Good dog. Stay.
by Anna Quindlen
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Read in March, 2008
I read this book at breakfast this morning. There are lots of pictures of very cute dogs, so it is a very quick read. I think I should have known what it was about though before I gave it to my aged mother. Quindlen's comparison of the journey of aging dogs and their owners to a person aging gracefully might be better appreciated by those earlier on in the journey.
There is a wonderful passage in the book that I wish every parent would read. Of course as a dog lover, I am biased.
"...more
There is a wonderful passage in the book that I wish every parent would read. Of course as a dog lover, I am biased.
"...more
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Read in December, 2007
Happy New Year, Ladies (and Jay, if he ever checks this site anymore)!!
I am bored at work today, so I thought I'd use this as an excuse to give you my year-end report (because I want yours, too):
Worst book read in 2007: This one (Good Dog. Stay.) But, my Mom gave it to me, so I had to read it. I have a hunch that the worst-book-of-the-year would have instead gone to The Secret if I had read it (because my Mom gave me that one too) but I cannot force myself to read it after seeing the...more
I am bored at work today, so I thought I'd use this as an excuse to give you my year-end report (because I want yours, too):
Worst book read in 2007: This one (Good Dog. Stay.) But, my Mom gave it to me, so I had to read it. I have a hunch that the worst-book-of-the-year would have instead gone to The Secret if I had read it (because my Mom gave me that one too) but I cannot force myself to read it after seeing the...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
animal lovers
This is a very short, but very sweet book about Anna Quindlen's dog Beau. She tells the story of Beau's life within their family and how Beau reflects their family back to her. Of course this book was written after Beau is gone, but anyone who's had a pet can relate to Quindlen's reflections. I love the line "The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed." Of course being a cat person, I would substitute "pet" for "dog&quo...more
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Read in May, 2008
Loved this book. Just wanted to grab Beau (the black lab w/ the grizzled white muzzle on the cover) and give him a big hug around the shoulders and then a good scritch behind the ears.
It's a short book-- more like a long essay w/ other happy dog pics scattered throughout-- but w/ the hardcover at less than $10, it'd be hard to say it wasn't worth it.
Great for past, present, and future dog owners and even those unlucky heathens (some of my friends included) who have yet to have their hea...more
It's a short book-- more like a long essay w/ other happy dog pics scattered throughout-- but w/ the hardcover at less than $10, it'd be hard to say it wasn't worth it.
Great for past, present, and future dog owners and even those unlucky heathens (some of my friends included) who have yet to have their hea...more
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Read in March, 2008
This was the first non-fiction book that came in from my January NYT BSL. It was a short and quick read. I read the entire thing in about 30 minutes. It flowed more like an essay that happened to have pictures interspersed through out. While I don't have a dog (I am owned by a cat) I found myself agreeing with the thoughts that Quindlen put forth. I empathized with her as she described Beau's last moments. And I cried.
While perhaps not on the same scale I was reminded of how I felt when my ...more
While perhaps not on the same scale I was reminded of how I felt when my ...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who has ever been owned by a dog
first of all, you must know ahead of time that this is really an illustrated essay padded to become a commercial book.It is extremely short. That said, it is still wonderful even though I know that if her name was not a proven financial success this book would never exist. It would have instead been a page in a magazine.
Quindlen manages to write a love story about a dog without being maudlin. she connects her dog's life with the life markers of her family. His puppy hood and her children's c...more
Quindlen manages to write a love story about a dog without being maudlin. she connects her dog's life with the life markers of her family. His puppy hood and her children's c...more
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Read in January, 2008
I picked this up at the library and read it in about 45 minutes. Most of that time was spent looking at the pictures. It is a slight book, really more like a magazine article, depicting the author's life with her dogs and in particular one dog named Beau. While I'm a sucker for any book about a dog, I was disappointed in this one. I felt like it was just an excuse to publish a book by a well-known author and have a really adorable dog on the cover hoping that people like me would buy it. I ...more
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Read in February, 2008
I picked this book up in an airport bookstore while I was waiting to meet Olivia. I finished reading it before Olivia got there. As if the recent Westminster Dog Show wasn't enough, this book made me REALLY want to get a dog. In short, it's a convincing rebuttal to all of the regular arguments against getting a dog. And it provides a few compelling reasons of its own in favor of dog ownership. I read it out loud (it's not a terribly long book) to Erin when I got home, in the hope that it wi...more
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Read in March, 2008
I was theme reading last week. This one would have been four stars, except it was over almost before it began. Quindlen honors her dog, Beau, who left their family after 15 years of giving them love. She speaks volumes in a story too short on pages. I would loved to have read more about her life with Beau.
"In a world that seems so uncertain, in lives that seem to ricochet from challenge to unheaval and back again, a dog can be counted on in a way that's true of little else."
"In a world that seems so uncertain, in lives that seem to ricochet from challenge to unheaval and back again, a dog can be counted on in a way that's true of little else."
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
dog lovers
Quick read--you could easily finish the whole thing while still standing in the aisle at Barnes & Noble. Touching essay written by someone who loved her old black Lab as much as I loved mine. Photos of other dogs in the book are schmaltzy and distracting; additional pictures of Beau, the book's subject, would have helped this book stand out from every other dog-loving book out there. There's nothing to be learned here about dog-owner relationships, but it's still a lovely story.
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Read in February, 2008
All you children of mine out there laughing because your mom read another dog book---Anna Quindlen is a wonderful writer. I read it in 1/2 hour. It should have been an essay, but she writes so poignantly about her dog and her children,too. It's about philosophy, a life well-lived, seize the moment, you only live once kind of philosophy. And she learned that from her dog!!
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Susie Pedigo
For anyone who is a dog lover, this book is significantly moving. I loved it! It's short (a scant 82 pages), half of which are pictures; yet it speaks to the heart. Anna Quindlen, an accomplished writer, shares her personal love of her life with Beau, her Labrador retriever. Beautifully written, Quindlen is right on target with the lessons we learn from our family pets.
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Read in January, 2008
I'm a sucker for a good dog story, and I've always liked Anna Quindlen's books. This one is more of an essay--it's pretty heavily padded with stock photos of dogs, for some reason, and it took me all of 15 minutes to read. But I had a dog named Beau growing up, and I have a retriever now, so it hit close to home. It reminded me of Mark Doty's book Dog Days, another literary answer to the Marley and Me "dog memoir" craze.
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Read in December, 2007
Quindlen is a great essayist which is what this book is--short and sweet with loads of cute dog pictures sprinkled throughout (I think to make the book longer since none of them are of the dogs she's writing about). I'm not sure what her motives were for writing the essay but suspect she's simply joining the plefora of dog bestsellers (Marley and Me, Merle's Door, Jon Katz's titles).
Good dog. Stay.
Good dog. Stay.
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Read in January, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in January, 2008
This is a touching little story. But I am not sure why it's sold as a book. It's an essay. A very competent essay, but an essay none the less. Not to denigrate the essay form (I'm very fond of it), but I am glad I didn't pay money for this. The majority of the pages are filled with studio portraits of dogs that have nothing to do with the essay. It's a quick read. Half hour, tops.
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Read in December, 2007
I 'previewed' this book, which was given to my son Dan for Christmas. It's an easy read - lots of dog pictures. I found it really moving. I've owned and loved Labradors for 20 years, and it's a moving, touching story about how they invade (literally) our lives and enrich them.
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Read in January, 2008
When I first started to read this book, I didnt feel the emotional attachment connected from human to animal but toward the end of the book, I felt much emotion and bond between Anna and her beautiful dog and what he taught her in one beautiful life.
I learned along with her as I read her words and feel the same connection to my dogs and it brings smiles and tears.
I learned along with her as I read her words and feel the same connection to my dogs and it brings smiles and tears.
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Read in January, 2008
The topic is very good, but the way it's written makes it feel like a short high-school student's paper. Give me Marley and Me as a read.
Also, way overboard on the many, many photos inserted without caption or reason for their inclusion added nothing to the book. Inherently I like black-and-white photos, but printed on cheap stock diminishes the overall effect.
Also, way overboard on the many, many photos inserted without caption or reason for their inclusion added nothing to the book. Inherently I like black-and-white photos, but printed on cheap stock diminishes the overall effect.
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Read in December, 2007
This book is somewhat unrateable. It is about the relationship between the author and her black lab. He is an old dog and she is telling the story of his life and death. You know how the story will end before you even pick up the book. Read it... cried a lot... and have vowed not to read any more dog books. They all end the same and make me feel sad.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.64 (219 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.65 (207 ratings) number of reviews: 98popular shelves
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quote
"I conveniently forgot to remember that people only have two hands, or, as another parent once said of having a third child, it's time for a zone defense instead of man-to-man."
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