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Feb 19, 2012

Emily rated it:

I didn't get it.

This is the third book I've read by Meg Rosoff, fourth if you count my failed attempt to start Just in Case. What I've discovered to be most true about Rosoff's novels is that reading and liking one is far from a guarantee that you will enjoy the rest - or, in fact, any of the others - so I cannot offer words like: "if you enjoyed How I Live Now (etc.) this will be your kind of book". This novel is a million miles away from anything Meg Rosoff has previously More...

4 comments like (20 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2012

Jeanbooknerd rated it:

The premise is simply “What if God were a teenage boy?” This almost sounds like a great plot for a silly comedy like Jim Carrey’s Bruce Almighty. However, Meg Rosoff uses this premise and surprisingly presents us with an amazing and delightful treat.

Forest Gump once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you’ll never know what you’re gonna get”. And that is the pleasure of picking up a Meg Rosoff novel. You never really know what kind of story is in between the pages. With a tit More...

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Feb 18, 2012

Kim rated it:

What if God were really a hormonal 19 year old? What if instead of worrying about all the creatures on Earth including humans, he really only wanted to seduce a young zookeeper named Lucy? This is the basic storyline of There is No Dog by British author Meg Rosoff. Since this book is listed as young adult I would have to say that this is not for young teens because it really is about Bob (God) who is a spoiled, churlish, self-centered, lazy teen with no social skills who really just wants eve More...

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Feb 10, 2012

Kathy rated it:

Maybe the world is in such bad shape because God is really an eternal, hormonal, eighteen year old boy. That's the premise of this quite fun and beguiling book. And, hey, if you didn't notice, there is only one god, who spends his time lying around sleeping and eating and playing video games, or else lusting after some nubile young human female, at which time all hell breaks loose as he appears as a swan or bull or whatever seems appropriate. Bob (god's name) does have help, but it's not ange More...

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Feb 05, 2012

Richie rated it:

Richie's Picks: THERE IS NO DOG by Meg Rosoff, Putnam, January 2012, 272p., ISBN: 978-0-399-25764-3

"What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home"
--Eric Bazillian, "One of Us"

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
"Only it wasn't as simple as that. The preferred candidate for God withdrew at the last minute saying he wanted to spend more time with More...

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Feb 01, 2012

Becky rated it:

Bob's existence, like that of most teens, is a simmering stew of hormones, mood swings, mad lust and equally mad love. He is gainfully employed, as the creator and deity of our planet, so that's something. But he only got the job because his mother (Mona, kind of a party girl) won it in a celestial poker game. Having a steady job and some responsibility was supposed to help him to mature. Unfortunately, Bob is eternally a teen--hence the hormones and mood swings--and after the initial days of cr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 31, 2012

Jan rated it:

Hmmm. This eagerly anticipated (by me!) book left me scratching my head a bit. It is a fantastic flight of imagination, to be sure. God aka Bob, is a hormonal adolescent boy who loves to create but isn't so great at following up on the problems left in the wake of creation. That job falls to his assistant/secretary, Mr. B. Mr B. tries, but fails, to get Bob interested in the problems of Earth. Bob, however, is quite interested in a lovely young lady that he has just discovered, and like th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 10, 2012

Valentina rated it:

What a fun book! I was luck to receive an advanced copy of it, and I can honestly say, it was one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while.
The writing is a joy. It is so fresh and witty that it makes the reader smile pretty much every few paragraphs. There is a huge amount of creativity in this novel. The characters alone are fascinatingly over the top, with Bob, a teenager who also happens to be Earth’s creator and God as the ring leader. It is impossible not to laugh at his antics. Mr. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 06, 2011

Courtney rated it:

What kind of God would make a world like this? It's the question we ask when we start testing our theological chop in our teenage years: a world of wars and rape and environmental disaster, of pimples erupting just before the school dance and turning up to the ball and seeing your arch-enemy in the same dress as you (but a size smaller).

Meg Rosoff's answer? A negligent, floppy-haired teenage boy god - irritable, distractable, sex-mad and short-tempered, yet also rather luscious and p More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 26, 2011

Jessica (Jess Hearts Books) rated it:

I originally wanted to read this book for my British Books Challenge with Meg Rosoff being an award winning British writer. Despite a lot of critical acclaim from the press I know a lot of people who either love or hate her books so with There is No Dog being my first book by Rosoff I was interested to see which category I would fall under and now that I’ve finished reading it I have to say I’m split firmly down the middle.

There is no doubt about the genius behind this book even from t More...

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Oct 21, 2011

DH rated it:

It turns out that the reason the earth has problems is that God, supreme and almighty creator, was handed the job by his mother, who won it in a game of cosmic poker.

This is the glorious, zany, and often dark conceit of There Is No Dog, by Meg Rosoff. Our God, Bob, is an eternal teenager who sleeps late, mixes up Africa and America and then blames the subsequent droughts and floods on his non-existent dyslexia, and tends to fall in love with beautiful human girls, generally with disas More...

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Oct 02, 2011

Rhiannon rated it:

I defy you to turn down reading a book described like this: (Description from Amazon)

Meet your unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boy living in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-suffering fifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazy and, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six days because he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa and America More...

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Sep 12, 2011

Vivienne rated it:

Meg Rosoff is definitely a one of kind author, her books are always quirky, refreshing and original. There Is No Dog is no exception. Her books are not to everyone's taste, but personally I have grown to enjoy them and this one is definitely my favourite. Meg Rosoff is definitely an acquired taste, but this book is one I will treasure and read again.

I would never have imagined God as a hormonal sex crazed teenager whose emotions actually affect the climate of the world, but that is More...

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Aug 23, 2011

Sya rated it:

With her simple premise ( simple, yes, but also genius) and these compelling characters, Rosoff has, once again pulled another brilliantly original rabbit out of her literary hat. While There Is No Dog is often extremely funny (a must for fans of the Pratchett/Gaiman collaboration, Good Omens) it also has true pathos and invites thought on creation, Earth, mankind and the nature of both God and faith. One imagines that, if there is a God, he might often look at his creation in slight desperation More...

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Aug 16, 2011

Amanda rated it:

You know when you experience major disconnect with a novel? When everyone else is crying out about how much they love said novel, and glorifying it with fantastic reviews, and you just can't seem to see what they have seen in it? Yes, that. That is the way I feel about There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff.

I should have loved it. The premise is just glorious - the idea that God is a feckless, ignorant, self-centred teenage boy. The biting humour did appeal to me. The idea that God just created More...

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Aug 10, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

The Good Stuff
· Best premise for a book ever
· Unlike anything I have ever read before
· Made me a laugh my ass off on many occasions
· Wonderful existential questions, moral lessons and other things that really make you think (not being vague on purpose just don’t want to give to much away), blind faith
· Love the various characters especially Mr B, Eck, Estelle and Luke
· God’s name is Bob
· Thought pro More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 30, 2011

Ellie rated it:

This book is just a gas! At first I was rather taken aback by how different it is from Meg Rosoff's other books, but as I read on a great grin spread across my face. The central idea - that the world is such a glorious mess that it can only have been created by a self-obsessed male teenager - opens up lots of delicious possibilities; such as the random and tempestuous weather being the reflection of 'the vast frothing juggernaut' of his sex drive. And come to think of it, Rosoff's explanation fo More...

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Dec 07, 2011

Beth rated it:

4.5 stars

This book is very, very much not-for-everyone. ALSO: I feel the need to insert a quick warning. Liking How I Live Now does not mean that you will like this book. Enjoying Just In Case means you probably will. Rosoff has the same dry omniscient voice in There Is No Dog that she uses for Just In Case, but it's not voice-driven like How I Live Now, and there's quite a lot more philosophical stuff (although treated light-heartedly and in my opinion, in the perfect balance of ser More...

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Aug 12, 2011

Caren rated it:

I think I just don't "get" Meg Rosoff. Her books are highly acclaimed, but I haven't enjoyed any I have tried. I did read this one through, mainly because I had purchased it, but I had to make myself finish it. All of the god-like beings and the ways in which their rather human mood swings, etc. affected life on earth, reminded me of the idea of the old Greek gods. In this case, the head deity, Bob, seems to be one in name only. He is a teenage boy who is in thrall to his hormones. All More...

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May 24, 2011

Emma rated it:

This is my first try of Meg Rosoffs' novels and I have Just In Case waiting to be read, but if this book is anything to go buy I don't know if I will give it a second glance. I know that sounds awful, but reading this book has questioned my openess towards this author.

My first feeling when reading this was, why the crude comments (getting it up etc) in a teen book that didn't really fit with what was being said. I read the blurb of the proof I was given and I really liked the sound More...

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Aug 07, 2011

Midnight rated it:

I’m not really sure what to make out of There is No Dog. It was my first time reading a novel by Meg Rosoff and the only thing I really kept thinking as I flipped the pages was, “This book is weird.” And I have no idea if I should consider that as a good or bad thing…

I didn’t really care much for the cast of characters. I don’t mind reading novels with changing perspectives, but it kept switching so much in There is No Dog that it made it difficult for me to lose myself in the story. More...

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Aug 05, 2011

Myra rated it:

well this was a tough one...i have to write a "proper" review for this for penguin so I'll do that later...but i started off with much trepidation due to the kinda theme of the book (being a Christian and all), but actually this book is no different from other fantastical young adultish books where there is a guy (God) who has these powers (God-powers) and is in love with a girl who is mortal...the question of what will happen when she gets old etc. Sound familiar?

Oh wait, ho More...

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Feb 22, 2012

Barky rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Oct 07, 2011

booksappslife.blogspot.com rated it:

Full Review and Other Reviews

There is No Dog by Meg Rosoff is a book with a weird genre mix of humour, romance, and post apocalyptic. It is based on the idea that God is actually an immortal teenager named Bob. Just a note, this book may offend some reads because of this.

Ever wondered why its raining? Well, Bob is probably just sad. You see, when he created the world Bob tied the weather to his emotions. So, when he's happy it's sunny and when he's in love, well watch out. More...

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Dec 07, 2011

Claire rated it:

This book did not grip me. I admire the workmanship of it. It's smart, and interesting, and well-put-together, and original, and sometimes very, very funny. But it was a little cold. Maybe because Bob crosses a line from petulant to sociopathic when he truly doesn't understand why he should be paying attention to thousands of starving people when he has an annoying mom to deal with. Maybe because way too much of the characterization for his love interest hinges on her being super-pretty and wear More...

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Jan 26, 2012

Leanne rated it:

I laughed out loud in so many places when reading this book. Rosoff nails some terrific twists and interpretations on biblical incidents that so easily, through her clever writing, sound plausible. What a premise: God as a teenage boy with raging hormones, and an apathy for work and serious commitment! Though in this instance Bob’s (God’s name, by the way!) pursuit of Lucy, the current “love of his life” is in his mind, at least at this present time, an all-embracing and awe-inspiring commitment More...

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Oct 18, 2011

Fence rated it:

Imagine that God was a teenage boy, and a spoiled, sulky, sex-crazed one at that. One who became god because his mother won the job gambling. Now imagine that every time he falls in love, lust might be a better word though, the weather goes insane and it usually ends with disaster and death for hundreds if not thousands.

I’ve read plenty of good reviews of Rosoff’s work in blogs all over the shop, and the premise of this sounded vaguely entertaining. But if I’m honest this book just did More...

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Feb 13, 2012

Sage rated it:

So God is a teenage boy who falls in love with a teenage girl and chaos ensues. That's pretty much the concept here.

There is plenty of humor to be found in the book. My guess would be more so if you're a teenage boy than if you're, say, me.

When I started, I thought I was going to love this book, but I must admit that it was just okay. I felt that Bob wasn't so much a teenage boy as a five-year-old with a teenage boy's libido. I felt like we were held at a distance fro More...

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Feb 17, 2012

Chelsea rated it:

Rosoff's portrayal of a whiny, adolescent God is disturbingly spot on - it's easy to imagine world events springing from the mood swings of a self-absorbed teenage deity. Thankfully, Bob (God) is not the only character in this novel, and the supporting cast is what really gives this story depth and interest. I fell in love with Eck, Bob's pet, and thoroughly enjoyed the development of his friendship with the goddess Estelle. Readers can't help but sympathize with Mr. B, Bob's co-God (as it were) More...

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Nov 30, 2011

Tara rated it:

At first, I found this book hilarious and was spending more time laughing than reading. Let's pretend that God is really a teenage boy who's really horny and every time he falls in love with a chick, a mortal chick, the earth is destroyed by crazy weather. Every time he forgets to turn off the water in his bathtub, the earth is flooded. And this is a very lazy, self-centered, God named Bob who's mother won the planet earth in a galaxy poker game. The author gets a star for uniqueness alone. LOL More...

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