"The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed," writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen ab...
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Dec 20, 2007
Lucy
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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 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 More...
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Jul 22, 2011
Amanda
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I acquired "Good Dog. Stay" at a book swap. I am a big time pet lover and I have two dogs (as well as three cats) myself. I was attracted by the pictue of the adorable lab on the cover and looked forward to reading the author's memoirs of her beloved dog. However, I got through the book in one very short sitting (about 45 minutes, if that), and closed the book thinking, "What was the point of that?" Easily one-third of the books pages are random pictures of dogs, and while th
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Feb 16, 2011
Anastasia
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Good Dog. Stay.
Even Old Dogs Can Teach You New Tricks
The oldest dog can teach you new tricks, even when it passes away. In this touching and bitterly honest memoir, appropriately named, Good Dog. Stay., Anna Quidlen describes what her beloved Labrador Retriever had taught her throughout it’s life and after it’s death. As Beau was getting older, many of his senses were starting to fail and he couldn’t make it out of the house any more, yet he still showed his long-lost spirit whenever More...
Even Old Dogs Can Teach You New Tricks
The oldest dog can teach you new tricks, even when it passes away. In this touching and bitterly honest memoir, appropriately named, Good Dog. Stay., Anna Quidlen describes what her beloved Labrador Retriever had taught her throughout it’s life and after it’s death. As Beau was getting older, many of his senses were starting to fail and he couldn’t make it out of the house any more, yet he still showed his long-lost spirit whenever More...
Nov 26, 2010
Kayce
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Earlier this week, while at a lunch with co-workers, someone asked how many books I had left in this year’s 52-book challenge. When I told them and said I needed short books so I could read a few during the long holiday weekend (in between the turkey-induced naps), two of them said Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen. The next day, I was lent a copy and it jumped to the top of my “power mode finish” for the year.
I was excited to read this book, and if I’m completely honest, it was for the More...
I was excited to read this book, and if I’m completely honest, it was for the More...
Jan 24, 2012
The memoir, “Good Dog. Stay.” by Anna Quindlen tells the history of the relationship between her, and her Labrador retriever of fifteen years. Through the use of time shift, imagery, and detailed anecdotes, she shares the experiences and memories made with her best friend. The book beings with her, in a familiar situation. The vets waiting room, without her dog. Beau, on her oriental rug at her penthouse apartment, in New York City. He had become too old to make the journey, so she stopped More...
Jan 17, 2009
Laurie
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This is the story about the life of Beau: a black Labrador retriever. I may be a bit biased as I have an old black Lab but this is a great essay on life with a dog. I think any dog lover would enjoy it very much.
"....And still today I am never really sure of the future, whether the quiet will stretch on for many years or be interrupted by change or cataclysm. There's not much I take for granted.
But the life of a dog is not much of a mystery, really. With few exceptions, he will More...
"....And still today I am never really sure of the future, whether the quiet will stretch on for many years or be interrupted by change or cataclysm. There's not much I take for granted.
But the life of a dog is not much of a mystery, really. With few exceptions, he will More...
Mar 15, 2010
Doris
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This very short story of a loyal, loving pet serves as a eulogy, not just for Beau, but for all those other pets we have loved and lost. My own black lab/chow mix did not live as long, but we loved her dearly. This book was celebrating a life and lamenting a death.
I did take exception to the comment that people should not dress dogs in clothing, since I did have a sweater for our dog for those days when the cold bit through even the thick fur and protective fat of an outdoor dog. I l More...
I did take exception to the comment that people should not dress dogs in clothing, since I did have a sweater for our dog for those days when the cold bit through even the thick fur and protective fat of an outdoor dog. I l More...
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Feb 07, 2008
Marsha
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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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Jan 16, 2008
Joann
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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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Aug 10, 2011
A super fast read (about 15 minutes), but a truly moving story to be cherished by all dog lovers. Anna Quindlen relates the importance of her black lab Beau in his last months of life. As any dog owner can relate, the most difficult part of having the dog is letting go. Quindlen, in allowing herself to let go when she knows its time, underscores the importance of Beau in her life and her family's as well. She knows that we project our thoughts and feelings on our pets and believe them to be
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Feb 17, 2008
Frances
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Jan 19, 2008
Kathy
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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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May 15, 2011
Hunter
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I really liked this book which is about the author's relationship with her dog Beau. Beau is a black Labrador retriever who is getting really old because he is 15 years old. I can tell you that for a big breed, 15 is very old. I know this because we had a Boxer who was 16 when she died, and the vet said she was the oldest boxer he had ever seen.
The story starts when Beau is old and the author is thinking about when she will have to put Beau to sleep. She realizes that when a do More...
The story starts when Beau is old and the author is thinking about when she will have to put Beau to sleep. She realizes that when a do More...
Jun 25, 2008
Actually I picked this book up on CD so that I can listen to it when I'm walking Gracie or Riding my bike. It was a nice story. Especially for dog lovers.
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Jul 04, 2011
Matthew
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Not a bad little book. I was just looking for something short in non-fiction and came across this in my small local library branch.
Maybe 40 pages in total (a lot of pictures of random dogs), this book is an extremely short read, and the message is quite simple. But it's a good "pick me up" for anyone who likes dogs to even the slightest degree. It tells of the acquisition of various dogs by the author, their relationships (with each other and with the family), and the en More...
Maybe 40 pages in total (a lot of pictures of random dogs), this book is an extremely short read, and the message is quite simple. But it's a good "pick me up" for anyone who likes dogs to even the slightest degree. It tells of the acquisition of various dogs by the author, their relationships (with each other and with the family), and the en More...
Jun 03, 2010
Melea
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Read this in probably an hour or less total. It's a very sweet short story of life with the author's dog.
There are only 2 things that bothered me: one, the book is filled with pictures, which is great, but they are random pictures of random dogs. I would have liked it better had it been filled with pictures of Beau (the dog the story is about). And two, the author says she's never one of those people who treated her dog like a child or referred to herself as "mommy" to her More...
There are only 2 things that bothered me: one, the book is filled with pictures, which is great, but they are random pictures of random dogs. I would have liked it better had it been filled with pictures of Beau (the dog the story is about). And two, the author says she's never one of those people who treated her dog like a child or referred to herself as "mommy" to her More...
Dec 02, 2009
Sherri
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...pet lovers MUST READ....yiu will need; an afternoon, a comfy chair, blanket, kleenex tissues and YOUR best friend( of the canine type!)
I have read and read this short story over and over....so much reality here..so much tenderness and thought and wisdom. Too choked up over the ending..filled with mixed emotions of love, surrender, thnakfulness and frank reality.
A MUST READ!!!!..yes, it helps you too, have a black labrador, that looks just like the jacket cover!...howev More...
I have read and read this short story over and over....so much reality here..so much tenderness and thought and wisdom. Too choked up over the ending..filled with mixed emotions of love, surrender, thnakfulness and frank reality.
A MUST READ!!!!..yes, it helps you too, have a black labrador, that looks just like the jacket cover!...howev More...
Aug 15, 2010
Kira4Inu
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This book touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. It caused me to reflect upon the relationship that I share with my 12 year old dog Holly and I pondered quite a bit if she truly felt what I thought she did or if it was just a projection. I normally don't read non fiction books but I couldn't put this one down. I started and finished it in an hour or less. Great pictures of cute dogs are inside too. The cover picture is amazing too, it looks just like Holly. I recommend this book to any a
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Mar 22, 2010
Reese
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Before I read any work written by Judith Viorst, Ellen Goodman, or Anna Quindlen, I have already decided that I'll like it or I'll REALLY like it. Their track records are good; and regardless of the work's topic, length, or intended audience, I feel as if each of these writers runs in the lane beside mine, smells my thoughts and experiences, and artfully records them. They articulate the truths that millions of us less articulate folks love to see in print.
A "little" book More...
A "little" book More...
Sep 04, 2008
Jody
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This is probably not the book to read when you are pregnant, past your due date and extrememly hormonal. This is a quick short story about Anna's dog, Beau. It is the life story of Beau and as all life stories, the end is death.
I believe Anna wrote this as a way to heal from her loss of Beau more than trying to tell a readable story. I just hear in Anna's own words how much she and her family cared for Beau and how much his loss meant to them.
The book traces the Quindle More...
I believe Anna wrote this as a way to heal from her loss of Beau more than trying to tell a readable story. I just hear in Anna's own words how much she and her family cared for Beau and how much his loss meant to them.
The book traces the Quindle More...
Mar 14, 2008
Patti
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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...
Dec 31, 2007
Ashley
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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 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 More...
Jun 05, 2010
Carolyn
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A book for dog lovers, this short account of Anna Quindlen's life with her lab, Beau, includes excellent photographs of a variety of dogs. I loved her list of what she learned from Beau: "to roll with the punches (if not in carrion), to take things as they come, to measure myself not in terms fo the past or the future but of the present, to raise my nose in the air from time to time and, and, at least metaphorically holler, "I smell bacon!"
Oct 24, 2010
Tam
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I like her flow in this short story. It's a story about her dog but really it's about how she LIVES her life - messy, happy, sad, busy, never neurotic, never worrisome just living. She's not a naval gazer - she's not wondering about a grander meaning or evaluating some possible principle of being - just living her life - and it's a nice story about what that looks like and smells like for a time.
Apr 24, 2011
Misty
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Such a sweet book. Who doesn't love a book about the family pet, mans' best friend, the dog? Sweet story about the ups and downs of being a dog owner, but when you look back on it it's mostly ups. Dogs give that unconditional love that we all yearn for. Words go unspoken and love is given for free. Of course, dogs' only faults are that they don't live long enough.
Feb 21, 2011
Leslie
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This book was really good. It was really short though. But the love that the author had for her Black Lab Beau and then their second dog a Yellow Lab Bea was a bond I would like to think I have with my Golden Retreiver. At moments it brought tears to my eyes and at times it made me giggle out loud. For any dog owner you can relate to the silly antics of Man's Best Friend!!
Nov 30, 2008
Maurean
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"Human beings wind up having the relationship with dogs that they fool themselves they will have with other people. ...Love unconditional, attention unwavering, companionship without question or criticism." [pg. 19]
Anyone who has ever loved a dog will relate to this tale...I cried like a baby (made me think of Oona, whom I still miss every, single day.)
Anyone who has ever loved a dog will relate to this tale...I cried like a baby (made me think of Oona, whom I still miss every, single day.)
Apr 07, 2011
This is neither Quindlen's best or worst book, in my opinion. She wanted to write about her dog and what it has meant to have a dog and because she is Anna Quindlen, folks were willing to publish this essay. I have always liked her essays although this one was less captivating and less controversial than some of her other works. It was a good bedtime story.
Apr 26, 2010
Lisa
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Having lost a dog that I had as long as Ms. Quindlen had her dog, I appreciated and related to every word she wrote. The bond between a dog and his people is so special that rarely have I been able to find the words to descibe it. I'm so glad that the author did find the words and was then generous enough to share them with the rest of us.
Jun 02, 2009
Rebecca
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I read a review of this book and was so excited to read it. Although the writing was good, the book is basically a eulogy to her dog. It was rather depressing and much to short to really develop her dog’s character in writing. The book ended without ever getting to know her dog’s personality, all I really knew was her grief at his loss.
