
Book Name : Marley & Me : Love & Life with the world's worst dog
Author: John Grogan
Genre :Memoirs
Publisher : Harper collins
My rating : 4/5
I am a self-confessed "No-Pets" person.I didn't grow up around dogs to appreciate their loyalty or cuteness. All i knew was that they slobbered,chewed on shoes and pooped at will.So,when other dog-lovers regaled me with tales of their dogs,i forced myself to examine my chipped-off nail polish.. Marley has significantly changed the way i look at dogs,now...Marley also has heralded another first for me .. more on that in a while ..
To say that i loved John Grogan's Marley & Me : Love & Life with the world's worst dog would be an understatement..I loved it to bits..The travails of an ordinary American family with a madcap-Labrador is too adorable to even start explaining..And,John Grogan's narrative weaves magic..Unexpectedly,i found myself rooting for Marley.
When Marley misbehaved,i felt indignation and wanted to spank the dog,when he bungled along the corridors of "domestic training",i wanted to hug him and say that it was okay.. that's how involved the book gets you..The book describes 13 years in the life of a lab against the backdrop of Florida and later Pennsylvania.Grogan describes the neighborhoods so well,that the words paint vivid pictures in your mind's eye.Incidentally,it is his memoir too ...Also,one cannot miss how the dog fits into the Lives of the Gorgans and how Marley is there by the side of his master through thick and thin.Through Grogan's wife's miscarriage,birth of babies,change in career et all ..
And eventually,when Marley is put down,i felt miserable.As miserable as i would have felt if Marley was my own. His antics,disobedience and loyalty at once leave you teary eyed..A beautiful book !!
Incidentally,this was my first audio e-book( edit: e-book read with microsoft e-reader..thanx Shona !!).. I was skeptical when i began the book and struggled with the pace of the first few chapters..As i part-heard and part-read the book,i settled into a groove which surprisingly was more comfortable than reading a normal paperback.Though,i must confess that it took me longer than usual to finish the 300 odd pages,i had the luxury of just relying on the audio when my eyes tired.
Lovely book and what an experience !! I haven't watched the movie adaptation and cant wait to catch it..
Thanks Veens,for sharing this`with me!!!