As a novelist with a brilliantly singular vision of America, Charles Portis has invited comparisons to Pynchon and DeLillo. This reissue of The Dog...
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reviews
Feb 20, 2011
David
rated it: 
When I say something is funny and you say something is funny, I'm usually not sure if our funnies are congruous—or even related, really. For instance, I've been told (by 'them') that The Hangover was a great American comedy, but I'll be honest with you... there were more honest-to-goshness laughs in Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata for me. Like in that ripsnorting scene where Liv Ullmann's crippled daughter crawls out of her bedroom in a crime of melodrama so egregious that even drag queens would
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Dec 16, 2009
Joseph
rated it: 
The Arkansas Traveller reimagined as a cosmic fool. One of the most underrated American novels, but that's those New York Smarties for you. This will put Shakespeare in the sh*thouse.
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Dec 03, 2008
bookczuk
rated it: 
At about third of the way through this book I had no problem at all seeing why Norma left Ray. The big question in my mind was why did she ever marry him? But kept reading, because as annoying as Ray is, the author Charles Portis is great.
This tale is quite different from True Grit, though it does involve oddball characters thrown together on a journey. Only here, the characters, while well drawn, were not particularly likable, or at least not by me. You wouldn't get John Wayne to More...
This tale is quite different from True Grit, though it does involve oddball characters thrown together on a journey. Only here, the characters, while well drawn, were not particularly likable, or at least not by me. You wouldn't get John Wayne to More...
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Jan 13, 2011
Adam
rated it:
When young slacker and military history aficionado Ray Midge has his wife and Ford Torino stolen by his best friend, he heads south of the border determined, whatever the cost, to get that car back.
The Dog of the South is a near masterpiece of the redneck quest novel written by a top practitioner of the genre. The personalities, the dialogue, the episodic adventures, the unflagging dry wit--whether you want it to or not, all of this is likely to come alive as a bizarre alternate uni More...
The Dog of the South is a near masterpiece of the redneck quest novel written by a top practitioner of the genre. The personalities, the dialogue, the episodic adventures, the unflagging dry wit--whether you want it to or not, all of this is likely to come alive as a bizarre alternate uni More...
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Oct 09, 2011
David
rated it:
Now Charles Portis is an interesting fellow indeed. Reclusive. Media shy. And something of a literary throwback. The howling success of the Coen Brothers film True Grit has put the spotlight back on Mr. Portis somewhat and it caused me to take a look at The Dog of the South.
The Dog of the South in a nutshell: It is annoying that so many people are crazy. In fact, most people are crazy. What's really interesting is when someone describing their annoyance with crazy people turns out to b More...
The Dog of the South in a nutshell: It is annoying that so many people are crazy. In fact, most people are crazy. What's really interesting is when someone describing their annoyance with crazy people turns out to b More...
Aug 21, 2011
Tom
rated it:
I wanted to like this novel more than I did, if for no other reason than the fact that I so much admire the author's strengths---namely his inimitable humor, his ear for ludicrous dialogue, his penchant for bizarre character details. All of these trademarks are in abundance in The Dog of the South, but the novel offers little else in the way of ballast. Many of the characters here seem interchangeably quirky, idiosyncratic to the point of grotesque caricature. The protagonist, Ray Midge,in his j
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Mar 10, 2011
Dan
rated it:
This is my first Charles Portis book, but not my last. If it's not a four-star book, it's very close.
A wild, erratic man named Dupree has jumped bail and fled Little Rock with Ray Midge’s Ford Torino. Also with Ray’s wife. Midge sets out to find them, following them through his credit card billings. (Yep. Dupree got that, too.) On Ray’s trip through Mexico and on into Belize, he encounters a number of oddball characters who will engage your attention. Eventually locates Dupree and More...
A wild, erratic man named Dupree has jumped bail and fled Little Rock with Ray Midge’s Ford Torino. Also with Ray’s wife. Midge sets out to find them, following them through his credit card billings. (Yep. Dupree got that, too.) On Ray’s trip through Mexico and on into Belize, he encounters a number of oddball characters who will engage your attention. Eventually locates Dupree and More...
Jan 22, 2011
Lars
rated it:
‘True Grit,’ 1968; ‘The Dog of the South,’ 1979. Why the eleven year gap? I think Charles Portis doesn’t like being famous.
And maybe he also feared getting out from under the weight of the astounding accomplishment of ‘True Grit.’ As it is, he can’t quite drop one of Mattie Ross’s singular mannerisms, the exclamatory sentence. It makes the voice of the first person narrator (another ‘True Grit’ trademark), the hapless Raymond Midge, echo the feisty and schoolmarmish Matty a bit. More...
And maybe he also feared getting out from under the weight of the astounding accomplishment of ‘True Grit.’ As it is, he can’t quite drop one of Mattie Ross’s singular mannerisms, the exclamatory sentence. It makes the voice of the first person narrator (another ‘True Grit’ trademark), the hapless Raymond Midge, echo the feisty and schoolmarmish Matty a bit. More...
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Sep 11, 2009
HHS
rated it:
An eccentric novel by the reclusive author from Eldorado, Arkansas (he also wrote TRUE GRIT, from which the award-winning film starring John Wayne was adapted and which I also read this summer). A fussy small-time journalist with way too much starch in his shorts (also, he is mad for military history) awakens to find that a co-worker and acquaintance has left town with his (the journalist's) wife and immaculate Gran Torino. The chase leads through Mexico to South America, and collects some...unu
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Nov 18, 2011
Richard
rated it:
We were introduced to Charle's Portis' work through the Coen Brothers' new movie based on his book TRUE GRIT, and all the while I was reading this one I kept thinking: Pure Coen Brothers...
Except for the fact that he is too old, Steve Buscemi would make a perfect Ray Midge. Jeff Bridges (think the Jeff Bridges in TRUE GRIT rather that the Jeff Bridges in THE BIG LEBOWSKI) would be a great Dr. Reo Symes.
Ray Midge's wife Norma has taken off with her former husband Guy Dupre More...
Except for the fact that he is too old, Steve Buscemi would make a perfect Ray Midge. Jeff Bridges (think the Jeff Bridges in TRUE GRIT rather that the Jeff Bridges in THE BIG LEBOWSKI) would be a great Dr. Reo Symes.
Ray Midge's wife Norma has taken off with her former husband Guy Dupre More...
Jul 03, 2011
rmn
rated it: 
Hmmmm. Here is what I didn’t like:
1. The protagonist. He’s detached, unquestioning, buffoonish, annoying, marginally intelligent, and well, just kind of dull.
2. The supporting characters: They are all kind of mentally challenged and Portis, the author, somehow wants us to think this is funny. For instance, the sidekick and comic relief Dr. Symes (the Dog of the South if you will) is clearly mentally unstable and his bizarre personality shifts and lack of ability to More...
1. The protagonist. He’s detached, unquestioning, buffoonish, annoying, marginally intelligent, and well, just kind of dull.
2. The supporting characters: They are all kind of mentally challenged and Portis, the author, somehow wants us to think this is funny. For instance, the sidekick and comic relief Dr. Symes (the Dog of the South if you will) is clearly mentally unstable and his bizarre personality shifts and lack of ability to More...
Jul 30, 2010
Stephen
rated it:
Let's call it 3.5 stars to be honest with ourselves, but I'll gladly round the review up to 4 stars on the fact of enjoyability of the novel. I've been telling colleagues (the novel was given to me by one as a recommendation) that Dog of the South is a version of On the Road I didn't hate.
It follows Ray Midge, who has been abandoned by his wife, who stole his car and credit cards and flew south with her ex-husband. He gives chase, deluding himself that he just wants his car back (o More...
It follows Ray Midge, who has been abandoned by his wife, who stole his car and credit cards and flew south with her ex-husband. He gives chase, deluding himself that he just wants his car back (o More...
Jul 06, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Celebrate the fact that Charles Portis’ novels are no longer out of print and hidden in used book stores. If I could remember whose summer reading list I got this title from, I would go kiss her or him on the lips. The Dog of the South defines the identity of my generation’s time, the way Wallace Stegner did for my father’s. This novel abides by the rules of popular fiction, but also captures the breadth, majesty and complexity of our people. Portis does so with a cast of flamboyant characters w
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Sep 04, 2011
It's been written that Portis is like Cormac McCarthy, but funny. This is wrong for two reasons.
A) The statement implies that Cormac isn't funny, but he is very funny. Portis is funny, just not a funny as McCarthy.
2) Other than the title of this book, Charles doesn't sniff the guttural prose of McCarthy. Who does?
Charles Portis is a lot like Charles Portis. This book is funny, well-crafted, and odd.
A) The statement implies that Cormac isn't funny, but he is very funny. Portis is funny, just not a funny as McCarthy.
2) Other than the title of this book, Charles doesn't sniff the guttural prose of McCarthy. Who does?
Charles Portis is a lot like Charles Portis. This book is funny, well-crafted, and odd.
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Nov 11, 2010
Tatkins
rated it:
If you have never read any Charles Portis then email me and I will try to locate my copy of The Dog of the South and mail it to you. Hilarious writing about a man's road trip to find his stolen Ford Torino.
An excerpt from the opening paragraph of the novel.
"My wife had run off with Guy Dupree and I was waiting around for the credit card billings so I could see where they had gone. I was biding my time. This was October. They had taken my car and my Texaco card an More...
An excerpt from the opening paragraph of the novel.
"My wife had run off with Guy Dupree and I was waiting around for the credit card billings so I could see where they had gone. I was biding my time. This was October. They had taken my car and my Texaco card an More...
May 19, 2011
Ryan
rated it: 
I am completely shocked at not only how stupid this book is but how many people on Goodreads give it 4 or 5 stars. Even if some people rated it “middle of the road,” I could find that understandable – but how is there this much discrepancy? I was excited to read other Portis books after absolutely loving True Grit – it had a great plot, a great narrator, explored history, brought in religion and philosophies with life: I feel like there is NONE of that in Dog of the South. The narrator seems to
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Jan 17, 2011
Randy
rated it:
The Dog of the South, by Charles Portis, is an excellent character study. Instantly, from the first page, we get the feel of the MC, Ray Midge. His rambling voice and shifting, uncertain personality are key to the story. There isn't much in the way of plot, as this is not commercial, mainstream fiction. I would classify it as Southern fiction, and thus falls somewhere between mainstream and literary. In The Dog of the South Portis has chosen a more literary, roaming style than his previous works
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Jul 29, 2011
Chris
rated it:
When I finished True Grit, I knew I would read more from Portis; having finished Dog of the South, I now know I will read all of Portis. Narrator Ray Midge is a bumbling, frustrating loser (unaccomplished, undegreed, cuckolded, and abandoned at 26) who proves entirely unable to determine what will and will not be of interest to the reader, so there are some frustrations in reading this chronological but shapeless and undifferentiated narrative. If you can accept the unnecessary incidents and t
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Feb 01, 2011
Mary Lou
rated it:
This is not just one of the best books I've read in a while, it is one of the best books I've ever read.
Raymond Midge's wife, Norma, leaves him to run off with his former co-worker, Guy Dupree. Midge is a 26-year-old fellow who has quit his job on the copy desk at the newspaper to go back to college. He decides to follow the lovers and attempt to get his car back (the Torino they took with them). They also took his American Express card, and once the statement arrives, he decides to More...
Raymond Midge's wife, Norma, leaves him to run off with his former co-worker, Guy Dupree. Midge is a 26-year-old fellow who has quit his job on the copy desk at the newspaper to go back to college. He decides to follow the lovers and attempt to get his car back (the Torino they took with them). They also took his American Express card, and once the statement arrives, he decides to More...
Dec 19, 2010
Allan
rated it:
Do you revel in self-loathing and megalomania? Do you have utter confidence in your superior code of behavior, even as your decisions and actions heap calamity upon misery and are assailed by all who come in contact with you? Do you take pride in your unassailable morals and ethics, despite ample, mounting evidence of corrupt motives and murky intentions?
You too can be the hero of one of the greatest road-trip novels in American literature!
Charles Portis is a treasure. True G More...
You too can be the hero of one of the greatest road-trip novels in American literature!
Charles Portis is a treasure. True G More...
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Feb 28, 2011
Steve
rated it:
Portis, best known for "True Grit", is often referred to as "an under appreciated genius" and compared to Twain.
He is OK, this '70's book is a bit dated. And honestly, more than a bit of a mish mash. If you like Vonnegut and Robbins and Brautigan you'll like this.
It is of interest the way he starts in the Southwest, but always take his characters "outside" someplace. In True Grit it is the Indian Territory. Here it is a C American counr More...
He is OK, this '70's book is a bit dated. And honestly, more than a bit of a mish mash. If you like Vonnegut and Robbins and Brautigan you'll like this.
It is of interest the way he starts in the Southwest, but always take his characters "outside" someplace. In True Grit it is the Indian Territory. Here it is a C American counr More...
May 12, 2011
Gloria
rated it:
I'm not even sure where to start on this one.
*sigh*
Okay ... jumping in:
First person narrative can be tough to pull off. I think Portis does a credible job here. I have to give him that. And his style is interesting-- funny in so many places where you don't expect it to be. Little unexpected gifts of a chuckle in his descriptions or dialogue.
So, I can't demean his writing.
But, admittedly, I had to literally draaaaaaag myself through the last half of this boo More...
*sigh*
Okay ... jumping in:
First person narrative can be tough to pull off. I think Portis does a credible job here. I have to give him that. And his style is interesting-- funny in so many places where you don't expect it to be. Little unexpected gifts of a chuckle in his descriptions or dialogue.
So, I can't demean his writing.
But, admittedly, I had to literally draaaaaaag myself through the last half of this boo More...
Nov 06, 2010
Derek
rated it:
I'd never read any Portis. Got a recommendation from a trusted source, found this book at my branch library, and read it in 2 days. I'll be reading all of his other stuff in short order.
Portis has a tremendous sense of humor, and this book is steeped in a thoroughly '70s sensibility that put me in mind of Barry Hannah, albeit with less intensity and edge. So yeah, he's right up my alley.
Portis is best known for writing "True Grit," on which the famous John Wayne More...
Portis has a tremendous sense of humor, and this book is steeped in a thoroughly '70s sensibility that put me in mind of Barry Hannah, albeit with less intensity and edge. So yeah, he's right up my alley.
Portis is best known for writing "True Grit," on which the famous John Wayne More...
Dec 18, 2011
Chris
rated it:
Much like my experience of the film True Grit (Coen brothers version), I found Portis' characters in Dog of the South to be interesting and well-drawn, and the situations they found themselves in offered a great potential for humor that Portis delivers on. And again, just like True Grit, I come to the end of the story and find myself wondering why that story needed to be told. Perhaps I am just not sufficiently interested in the time periods that Portis chooses to write about. Nevertheless, his
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Apr 27, 2011
Rebekkila
rated it:
Sometimes when I look inside the front cover of a book to see what else an author has written I get a preconceived notion about the book. I saw this author had also written True Grit and was expecting some kind of outlaw or western book. Turns out that it was neither. This was a story about a man whose co-worker took off to Mexico with his wife and his car, so he head South of the Border to get his car back.
I liked the book on so many levels. The writing reminded me of Robert B. More...
I liked the book on so many levels. The writing reminded me of Robert B. More...
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May 29, 2009
Lianna
rated it:
What I thought On The Road would be - a travel story w/quirky and engaging characters where fun things happen in rapid succession.
I love the author's frequent usage of exclamations with exclamation points although I see how it might wear on other readers.
Example: "The third interesting thing was a convoy of stake-bed trucks all piled high with loose watermelons and cantaloupes. I was amazed. I couldn't believe that the bottom ones weren't being crushed under all th More...
I love the author's frequent usage of exclamations with exclamation points although I see how it might wear on other readers.
Example: "The third interesting thing was a convoy of stake-bed trucks all piled high with loose watermelons and cantaloupes. I was amazed. I couldn't believe that the bottom ones weren't being crushed under all th More...
Mar 25, 2011
Stacey
rated it:
I'm only about 75% percent done so I might have to come back and edit this when I find out what happens! But overall I'm really enjoying it. Written by the same author as True Grit (which is why I bought it), The Dog of the South is a funny and poignant "journey" story, not unlike "Grit." The big difference is it's set in recent times (the 1970s) and is far, far quirkier than "Grit." The titular character is a bus that has that phrase painted on the side, but once y
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Dec 17, 2010
Michael
rated it:
Gifted to me by an English professor friend with a taste for adventure stories, this wound up as one of the best books I read last year. It manages to be absurd and funny without losing the heft and emotional tug of a man who goes searching for what he lost only to become lost himself. The tone is not unlike Confederacy of Dunces, though I think it's much gentler and more sympathetic to its very flawed protagonist. The language is loose but very specific, and even as the narrative goes off the r
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Jan 30, 2011
Victor
rated it:
The best part about this book is the humor. I highlighted several passages that made me laugh out loud. I found it easy to relate to the people and the voice of the novel, but I'm from the south, so not everyone may feel that way. I don't think I would go back and re-read the whole thing, but I might go back to some of the laugh lines I tagged. Definitely a fun read. I might have given it four stars, but it came highly recommended and I came into it with high expectations. I will probably read m
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Sep 20, 2011
Brian
rated it:
Just want to give some quick love to Mr. Portis. This isn't you know a drop out masterpiece, but it is a romp through that forgotten part of America: Central. Best compare it to 'Heart of Darkness'--both winding, mysterious trips, both in search of a half-deranged politically motivated fool, and both end on a bit of a whimper (in the best possible way). Though I'd add 'The Dog of the South' is more lighthearted. Also, there's some line about things always ending up back in Arkansas, which should
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