Timoleon Vieta Come Home

by Dan Rhodes

Cockroft, a faded composer and socialite, lives in self-imposed exile and fantasizes of true love and extravagant suicides. Rattling around his dilapidated farmhouse in the Italian countryside, his only constant source of company is the ever-loyal Timoleon Vieta, a mongrel with the most beautiful eyes. When a handsome but surly individual arrives on the scene, Cockroft is forced to choose between his dog and this new arrival. He abandons Timoleon outside Rome's Colosseum, where the dog begins the long journey home.In this acclaimed novel, Dan Rhodes, one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists, has created a tragicomic work of macabre beauty that both amuses and moves in equal measure.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Novels, Italy, Gay, LGBT, Dogs

Paperback

First published April 3, 2003

About the author

It should be noted that a recent Gallup poll revealed that there are an estimated 14,000 writers worldwide who share Rhodes’ name. He is not to be confused with the Daniel Rhodes who writes books about vampires, or the Daniel Rhodes who writes books about ceramics, or the Dan Rhodes who writes books about theology, or the Danny Rhodes who writes teenage fiction, or the character Sheriff Dan Rhodes in Bill Crider’s Western detective series, or any of the many other Dan/Daniel/Danny Rhodeses out there in bookland.

Reviews

[Cassy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago and promptly gave it away. Then when I joined Goodreads this past summer, I racked my brain for the title, conducted numerous Google searches (using different combinations of the following words: fiction, dog, journey, death and homosexuality) and questioned every reader I know, because I wanted to warn people about this book! Thanks to an animal-related list here on Goodreads, I can now let go of all my angst toward this book.

Here goes: besides being generally depressing, it has the absolute worst ending I have ever read. I actually regret reading this book. I regret paying full price on the hardback version. I regret the time I lost reading it.

I know this all sounds harsh. So, I'm trying to recall some good aspect to attempt to be fair. Umm... Still thinking... Okay, I enjoyed the sections relating directly to the dog. The concept of following a lost dog on his journey home is good. If the author has stuck to that plot line, I might have enjoyed it. But these sections were too brief and undeveloped while the book focused its attention on the relationship between two human characters that baffled and often disgusted me. And I am not suggesting a good book must have only cute and cuddly characters. See Nabokov's classic Lolita. Revolting can work - just definitely not in THIS book.

Ahh! I turned an attempt to be even-handed into another critique. Look what this book does to me! I'll try again: this book will elicit strong emotions from the reader. Really strong emotions. Accordingly to some reviews here, people had really strong and favorable reactions. It must just be a polarizing book, although everyone seems to agree the ending is just horrible.

Update: This book may not have exclusive rights to the "Worst Ending Ever" title. I just recalled the maddening ending to "Perfume" by Patrick Suskind. I'm going to call it a tie.

[Wendolyn Aragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it after a very difficult point in my life and it changed me forever. This book taught me a lot about love, loss, the fear of being alone, and perserverance. I cried all the way through all the while looking to little Timeleon Vieta for hope.

I must agree with my sister about the ending though. I hated it. Not because it was poorly written but without giving it a way . . . because this little scraggely dog inspires you so much and you're rooting for him then BOOM! An unexpected twist. I finished the last page only to scream my head off and hurl the book against the wall in a fit of rage and then beat it against the floor in a flurry of obscenities and projections of my own unresolved conflicts. Then once I regained my composure I immediately picked it up off the floor and hugged it to let Timeleon Vieta know that I was sorry for doing that to him.

It was like therapy.

[chhaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nem rossz ez a könyv, csak a fülszöveg (a címmel együtt) a gyanútlan olvasó megtévesztésére alkalmas, és nem megfelelő irányba tereli az előzetes elvárásokat. Tehát a félreértések elkerülése végett: ez nem kutyás könyv. Ami nem is lenne baj, ha nem akarna modern Lassie-adaptációnak látszani... Minden(ki) másról szól a történet, csak Timoleon Vieta hazatéréséről alig.

Felépítését tekintve hasonlít egy novellafüzérhez. Korcs kutyánk gazdájával, Cockrofttal kezdődik és vele végződik, hozzá térünk vissza a regény különböző pontjain - mielőtt és miután bepillantást nyerhetünk különböző emberi sorsokba. Mindegyik bemutatott életút érdekes és különleges, eltér a megszokottól. Egyetlen kapcsolódási pontjuk Timoleon Vieta, aki útban hazafelé futólag, szó szerint csak egy pillanatra belép az életükbe. Innen nézve szuperül felépített és átgondolt történet ez, csak hát szegény kutyáról olyan kevés szó esik, hogy az elférne néhány oldalban.

A befejezésért haragszom. Nagyon.

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that people love or hate. I thought it was superb — an inimitable send-up of the picaresque sentimental tale. Rhodes is a terrific writer. I read the book in one sitting, played right into his hands at the end — and threw the book across the room. Then I put it on the shelf next to my favorite novels. Profoundly wicked, stunningly funny.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I finished this book I threw it across the room. Dan Rhodes infuriatingly ended the book just as he should have.

[beladozer (gretchen) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book sounded pretty good, but I was disappointed. It was more about the people the dog encounters, and less about the dog. Which is ok for some books, but this book could have been so much better. I think that the author just needed a vehicle to tell some short stories, and he just tied them all together with the story of Timoleon Vieta and his owner's messed-up life. The stories are all good, but I mostly didn't like this book because of the ending. I could see two ways for the book to end, one good and one bad, and I was hoping it wouldn't be bad. I was wrong. I should of put it down before I finished it.

[Helene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter trash. Annoyed the living hell out of me that animal lovers might be baited to this book by the description on the jacket...only to be horrified about the treatment of the animal and eventual outcome of this book. I burned it so there was no way anyone else would be subjected to it. Goodreads needs a negative rating option. Did I mention I hated it?

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like the ending. :(

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book as a dog lover and it seemed a heart warming tale. I was very wrong! A lonely old man living with his dog moves in a new companion who clashes with the dog. The man agrees to abandon the dog so his companion will stay with him even though he is an obnoxious individual. As the book's title indicates the dog Timoleon sets out to return home to his master. He is devoted and loyal. The ending of the book is brutal and distressing. Not recommended for animal lovers.

[nicola wilkman · Rating 1 out of 5]

lmaooo siis NIIN paska kirja en tiedä miks tän nimeen sisältyy sanat ”a sentimental journey” koska tää oli aivan ehdottomasti kaikkea muuta. kaikki vähä mitä tässä kirjassa tapahtu oli niin yhdentekevää ja toinen näistä päähenkilöistä oli ällöttävä ja toinen raivostuttava ja molemmat ärsyttäviä.

myöskin tää nimellinen timoleon vieta se koira tämän tarinan keskellä oli legit turha hahmo/osa tätä kirjaa like i truly couldn’t give a rat’s ass about this dog,,, ja jokikinen ihminen tässä kirjassa näkee kulkukoiran ja päättää välittömästi syöttää sille suklaata kaikista maailman asioista??? missä maailmassa. ja toinen noista päähenkilöistä potkii tätä koiraa (eikä kukaan pahemmin kohauta olkiaan tälle) ja on misogynisti ja spoiler alert legit MURHAA SEN KOIRAN tän kirjan viimesillä sivuilla ilman mitään hyvää syytä so how am i supposed to care about this guy and what the hell was even the point of the dog’s journey home.

mun lemppari quote (to sum up my thoughts on the book perfectly):

”But maybe I do not want to know your fucking stupid fucking dog. Maybe I do not want to be friends with your fucking dog. Maybe I hate him very much. Maybe I am wishing he was not around.”

[Sharon Labrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in three days after reading a review saying it was the most depressing book the person had ever read. I get where they are coming from but I couldn’t stop reading. It drew me in. I both loved and hated the ending.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid four stars for this book. Quite an interesting read, didn't tug too much on my emotions up until the end, which I think is a very cruel way to end a story such as this one. It got a little long at times, jumping from character to character and I had to remind myself that it was the dog's journey that was being followed. Definitely was a fun read but I'm not sure there's much else to say for the book.. I would probably pick it up again at some point, and I definitely would like to get my own copy.

[Josh Ang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan Rhodes is brilliant at compact prose. He's able to distill in the most concise fashion, elements of a story that will hook and reel the reader in just two sentences into the story. His debut collection of micro-fiction, "Anthropology" is a fine example, as is his follow-up short-story collection "Don't Tell Me the Truth About Love". In the novel "Timoleon Vieta", the main story seems simple enough - a has-been British composer Cockroft living in idyllic isolation in Italy finds a dark, handsome stranger on his doorstep and finds his life overtaken by this new boarder with a sinister background. Timoleon Vieta is the name of his faithful dog with the most beautiful eyes one has ever seen.

When the master foolishly chooses the handsome stranger over the dog and abandons him in Rome, Timoleon Vieta, ever faithful, fights to find his way home. On his long and treacherous journey, he encounters (sometimes not even very significantly) an assortment of individuals, and this is really where Rhodes show his flair for getting under the skin of characters and their stories in a short space. In a sense, Rhodes has cleverly tucked a series of short-stories into this novel. What is poignant about these stories is the way the reader is made to feel and care for these characters but has to abandon them to run along with Timoleon Vieta as he hurries home.

But perhaps Rhodes's talent for the short form overrides the main story here, because while we come to love the feisty little dog, the plot ends in an undeniably shocking but (to this reader) senseless manner, which felt like a letdown. Or perhaps, the pointlessness of some quests is precisely the point Rhodes is making, as one comes to learn and love about his open endings in other novels like "Gold".

[Zachary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. There are so many things wrong with it, that I could write a review that is actually longer than the book itself. But I am at work. So I have to keep it short. The protagonist was a pretty terrible person. He never learned from his mistakes. He let go of his best friend (dog) because he became involved with a mere stranger who didn't like dogs. Then the dog tries to return home. The book is comprised of many short stories about people the dog meets along the way home, BUT the only involvement the characters have with the dog is that they SEE it. That's it. There is nothing more to it. Random short stories. Also, the ending is HORRIFIC. Truly terrible. The shock value that the author tried to create completely failed and this was just a waste of time.

[Arielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a terrible book! Worse ending ever! How did it ever get published!
Don't read this if you're an animal lover it just exposed everything that is wrong with the world. If I could give it zero stars I would.
Repulsive.

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps I should have expected how I ended up feeling about this short novel. Coming to Dan Rhodes via the brilliant (very short stories) 'Anthropology', the often beautiful and thought provoking (short stories) 'Don't Talk To Me About Love' and the unfortunately patchy and strained (novel) 'This Is Life', this was closer in enjoyableness to those at end of this list than the start.

Rhodes writes some very quirky and interesting stuff, this had some really poignant and sad moments too in between pretty and witty parts. However, I felt that though he tried to tie this together with a pseudo plot about a disgraced homosexual musician getting rid of his dog, and the dog touching other folks lives as he tries to get home to his master.. it just felt like the author playing around with a few ideas and knowing he can write some fun and some heart-rending stuff (and that his readers will appreciate it). It was very good, but I would've preferred it as a book of short stories with the main plot decreased in prominence and the several other sub-plots expanded upon a little more.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending...what the fuck man. Couldn't the author at least have Simon fall off a cliff or something.

[Rhonda Rosengren · Rating 2 out of 5]

So stumped at a final rating. liked it at times, hated it at others. Some of the characters were fascinating but overall I'm going to say give it a miss.

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I haven't read something so depressing and horrifying since "The Accidental" and "The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year".

The critics who defined it as comic, witty, hilarious, etc should really be made to eat their words (meaning literally eat this book with their words on the cover).

I can understand that art can come from turmoil, etc, but the mental pathology of the author should not be encouraged. Talented he might be, but in the same time he seems seriously afflicted by depression, narcissistic personality and generally a horrible integration within this world. And I write this after I also gave the author the luxury of my time and checked his official web page: from there as well he transpires as a deeply disturbed and sinister person, tormented between inferiority complexes, narcissism and a general anger

The only good thing about this book are the dog drawings (poor guy who gave the rights on his work to this book had no idea what he got himself into). Nevertheless, I will throw this book directly to the garbage - it doesn't even deserve the recycling bin.

Poor Timoleon Vieta would have deserved a much better destiny. As well as all the characters, born by the sick mind, obsessed to identify and painstakingly collect and describe only the misery inevitably defining our existence.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels like a collection of short stories / vignettes, awkwardly stuck together by having a little dog make a doe-eyed appearance in each, on his way home to the owner who abandoned it. The story thread about its (elderly, gay, full-of-himself former composer) owner and his (cold, grim, resentful, humour-less) Bosnian lodger is generally unpleasant. One is living a bored life in Italy, the other turns up at his door one day, having mistaken a "you can stay at my house forever, just as long as every Wednesday evening at 7pm, you blow my cock" jibe for a real offer, and, down on his luck, he's decided to take the old guy up on it. The old guy does not clarify he was only joking (despite knowing the Bosnian is heterosexual), and enjoys the spoils. If that isn't icky enough, we get a cheerfully graphic and unpleasant description of the first blow job, and plenty of unpleasant character traits for both these people to dislike.

So, Timoleon Vieta, the dog of the old guy, is hated by the Bosnian, and ultimately gets abandoned a few hundred kilometers away, in Rome. Cue the vignettes of people whose lives very briefly intersect with the dog's. All of these vignettes are quite short, so they give us a glimpse of characters that is not entirely unlike Geoff Ryman's 253. (Admittedly, they are longer than 253 words - probably averaging 1500-2500 words each, so they are going into more detail, but in each case we basically get a summary skeleton about lives and stories that doesn't have a whole lot of meat on it).

Some of the stories are nice. Some are dark. All are told with the Instagram effect - a narrative nostalgic hue and sweetness, while the stories are a bit more mundane (and dark) underneath.

Having read two other Dan Rhodes novels, there are some common refrains in his work that I can spot now. The character who, deep inside, just wants to be left alone and rest and be bored: here, the Bosnian expresses that wish. In Little Hands Clapping, it's the museum manager. Then, there are several young couples, going through passionate love, either ending up in agony (one pours fuel over himself and sets himself on fire), or being ground down a bit. (Is this the basic lesson of all his work: there is no happiness in love, just a fleeting illusion? Later novels seem a bit less resentful about love / passion, but somehow there is always something slightly off about the way Dan Rhodes writes about love)

Vignette after vignette, the book progresses towards the point when Timoleon Vieta comes home. All of the vignettes have that trademark smirk, that slight distance from the characters, that affected sense of irony about them, and none of the book feels particularly heartfelt, invested or fulfilling to read. I suspect this will be the last Dan Rhodes novel I'll read. It seems Little Hands Clapping will remain my favourite, because the dark humour is so extreme in that one that it makes the distance from the characters okay - if it's dressed up as Goth-y fairy tales, his smirky irony is bearable. If it's presented in the warm summer evenings of Italy, or the cozy accordion-infused aesthetic of Paris, it is not quite so palatable for me.

[Autumn Doughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strange little book. I picked it up at a second-hand book sale because I liked the font used on the book jacket and that seemed like decent reasoning. I suppose that people have made more important decisions based on less and in the end it worked out between Timoleon Vieta and me. I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites but I enjoyed reading it-it's darkly humorous and almost painfully sweet at points-though in the end I'll admit to feeling a little empty and slightly let-down by the book.
The basic premise involves a self-centered, British, aged, homosexual, former composer who contemplates elaborate suicides and fantasizes about eternal love, his much loved dog (Timoleon Vieta) and a low-life who comes to stay at an Italian Villa with them. The second half of the book plays out almost like a series of short stories as the dog wanders in and out of the lives of people he encounters on his journey home. These stories are the heart of the book and I don't think there was one that left me not wanting to learn more about the people that Timoleon Vieta touched. These people all had something in common--they had real problems, things to be sad about, tragedies, yet they kept on living and Timoleon Vieta touched all them in some small way.
The end was hard to get through and I wanted to cry a little and exclaim "what was it all for?" but I already knew the answer to that question so it seemed stupid to lament. This is a hard one to recommend to people because it is a fairly quirky book that wouldn't appeal to the masses. Animal lovers will enjoy reading about Timoleon Vieta and his beautiful puppy eyes, but really the book is about people and hardships and strength and love and other relationships. I have a feeling that I will be thinking about some of the characters and some of the feelings evoked in this book for some time. It's just one of those stories that comes to mind for a long time and when you least expect it.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... not a rewarding book. I wanted to like it -- the writing made me want to like it, mostly -- but I didn't. The promise of a better book was all that kept me reading through the first half and, when, in the second half, the perspective shifted frequently, the book engaged me with depressing, hilarious, gruesome micro-stories. And then, regrettably, I kept reading until the [spoilers, though not really] dismal end. I've heard (well, read) good things about Dan Rhodes, but this experience didn't really encourage me...

(Also, it's hard to rate this. Some bits could stand on their own as five-star stories, but other parts drag down the average. Three stars overall might be charitable, really.)

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a depressing book. I didn't hate - surprisingly enough. It just seemed to be a book of one sad thing after another, loosely tied together by the presence of the dog. There was just nothing uplifting whatsoever about the entire book. And what type of man trades in his dog in exchange for a once-a-week sexual favor?! It was just a sad, depressing little book, but, I must admit, it did hold my interest (though mostly I felt like I was waiting for something good to FINALLY happen...) and it certainly drew out emotions (melancholic emotions). The more I think about it, the less I like it, actually... It really did not contain anything positive whatsoever.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just as charming, and odd, and macabre as I've come to expect from Rhodes. It is really less about the dog than it is about a series of characters--linked by an encounter with the dog--each dealing with fear, tragedy, loneliness, and the desire to be loved. Timoleon Vieta plays an important but fleeting role in the lives of many people as he makes his way home after being abandoned. Many people have reacted strongly to the ending, but I believe Rhodes did the right thing and the book is stronger for it. Warning: This book is not for you if you can't handle subject matter including homosexual relationships and animal abuse.

[Natalia Wahlberg]

I'd give it a -10 stars if I could. I found this book deceiving. The description on the cover is absolutely false. I don't understand how they could call this book witty! It's worse than anything Stephen King ever wrote (in terms of macabre content, not in terms of writing skills, I find Stephen King to be a superb writer)!
I honestly don't remember what I did with my copy. I'm pretty sure I threw it out, but it's possible I donated it, although I don't know why I'd subject anyone to this torture. I only know I wanted it out of my house and I didn't want to have anything to do with this book.

If you love animals, in particular dogs, consider yourself warned. Stay clear from this one!

[Michalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was enjoying this book quite a bit as I read it. It's a darkly humorous tale that can be very entertaining. However, I found that after getting over two-thirds through the book, I couldn't finish it. I usually don't mind grim tales but I made the mistake of reading ahead to the end and the utter lack of hope to balance out all the irony, cruelty and vice ultimately did me in. Maybe I'll give it another shot one of these days.

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful epic laced with dark, sneering humour. Don't read this book if you're feeling fragile. Nor if you're cynical and wizened. Dan Rhodes seems to delight in getting you just to that sweet spot - right where the characters are no longer components of a book...where they might just be part of your real, day to day life....then pulls the rug from under you!! Read with caution, but be sure to give your heart generously for the full effect. Definitely one to stick with you forever.

[Kirsten Mulgrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would give this book 0 if I could.

Needlessly cruel, casual animal abuse, racism, misogyny & bullying a disabled person.

In no way was this a funny book.

Disgusting & traumatising.

Second half played absolutely no purpose to the story & was what seemed like a bunch of short stories with the actual story being an after thought.

Main character was disgusting as well letting his dog be attacked TWICE just because he didn’t want to live alone.

Dog murder TWICE in the book also.

[Rizal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! So many characters backstory that involved with Vieta (the dog) and all the characters backstory are very well written and felt connected. I laughed, shocked and cried for the lives of all these characters and love for Vieta.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book and couldn't wait to finish it and pass it on to people I share great things with......
Then I finished it and I can't suggest anyone read it 😔 I'm afraid it's that little bit too brilliant for me.