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Mar 28, 2011

Jessica rated it:

First off, I think the only reason this book was a national bestseller is because it has a cute dog on the cover and secondly, because it's centered around animals. Really, this book was just okay. Sure, there were moments of being enveloped in a good story and in good prose, but they were far and between. I found the book to be repetitive, even beyond driving the point home. I surmised the whole point of the book, the lessons, etc. within the first 50 pages. In those same pages, I learned the s More...

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Mar 30, 2009

Gemma rated it:

I picked up this book from my local library because I'm a border collie admirer. If it weren't for the fact that I know I can't keep up with their energy level, I'd have one on my couch right now. I'm also very interested in farm life, particularly from the perspective of someone new to it all. I suppose there's part of me that still daydreams about buying a patch of land somewhere and being self-sufficient with my dairy cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs. I can dream, right?

Initially, More...

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Nov 10, 2011

Lori rated it:

I love reading books where I learn little tidbits of facts. Here are a few from this book:
"The name Bedlam comes from Bethlehem, specifically the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London. Originally dedicated to treating the poor, it began to admit the city's growing number of "lunatics" in the late 1300s.
Bethlehem got shortened, over several centuries, to Bedlam. In the late 1600s the hospital became a bizarre tourist destination, as audiences came to witness the More...

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Jan 14, 2012

Mary rated it:

Jon Katz's sincerity and earnestness were the best parts of this book. That, and the intimate look at one 50-something man's ongoing efforts to be himself, a struggle that doesn't come easily to some of us, including me.

If you're looking for a sentimental dog book, this isn't it. Katz loves his dogs as dogs, and his love for his Border Collies lures him into sheep-raising so he can train the dogs to herd. He breaks every rule in the AKC herding book, and questions a lot of conventio More...

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Apr 08, 2011

Monica rated it:

Needed editing! The author repeats the same stories several times. I wondered if he forgot that he already told that story in a previous chapter! Possibly he was trying to write enough pages to fill a book. When his beloved dog Rose got lost he spent 3 pages telling about what could have happened to her, like we stupid readers couldn't have guessed that she might have had a run-in with other animals, or got trapped or got struck by a vehicle. He told several times about what Homer must be t More...

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Sep 29, 2010

Trisha rated it:

I never would have known about this book had it not been for a good friend who invited me to come along to the Wisconsin sheep and wool festival – something else I would never have known about had it not been for the fact that my friend is a weaver and was eager to visit the many vendors who were selling hand spun yarns. There were also border collie field trials going on….and to make a long story short, after a few hours watching them work the sheep I was hooked. Which is why my friend recomm More...

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Jan 27, 2009

Cayr rated it:

Jon Katz gets psychoanalytical in this book recounting his adventures with 16 sheep, 3 dogs, and 2 donkeys on a farm in upstate NY. In the course of describing the trials and tribulations of running a sheep farm, Katz delves into his psyche and that of dog people, farmers, family members, and the many animals that inhabit his farm. His reflections and observations give this book more depth and reveal more of his character than he has shared with us in the past.

For a guy from New Jer More...

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Sep 29, 2009

John rated it:

Wow, what a book. Really enjoyed it, obviously. Katz had been recommended to me some time ago but I never got around to reading him. Then I saw the HBO movie of A Dog Year, and got hooked. Such a troubled man and so insightful (eventually) of his own inner problems. I found myself laughing out loud and also tearing up a lot. Having lived for about 25 years in a rural setting, and working with farmers that had to work a full time job to be able to keep their farms going, I really enjoyed hi More...

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Jan 06, 2009

Diana rated it:

Jon Katz is a wonderful writer (he has previously been a crime reporter, a mystery/crime fiction writer, and a techie/geek writer) in all genres, but his conversations about dogs allows him to open up his own personal family history and also his ambivalence about loving dogs in the first place. He's not a Dog Person, as they're called, people who have withdrawn from the human world fully into the world of dog caretaking... but he loves that they understand the intensity of his love for his dogs More...

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Jan 25, 2009

Elaine rated it:

Loved this book! Jon moves into an old farm house with 3 Border collies, sixteen sheep and two donkeys. His wife decides not to move in. She opts to just visit until Jon gets the farm up and running smoothly. The story is about his work on the farm (and he is a novice) during an awful winter in upstate New York. He learns to listen to his neighbors' advice and most of all to listen to his dogs. His dogs show him how to be a better person and they remind him of his shortcomings. Everyone knows ho More...

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Nov 12, 2011

Mary rated it:

Katz has now been added to my list of favorite authors! I loved the book and felt a kindred spirit with him. Katz followed his heart, purchased a farm, and a couple of sheep to find his muse and hang out with his dogs. His learning experiences are true, no sugar coating and you feel like you know that anguish he's going through to reach out past his comfort zone. Katz finishes up with all that he's learned about raising sheep, training dogs, and himself. The reader learns a bit about themse More...

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Jan 03, 2010

Michelle rated it:

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

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Jun 05, 2010

Kathy rated it:

This was an enjoyable read about a man who adopted a border collie and then decided to buy a farm in upstate New York, a herd of sheep...and more border collies. In the process, Jon Katz learns more about himself than he ever imagined as he attempts to train the collies, care for the sheep, get along with his neighbors and reconcile with his estranged sister. I liked the way Jon incorporated his evolution as a more patient and understanding person into the storyline as he dealt with his new me More...

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Sep 04, 2009

Peggy rated it:

This was a non fiction book involving dogs so I was very interested in it. The author sets out to buy a farm in upstate New York and live on it with his dogs and some sheep. That's his plan. The year he spends with them and the difficult winter they face helps him to grow as a person. Jon Katz was emotional about his experience but I don't know if I felt his passion. It was boring to me at times, he tended to be repetitive. But the experience with his dogs was interesting to me.

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Oct 25, 2009

Cathy rated it:

I liked this book but didn't find it to have as much charm as A Dog Year. I found it to be a little long in the middle and struggled to get through it. Of course I love the animals in the book but didn't feel as much of a connection with the dogs in this book as I did in the previous book. I still want to read more about the adventures on Bedlam Farm and will continue to read through Katz's other books...but hope the next one is not as long-winded.

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Sep 23, 2009

Debbie rated it:

I really liked this book on many levels. First, there are animals in it. Period. Second, it is a psychological journey on two levels: one, the author trying to make sense out of and heal an abusive past, and two, the author trying to figure out the human - dog relationship. Thirdly, I liked that he moved onto a farm in a small town in upper New York and spent a harsh, cold winter there taking care of his animals. He is a poignant writer.

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Jul 14, 2009

Margo rated it:

I really enjoyed this book of Jon's. Reading about Rose the border collie when she was young is a complement to seeing her pictures and reading about her now on the Bedlam Farm website as a mature dog ... still a working girl. "Border collies are heroic in their ambition, but doomed to fail. They simply cannot position every moving thing in the world where they want it to be." (p. 217) Jon's ruminations on needing to be a better HUMAN if you're trying to train a better DOG prick the co

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Jul 25, 2011

Kim rated it:

I was expecting more of a James Herriott style of writing, with many tales of animal-related events, not so much of the ruminations of past and current relationships. Katz's talk about his emotional life is repetitive and dull; I skimmed much of it. The animal stories (escaped sheep, etc.) were fun, but there needed to be more of that and less of "my father did such and such."

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Jul 17, 2011

Tracy rated it:

I love Border Collies, and I have enjoyed all the Jon Katz books. I mostly enjoyed this one, although not quite as much as A Dog Year or The New Work of Dogs. This one probably has much less broad appeal -- it's more about him than the dogs this time around. Still, since I enjoy hearing about working farms and working dogs, I read it quickly and enjoyed it.

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Jan 09, 2012

Marsha added it

My first Jon Katz book, and I fell into it full force. Loved the way he tries to work out his relationship with dogs, what the dogs do for him, why dog behavior is a reflection of its training as much as inherent nature. A lot of navel-gazing, but that's ok with me. I learned, too, and loved the stories.

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Aug 03, 2009

Darcy rated it:

I couldn't hack reading this. You would think I would love a book about animals and farm life, but I found the author terribly self-aggrandizing. Everything was about him. He couldn't appreciate the dogs for themselves, but just how they made him a better person. He didn't write about how wonderful the local people were, but how awesome he was that he could tolerate the local people. Katz could really take a lesson from James Herriot about how to observe and enjoy life and the quirks of the More...

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Jan 26, 2010

Sandy rated it:

Quick reading, well-written memoir about a writer who moves to a farm in upstate NY, partially so he can have sheep for his Border collies. He has some interesting insights on "dog people" and why people turn to dogs for companionship, and what dogs can provide them with (and what they can't).

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Jan 16, 2010

Jeanne rated it:

Interesting story of a man who spends a very cold winter on a farm in upstate New York training sheep dogs. I learned a bit about the lives of people/farmers-ranchers in this part of the country. It's also a lovely story about dogs and man's relationships with dogs if you're a dog-lover.

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Jan 21, 2012

Carolyn rated it:

I believe this is my favorite book I've ever read - and I've read a lot of books. This book may be to blame for my acquiring sheep and a menagerie of animals. This was my first book I've read by Jon Katz, I've now read many of his others. I think he is an outstanding author.

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Dec 30, 2008

Sean rated it:

I love Katz's columns on Slate.com. He is a thoughtful writer. I admire his ability to recognize his own shortcomings relating to his dogs and other animals. I can relate. After reading this book, I've convinced my daughter that we need to have a donkey someday.

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Dec 21, 2010

Melinda rated it:

I liked it at first. John got it for me because it was about animals. This is a memoir of the author's days as a city man turned farmer in Upstate New York with his sheep dogs. I started getting bored toward the middle though because his descriptions of farm life started getting monotonous.

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Mar 28, 2010

Robert rated it:

This made me think not only of the role of dogs in our lives (as the author intended), but of how we today may construct "authentic" experiences -- where is the line between reality and a reality show... Recommended for those who love dogs or search for purpose.

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Mar 16, 2010

Terri rated it:

James Herriot this is not. Too much discussion of the author's personal angst and emotional issues and personification of the animals' emotions, and too much reptition/retelling of the same events. I would have enjoyed this more if there was more focus on the animals.

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Jun 28, 2009

Char rated it:

Very informative if you are interested in dog training, which I am. An easy read- about a man who lives in upstate NY on a farm for a year w/some animals and helpful neighbors. He is teaching his dogs to work with sheep. The guy is kind of quirky and honest.

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Dec 26, 2008

Naomi rated it:

I enjoyed reading this book. It follows about a year of time of the author and his experience of herding sheep with his dogs by himself. It was interesting. I also liked the authors views on the human-dog relationship-it's not overboard like many are.

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