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Church of the Dog
Mara, a physically gifted art teacher, lives in the old employee quarters behind the McRae House in exchange for helping Earl McRae fix his fences. Earl, an old rancher set in his ways, is intent upon spending his last days putting his affairs in order and waltzing the hours by with his beloved wife, Edith. Eager to live adventurously at every age, Edith continues to entice Earl with fresh roses in her hair and sneak into the night with Mara on Lady Godiva Runs. Edith and Earl's grandson, Daniel leaves his eccentric roommates and comes to visit the ranch, armed with his camera that keeps him safely distant behind a lens, having little idea where it is he's really going. With compassion and wit, Kaya McLaren leads us into a world of astonishing possibility through the distinctive perspectives of four memorable characters. Church of the Dog (the McRae's name for Mara's artistically remolded house) is an exceptional novel of love, friendship, healing and hope. Set in a small town in northeastern Oregon, this book zestfully captures the exquisite complexity of simple lives. It may be considered a tribute to the human spirit and a reminder of how, without always knowing it, we all act as Angels for each other.
175 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
14 people are currently reading
353 people want to read
About the author
Kaya McLaren
7 books262 followersIn January 2020, my new title will be released, WHAT'S WORTH KEEPING, a story of healing and renewal inspired by but not based on my own experience with breast cancer, treatment, and recovery. My other titles include: THE ROAD TO ENCHANTMENT (Jan. 2017), THE FIRELIGHT GIRLS (2014), HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN (2012), ON THE DIVINITY OF SECOND CHANCES (2009), and CHURCH OF THE DOG (2008).
In addition to being an author, I've been an archaeologist, a massage therapist, an art teacher, an elementary teacher. After spending a couple winters in Mexico, I've returned to my roots in Washington, where I'm teaching middle school art.
When I'm not working, I love to play outside-- kayak, telemark ski, cross-country ski, stand-up paddleboard, skate ski, bicycle, ride horses, and attempt to surf. And if I can't be outside, I like to play cello and bass, guitar, and banjo. I enjoy painting, sculpting, and every once in a while I make a quilt or stained glass window. I love to spend time in my garden, too.
My dog, Frida Kahlo, adopted me on the streets of Mexico and has been enriching my life ever since.
In addition to being an author, I've been an archaeologist, a massage therapist, an art teacher, an elementary teacher. After spending a couple winters in Mexico, I've returned to my roots in Washington, where I'm teaching middle school art.
When I'm not working, I love to play outside-- kayak, telemark ski, cross-country ski, stand-up paddleboard, skate ski, bicycle, ride horses, and attempt to surf. And if I can't be outside, I like to play cello and bass, guitar, and banjo. I enjoy painting, sculpting, and every once in a while I make a quilt or stained glass window. I love to spend time in my garden, too.
My dog, Frida Kahlo, adopted me on the streets of Mexico and has been enriching my life ever since.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
February 27, 2012
Some books bring tears to your eyes when you finish them. Some bring tears because you finish them. The rare books bring tears for both reasons. Church of the Dog is one of the rare books.
Told from multiple perspectives, this is a story of wonder and mystery, wonder over the events of life, mystery because events have a way of producing unintended consequences. Deep in Oregon farm country lies a farm owned by Earl and Edith. Cattle and sadness are the two main "crops." Earl and Edith face another sad anniversary when a young art teacher Mara shows up and asks if she can rent one of their outbuildings. They agree, and vegetarian Mara moves in with a pig she's rescued from a local fair. Mara agrees to help around the ranch in return for a place to live and a pen for her pig.
Earl and Edith become friendly with this free spirit who creates art from metal junk, who paints a stained glass window on the side of the outbuilding and who dances in the moonlight. When Earl and Edith's grandson, also broken in spirit, comes for a visit, Mara realizes she needs to heal him too.
This literary novel reads with a fluency of language unusual in a debut writer. It's beautiful, lyrical and painfully true.
Told from multiple perspectives, this is a story of wonder and mystery, wonder over the events of life, mystery because events have a way of producing unintended consequences. Deep in Oregon farm country lies a farm owned by Earl and Edith. Cattle and sadness are the two main "crops." Earl and Edith face another sad anniversary when a young art teacher Mara shows up and asks if she can rent one of their outbuildings. They agree, and vegetarian Mara moves in with a pig she's rescued from a local fair. Mara agrees to help around the ranch in return for a place to live and a pen for her pig.
Earl and Edith become friendly with this free spirit who creates art from metal junk, who paints a stained glass window on the side of the outbuilding and who dances in the moonlight. When Earl and Edith's grandson, also broken in spirit, comes for a visit, Mara realizes she needs to heal him too.
This literary novel reads with a fluency of language unusual in a debut writer. It's beautiful, lyrical and painfully true.
March 7, 2008
What utter utter crap. New age tripe that doesn't even try to address the issues of a woman's role in life or trying to live a life of meaning but papers over them instead incoherent ramblings about the reincarnation of dogs.
Don't even get me started on the fact that a baby lands on the woman's stoop in the last chapter, making her life complete and solving all her problems, and then the love of her life drives up for no reason. Did I mention she exchanged a one-page conversation with this guy on page 20 and he was sir not-appearing-in-this-book after that? Yeah. Skip this one if you like your brain cells.
Don't even get me started on the fact that a baby lands on the woman's stoop in the last chapter, making her life complete and solving all her problems, and then the love of her life drives up for no reason. Did I mention she exchanged a one-page conversation with this guy on page 20 and he was sir not-appearing-in-this-book after that? Yeah. Skip this one if you like your brain cells.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2010
I LOVED this book!! The only thing keeping me from giving it five stars is the ending. I'm not crazy about the ending. It seemed a little rushed and awkward to me. But the whole rest of the book was amazing.
Very easy to read. The author switches between four different perspectives in short sections. I never found myself questioning which character was speaking because they each has such distinct ways of speaking.
I read a lot of books and this is one that truly stands out to me. I want to pass it on and share it with all the people close to me. Especially those who have lost loved ones. The way the author writes of heaven and being able to visit her loved ones in her dreams is beautiful. It is that rare book that is extremely spiritual without ever being preachy. I loved the parts about animals and how the author communicated her reverence for all life.
Very easy to read. The author switches between four different perspectives in short sections. I never found myself questioning which character was speaking because they each has such distinct ways of speaking.
I read a lot of books and this is one that truly stands out to me. I want to pass it on and share it with all the people close to me. Especially those who have lost loved ones. The way the author writes of heaven and being able to visit her loved ones in her dreams is beautiful. It is that rare book that is extremely spiritual without ever being preachy. I loved the parts about animals and how the author communicated her reverence for all life.
August 26, 2013
This is a weird book that I completely loved. I love characters who are rich, who grow, who contribute in redemptive ways to society and this book was like eating a box of candy to me. Just loved it. Only one friend read it on my recommendation and she thought I was weird too, I think. But I stand by this writer as having created a very lovable story.
August 30, 2021
Ticking off another box on my reading challenge: "Reread a favorite."
I read this many years ago (2008) and was pleased to find I sill loved it just as much. I've read a few others by this Author, she is a fantastic writer. May not be for everyone but it's nice to read something different for a change. 4 stars because the ending felt lacking.
I read this many years ago (2008) and was pleased to find I sill loved it just as much. I've read a few others by this Author, she is a fantastic writer. May not be for everyone but it's nice to read something different for a change. 4 stars because the ending felt lacking.
December 20, 2008
This book was sweet and innocent, but I thought the author's portrayal of the protagonist was somewhat narcissistic. I had an better opinion of the book until I flipped my copy topside down and realized that the author's photo matched in every way her description of the magic-endowed main character Mara. I read it again, and this observation colored my read of the book very differently.
June 1, 2009
The title of the book was the first draw. The second was that it was written by a Northwest writer. I found it easy to read and there were parts of it that made me say HMMMMM, but most of it seemed like a slightly fictionalized version of the author's life, an expensive diary of sorts.
June 19, 2008
Church of the Dog by Kaya McLaren is a very precious emotional read. This would be a book that would be fantastic for a readers group to read, discuss and delve into all the emotional, cultural and spiritual aspects of our lives. Make sure to have a very large box of tissues as you will most certainly need them.
Earl and Edith McRae are the perfect example of commitment, love, family, friendship and all the wonderful and not so wonderful things that come with a life long relationship and marriage. Unfortunately they have had some dramatic events in their lives that have cost them dearly but yet they have survived. But, is only surviving really enough?
Daniel McRae is the grandson of Earl and Edith and he just doesn't seem to realize just how much his grandparents truly love him. His parents died when he was just a boy leaving him to be raised by them. Now as an adult he still has walls around him but can he let them down in time? Will his fear of emotional pain keep him from being where he needs to be?
Mara O'Shaunnessey is a beautiful free spirited redhead. Vegetarian by choice she is about to come face to face with death and dying on a larger scale. Her profession as an art teacher takes her to the town that the McRae's live in and she ultimately ends up living in a building on their property, helping with the ranch and helping each of the McRae's in different ways that can carry them through the life changing events that are about to take place.
The story starts us out with the elder McRae's and giving us the image of a married couple of sixty years and how they have survived after the death of their children and the abandonment of their grandson. It shows us that just surviving is not really living and what we take for granted during our sorrow just might not be there tomorrow.
Earl finds a lump on his neck one morning while combing his hair but decides to keep it a secret. His hope is to protect Edith from worry and he really doesn't want to do anything about it as he feels at the age of seventy nine, his time is almost at an end anyway.
Daniel continues to get letters from his grandpa to come home he doesn't believe that there is real feeling in the letters. Daniel thinks that his grandpa is only asking him to come home out of obligation because they are family. It's not until Daniel has this strange dream that he gets a deep gut feeling that he really should go home to Earl and Edith.
There is a strangeness about Mara as we go through the story that seems to have positive but questionable effects on the McRae's. Is she their Heavenly Angel come to guide them through a difficult period? Will her action's speak louder than words? What is it about this woman that is so comforting?
This author has given us a very emotionally charged novel. I for one will not forget this anytime soon as the events that have happened in my life in this last year are so very close to this storyline that I cried, questioned, thought and listened and I truly feel that through this novel I can finally put some of the pieces of the puzzle in order. I thank this author from the bottom of my heart for her wonderful insight in the development of this wonderful novel.
Earl and Edith McRae are the perfect example of commitment, love, family, friendship and all the wonderful and not so wonderful things that come with a life long relationship and marriage. Unfortunately they have had some dramatic events in their lives that have cost them dearly but yet they have survived. But, is only surviving really enough?
Daniel McRae is the grandson of Earl and Edith and he just doesn't seem to realize just how much his grandparents truly love him. His parents died when he was just a boy leaving him to be raised by them. Now as an adult he still has walls around him but can he let them down in time? Will his fear of emotional pain keep him from being where he needs to be?
Mara O'Shaunnessey is a beautiful free spirited redhead. Vegetarian by choice she is about to come face to face with death and dying on a larger scale. Her profession as an art teacher takes her to the town that the McRae's live in and she ultimately ends up living in a building on their property, helping with the ranch and helping each of the McRae's in different ways that can carry them through the life changing events that are about to take place.
The story starts us out with the elder McRae's and giving us the image of a married couple of sixty years and how they have survived after the death of their children and the abandonment of their grandson. It shows us that just surviving is not really living and what we take for granted during our sorrow just might not be there tomorrow.
Earl finds a lump on his neck one morning while combing his hair but decides to keep it a secret. His hope is to protect Edith from worry and he really doesn't want to do anything about it as he feels at the age of seventy nine, his time is almost at an end anyway.
Daniel continues to get letters from his grandpa to come home he doesn't believe that there is real feeling in the letters. Daniel thinks that his grandpa is only asking him to come home out of obligation because they are family. It's not until Daniel has this strange dream that he gets a deep gut feeling that he really should go home to Earl and Edith.
There is a strangeness about Mara as we go through the story that seems to have positive but questionable effects on the McRae's. Is she their Heavenly Angel come to guide them through a difficult period? Will her action's speak louder than words? What is it about this woman that is so comforting?
This author has given us a very emotionally charged novel. I for one will not forget this anytime soon as the events that have happened in my life in this last year are so very close to this storyline that I cried, questioned, thought and listened and I truly feel that through this novel I can finally put some of the pieces of the puzzle in order. I thank this author from the bottom of my heart for her wonderful insight in the development of this wonderful novel.
January 15, 2009
Church of the Dog is a story about relationships. It follows four narrators in a small town in Oregon: Mara, a red-headed, free-thinking, hippie-dippy art teacher; Edith, an aging wife and grandmother; Earl, Edith's closed-lipped husband and ranch owner; and Daniel, Edith and Earl's grandson. There isn't much plot in this novel. The basic story is that Mara moves to Oregon to start a new job, where she buys a hog as soon as she gets into town to save it from slaughter (she's a vegetarian) and then rents a small house on Edith and Earl's ranch. This New Age-y artist then proceeds to charm Edith and Earl and changes their lives for the better. Before Mara arrived, Earl and Edith's marriage had gone stagnant. They barely spoke anymore and felt disconnected, mainly due to the death of their son and his wife (Daniel's parents) many years before. Meanwhile, Earl noticed a lump on his neck that he suspected meant his days were numbered, although he didn't go to the doctor or tell Edith about it. Once Mara arrived, though, she breathed new life into the ranch, mending fences on the ranch with Earl as she mended his marriage. Mara also managed to bring Daniel back home, which was the greatest wish of his grandparents. Years earlier, Daniel fled without saying goodbye to become a fisherman in Alaska. He couldn't stand the silence in his grandparents' home any longer. However, he came back after receiving a letter from Earl, and the vastly changed atmosphere on the ranch (due to Mara) convinces him to stay. Thus, Mara single-handedly brings a family back together while teaching art to troubled teens as her day job.
Parts of this novel are very touching and well-written. However, the characters muse far too much about God, the cosmos, and the like so that the novel starts to sound like a bad New Age cliche, complete with Mara traveling to visit people in her dreams and reading people's auras. While whimsy can be good, there's too much of it in this novel to make it a believable story. I'd say this was one of the weirder books I've read in a while, and the author doesn't manage to pull things off in the end.
Parts of this novel are very touching and well-written. However, the characters muse far too much about God, the cosmos, and the like so that the novel starts to sound like a bad New Age cliche, complete with Mara traveling to visit people in her dreams and reading people's auras. While whimsy can be good, there's too much of it in this novel to make it a believable story. I'd say this was one of the weirder books I've read in a while, and the author doesn't manage to pull things off in the end.
August 8, 2010
This is a wonderful read... it was for me anyway... a very tender story about relationships & beliefs... which are presented openly & honestly throughout the book... none of them are what you usually hear or 'are supposed to hear' but instead are real genuine emotions from real & honest people.
It is Kaya's first book so I guess I am after 'the story' rather that Pulitzer material... i felt that she conveyed her story well... sure there might be a couple of holes or seemingly unbelievable parts but i have found those in acclaimed author's books as well...
that is the plus that Kaya has here... for me she made it all believable regardless of how far fetched some ideas might have been, at least to some anyway...
personally, i don't find any ideas in the book 'hard to believe' nor 'far-fetched' but rather very plausible & real.... Kaya made it seem as though the characters knew someone was 'listening' (almost as if they knew that I was there)... it made the story very real... very believable ... and very profound
It is Kaya's first book so I guess I am after 'the story' rather that Pulitzer material... i felt that she conveyed her story well... sure there might be a couple of holes or seemingly unbelievable parts but i have found those in acclaimed author's books as well...
that is the plus that Kaya has here... for me she made it all believable regardless of how far fetched some ideas might have been, at least to some anyway...
personally, i don't find any ideas in the book 'hard to believe' nor 'far-fetched' but rather very plausible & real.... Kaya made it seem as though the characters knew someone was 'listening' (almost as if they knew that I was there)... it made the story very real... very believable ... and very profound
February 8, 2016
I may feel differently about this in a few weeks, but having just finished it, I am very moved by it. It's got a little bit of the mystical "travellers on other planes" that was in the author's On The Divinity of Second Chances, but it's balanced by some of the other characters' reactions to same.
And it has *this* great line: "Ministers remind me of used car salesmen. I believe religion is what happens when ego contaminates spirituality....God lives in our hearts. God speaks to us in our hearts if we shut up long enough to listen." (89)
I do have one quibble, and that is the assumption that women are not complete without children in their lives. I have kids, and love them, but have friends and relations who do not, and I'm a little offended on their behalf.
And it has *this* great line: "Ministers remind me of used car salesmen. I believe religion is what happens when ego contaminates spirituality....God lives in our hearts. God speaks to us in our hearts if we shut up long enough to listen." (89)
I do have one quibble, and that is the assumption that women are not complete without children in their lives. I have kids, and love them, but have friends and relations who do not, and I'm a little offended on their behalf.
October 19, 2008
It's been awhile since I plain enjoyed a book like this one. I would put it in the same genre as "Secret Lives of Bees" or "Poisonwood Bible," I think.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Church of the Dog" because I love stories where...
The characters tell the story from their own points of view,
Women are strong and interesting (as Mara and Edith are),
Nature is celebrated, even if it's ugly sometimes,
They make me think about living with intention and trying to better the lives of the people around me, and
They explore what God means to different people (but not in a sacriligious or mocking way).
All this an more waits for you in "Children of the Dog!" Enjoy!
I thoroughly enjoyed "Church of the Dog" because I love stories where...
The characters tell the story from their own points of view,
Women are strong and interesting (as Mara and Edith are),
Nature is celebrated, even if it's ugly sometimes,
They make me think about living with intention and trying to better the lives of the people around me, and
They explore what God means to different people (but not in a sacriligious or mocking way).
All this an more waits for you in "Children of the Dog!" Enjoy!
Read
October 25, 2008A wonderfully rich story of a young woman with abilities to see the future, the past and the energy of others. Teaching art, living on the farm of an aging couple and building her own sanctuary of light and truth. She touches the lives of others in beautiful gentle ways, and receives the gifts of her experience with others as lessons on how to live life.
The story is filled with wonderful stories of love, acceptance, doubt and triumph over fear and hurt.
You will love the characters and love the message that reaffirms the magic we all hold in ourselves that we need to belong.
The story is filled with wonderful stories of love, acceptance, doubt and triumph over fear and hurt.
You will love the characters and love the message that reaffirms the magic we all hold in ourselves that we need to belong.
December 12, 2009
I Looooved this book!! It was written by a family friend so I read it for her. But it turned out to be an amazing book all on it's own. I just loved the characters and the magical quality of the story.
There were a couple of spots that were based on my Grandma and some quotes from her that made it into the book so it makes it that much more special for me :)
This is a book that I'll probably read a couple of times because it's just that enjoyable
There were a couple of spots that were based on my Grandma and some quotes from her that made it into the book so it makes it that much more special for me :)
This is a book that I'll probably read a couple of times because it's just that enjoyable
January 7, 2013
A good writer is invisible in her story, but while reading Church, I was aware of the author (and her agenda) the entire time. I couldn't stand the way she shoved her political rants onto readers by poorly disguising them in long, unnatural, lecturing monologues by some of her characters. That and the stupid, new agey mysticism ruined this book for me.
July 25, 2012
This book is too beautiful for words. I borrowed it from the library but I'm going to buy myself a copy to read over and over again. Maybe it was just the book I needed at this time in my life, I recently lost my sister and my Dad, but for me it was perfection. Rachel, You have to read this!
May 23, 2017
This is a first novel. It reads like a first novel. And I enjoyed the heck out of it! I do believe McLaren is an American Maeve Binchy. At least in this book. There are a couple of glitches, but nothing that threw me out of the story.
It's a marvelous story of the adage, 'bloom where you are planted.' Mara is the hippy-type outsider who comes into the small town and lives of Edith and Earl who are struggling with their own mortality, and their estrangement from their grandson, Daniel. Mara's acceptance of life as it is, and her ability to travel the dream paths—of herself and others—makes for a fun read. The requisite box of tissues is required, but in the middle of the book.
Read it before bed—no nightmares here. Read it at the beach, in the tub, or in your favorite beverage shop. I look forward to reading her other books. Make a place on your shelf next to Maeve Binchy's books for the new kid on the block. Er, shelf.
It's a marvelous story of the adage, 'bloom where you are planted.' Mara is the hippy-type outsider who comes into the small town and lives of Edith and Earl who are struggling with their own mortality, and their estrangement from their grandson, Daniel. Mara's acceptance of life as it is, and her ability to travel the dream paths—of herself and others—makes for a fun read. The requisite box of tissues is required, but in the middle of the book.
Read it before bed—no nightmares here. Read it at the beach, in the tub, or in your favorite beverage shop. I look forward to reading her other books. Make a place on your shelf next to Maeve Binchy's books for the new kid on the block. Er, shelf.
July 29, 2023
I read this back when I'd read anything, apparently. On revisit, it is more guru stuff that I'm no longer into. What's interesting about this one is usually when someone writes something like that, they meet a mystical person. Bach had his pilot in Illusions, Millman had his Peaceful Warrior, Castaneda had his Don Juan, and so on. Here, she is the mystical person.
The word 'soul' is in the first paragraph five times. "Gram" laughs at something that's not funny five times on one page. Then we're in a hospital where "Mara" tells us by the way, she can see energy, and since picturing the fig trees outside aren't working she pictures saguaro cacti in Arizona to send healing energy to a guy having a heart attack. Then she's going on about God. That's 5 pages in, and as far as I made it on this revisit. No thank you.
The word 'soul' is in the first paragraph five times. "Gram" laughs at something that's not funny five times on one page. Then we're in a hospital where "Mara" tells us by the way, she can see energy, and since picturing the fig trees outside aren't working she pictures saguaro cacti in Arizona to send healing energy to a guy having a heart attack. Then she's going on about God. That's 5 pages in, and as far as I made it on this revisit. No thank you.
April 8, 2019
I loved this sweet book about love and loss and dealing with loss and what family means. Since it's told from several different points of view, occasionally, I got confused and had to remind myself who this narrator is, but that did not detract from the book very significantly for me. I whipped through this in two days because it was so enjoyable to read.
October 27, 2018
I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the relationship that developed between Mara and Edith. I found Daniel's character and his narrator's voice of this audiobook irritating. The last part of the book was so unbelievable and farfetched that it ruined the story for me.
October 9, 2019
I really liked this book- mostly because I related a lot to the main character- but either way, it’s well written and easy to follow along. Some aspects of the story line were lacking but I still recommend it.
June 3, 2020
I always love this author. This was her 1st book and not quite as polished as her others but I still loved it. Her writing gives you a deep sense of your own spirit and how you are in charge of your own life, the feelings you have and choices you make are all important.
January 5, 2018
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14340006
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14340006
February 12, 2020
I loved this book, read it in one day coming back on plane from Europe. Thought the characters all believable, and loved them all. Highly recommended.
July 14, 2020
Love the ideals of following one's dreams and how believing in oneself and community are paramount. Relationships felt real. Rich characters male and female.
December 18, 2021
Truly loved this story. I wanted it to be longer. I’d be open to a second novel with the same characters.
February 13, 2022
a new age woman stumbles into the life of a family facing many transitions and brings a healing energy
February 25, 2023
Interesting.
Want to read
March 20, 2023Recommended by Anne Marie
September 13, 2023
SO good!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews