctance.
A bittersweet thread runs through many of the stories because part of the nature of dog ownership and our bond with dogs is the knowledge that we will outlive them. That gives many of these essays an elegiac note, sharpening the sweetness of memory.
The storytelling skills make it impossible to select a “best in show.”
– E.W.
Dog Days: Dispatches from Bedlam Farm
Jon Katz
Random House, 304 pp., $14 paperback
Jon Katz has written many books about his life with dogs. In this one, dogs aren’t the only characters in his evocative and thoughtful vignettes.
That said, this one features his canine companions Rose, a border collie and working dog, a devoted sheep herder; Izzy, the half-feral border collie Katz tames and trains (whose story is told in greater detail in “Izzy and Lenore”); and a pair of Labs, the super-affectionate Cleo and older, more reserved Pearl.
Katz shines a spotlight on these and other members of the Bedlam Farm menagerie. He explores the difference between farmers who treat animals as pets and those who depend on them for livelihood; ponders people’s ethical obligations to animals; and keeps an honest eye on such personal foibles as his impatient temper, which sometimes gets in the way of his training efforts. Katz’s insights into dog training and farm life make a fascinating and varied read.
Izzy and Lenore: Two dogs, an Unexpected Journey, and Me
Jon Katz
Villard Books, 199 pp., $24
Katz returns to Bedlam Farm, not just to introduce two more of his beloved dogs, but to use his bond with those dogs to probe more deeply into some difficult emotional territory.
This at times heartbreaking memoir gives new depth and meaning to the concept of a rescue dog. Izzy, a border collie, was a rescue in the traditional sense. Abandoned and feral, Izzy is wild and fearful of humans until Katz’s patient care transforms him into a faithful companion sufficiently sociable to work as a hospice volunteer.
Lenore, a Lab puppy Katz buys from a breeder, becomes a rescue dog of a different sort. When his demanding book tour and lonely days of farm labor at home begin to take a toll on the author, the puppy seems to be the only thing that lifts his spirits, encouraging him to seek the healing therapy he needs.
– E.W.
Wally’s World: Life with Wally the Wonder Dog
Marsha Boulton
Thomas Dunne, 288 pp., $23.95
Wally, a goofy bull terrier who is earnest, loving and a misfit in puppy training school, will charm readers within a few pages. In his own special way, he fits into the menagerie on the southwestern Ontario farm run by Marsha Boulton and her partner.
Chasing soccer balls and bouncing them on his nose, tunneling under the comforter and traveling to posh hotels on book tours, Wally has a very plush dog’s life. He tackles farm life and city travel with verve. Balancing the gleeful and vivid descriptions of Wally’s antics are the sobering realities of ordinary life. Boulton writes with honesty and elegance of the hard work and small victories of the farm, a court case that threatens Stephen’s reputation and livelihood, and her own health difficulties.
Even without the delightful Wally romping through and wreaking havoc, Boulton’s strong prose would make this book worth reading. But Wally is a charming companion and guide through her memoir.
– E.W.
, a collection of photos, excerpts and essays about Edinburgh and Glasgow, really grounding the sense of place for Inspector Rebus, and getting me intrigued with the novels that way.
