Helpful Score: 3
A delightful, honest, heartwarming book! It reads like a memoir about her married life, motherhood, her career choices and the unfolding of her love of dogs through the years. She is above all, honest about her shortcomings and questionable decisions especially where it involves her pets. That honesty is what makes the book so charming. It is also about the ebb and flow of life, accepting with grace and dignity that which is before us. She had a lovely marriage, though she makes it clear that it wasn't an especially romantic union but rather based on mutual respect and deep affection along with the shared enthusiasm for their son, dogs, gardening and renovation, in that order I believe, the last four which were cultivated over time. Like all of us she adapted to her circumstances. The reader feels a part of this story including the shock and sadness at the untimely death of her husband, who died in his own bed with his dogs nearby, his wife at his side and her shaky attempts to find a way through her grief, as if a best friend is confiding her thoughts. Through her story interspersed with the acquisition of many beloved dogs are the anecdotes, often hilarious, about their adjustment, readjustment and adaption to the wildly differing personalities and challenges placed before them by their various pets. The stories of the dogs, of longing, love and loss ( and yes, occasionally forfeit) enlarges our understanding of how we deal with all of life's uncertainties, facing love head on, letting go. Being a dog lover, animal lover and book lover, this story was well suited to me. For someone who had not grown up with dogs, the writer adapted quite well. I could really identify with her frustration as various dog "issues" arose and though I didn't wholly approve of her giving the "problem" dogs up, I know that sometimes that is the best choice and much harder to come to than you realize. She was able to find them very good homes and that is all anyone could ask. A lovely, satisfying read!
