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ladyaylesworth's review against another edition
1.0
Wtf. That's all I have to say about this book, it's plot, the characters, etc. Three days of struggling to "get it" before I realized my time was more valuable... no matter the number of accolades the author or the book had received.
lorilaws's review against another edition
3.0
What a strange, strange little book. I mean that in the best way possible. There is No Dog is quirky, creative, and very unique. I promise you, you have not read anything like it. This is only my second book by Rosoff. The first being How I Live Now. This one is very different from that, but it is still the same mesmerizing writing.
Bob aka God is really your typical teenage sullen boy, with way too much power. He doesn't use it for good. No, he seduces girls and leaves the general heavy lifting of his hob to his assistant, Mr B. The entire book is filled with odd and delightful characters. Not all are likeable, but they were all enjoyable.
There is No Dog probably isn't for everyone, but that has nothing to do with the premise. It's a work of fiction and not at all offensive. The reason it's not for everyone has more to do with the strangeness. If you like to read outside your comfort zone, read this. If you want a delightfully strange book, read this.
Bob aka God is really your typical teenage sullen boy, with way too much power. He doesn't use it for good. No, he seduces girls and leaves the general heavy lifting of his hob to his assistant, Mr B. The entire book is filled with odd and delightful characters. Not all are likeable, but they were all enjoyable.
There is No Dog probably isn't for everyone, but that has nothing to do with the premise. It's a work of fiction and not at all offensive. The reason it's not for everyone has more to do with the strangeness. If you like to read outside your comfort zone, read this. If you want a delightfully strange book, read this.
mehsi's review against another edition
3.0
I will write a longer review later/in a few days.
This book was pretty nice, at least in the beginning. Later on in the book it got quite confusing with the amount of characters. Bob, Mr. B, Luke, Lucy, Estelle, Eck, Mona. It was quite chaotic, and I sometimes didn't even know who was talking now.
I really liked Lucy, but had hoped for a bit more story about her. For a book that is about Bob and Lucy, Lucy had only a bit of the spotlight.
Also it was quite a simple/predictable book. By 1/4 I already knew what would happen and who would get together. The signs are everywhere and easy to see, and I found that a bit disappointing. The other 3/4 of the book I only read to see if I was wrong, sadly I wasn't. :(
More to come later. :)
This book was pretty nice, at least in the beginning. Later on in the book it got quite confusing with the amount of characters. Bob, Mr. B, Luke, Lucy, Estelle, Eck, Mona. It was quite chaotic, and I sometimes didn't even know who was talking now.
I really liked Lucy, but had hoped for a bit more story about her. For a book that is about Bob and Lucy, Lucy had only a bit of the spotlight.
Also it was quite a simple/predictable book. By 1/4 I already knew what would happen and who would get together. The signs are everywhere and easy to see, and I found that a bit disappointing. The other 3/4 of the book I only read to see if I was wrong, sadly I wasn't. :(
More to come later. :)
dirikevn's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emleemay's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't get it.
This is the third book I've read by [a:Meg Rosoff|93575|Meg Rosoff|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1215206380p2/93575.jpg], fourth if you count my failed attempt to start [b:Just in Case|209390|Just in Case|Meg Rosoff|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172700635s/209390.jpg|1201171]. What I've discovered to be most true about Rosoff's novels is that reading and liking one is far from a guarantee that you will enjoy the rest - or, in fact, any of the others - so I cannot offer words like: "if you enjoyed [b:How I Live Now|161426|How I Live Now|Meg Rosoff|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327870252s/161426.jpg|1132968] (etc.) this will be your kind of book". This novel is a million miles away from anything [a:Meg Rosoff|93575|Meg Rosoff|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1215206380p2/93575.jpg] has previously written, and generally quite different to anything I've ever read.
My brother gets annoyed with me because he says that I have to have a reason for everything. That I expect books to have a point, to make a statement, and to leave me with an important message that makes me think for a while afterwards. This is only partially true - I love a bit of fun nonsense like [b:Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging|402013|Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #1)|Louise Rennison|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312509738s/402013.jpg|108471], but I think if a book takes on a subject like God and creation and the reasons for bad stuff happening in the world then there should be something important that the author wants us to take from it. To put it simply, I wanted more from this book. I don't think there was a hidden message and if there was I didn't get it.
There's always the chance that this book was too deep for me and that special metaphorical something-or-other went straight over my head. But, for me, this book was simply about an horny teenager who got the job of God because no one else wanted it... which would actually explain a lot. This horny teenager falls in love with a zoo-worker called Lucy, he has an assistant who can't stand him and a mother who has lost his beloved pet in a poker game. It's so ridiculously bizarre that I kept waiting for it all to come together and symbolise genesis or some interesting philosophy... or just, you know, something. I'm clueless as to what the point of this book was.
The novel seemed to try to be an odd combination of Monty Python-style blasphemy and [a:Douglas Adams|4|Douglas Adams|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1189120061p2/4.jpg]' humorous philosophy. The former I absolutely love and grew up on and was probably the reason that this book did give me a few laughs, especially near the beginning. The latter I still struggle to understand. Adams is the kind of author who I occasionally love to quote - about dolphins, creation, etc. - but really don't enjoy reading that much.
I decided to read this after I noticed it got a starred review on Kirkus that promised interesting questions like "if life were without flaws and no one ever changed or died, what role would God have?" And sure, it delivered the questions, but made no attempt to answer them... sorry, but I can come up with plenty of these questions myself. It's the discussions and possible answers that I wanted to read.
If you're looking for a bit of strange, British humour (yeah, I know Rosoff is from Boston, but she moved to the UK in 1989 and it looks like we got to her) and philosophy, then you might actually like [b:There is No Dog|10280563|There is No Dog|Meg Rosoff|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305194556s/10280563.jpg|15181831]. But I, for one, would suggest you get your fix from an author who does it best and leaves a lasting impression - and I love him! - [a:Stephen Fry|10917|Stephen Fry|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1208721007p2/10917.jpg].
zabcia's review against another edition
DNF; page 9
couldn't get past the horny teenage boy creepiness. maybe if I were a teen or a boy, I'd feel differently, but I did not appreciate the icky perv vibe. ewgh
couldn't get past the horny teenage boy creepiness. maybe if I were a teen or a boy, I'd feel differently, but I did not appreciate the icky perv vibe. ewgh
keen23's review against another edition
1.0
Honestly, I didn't get this book. I mean, I read it, and still don't understand the point of it. Was it a retelling of some myth? Or was it something else? Because there seemed to be no redeeming quality in anything that happened.
jennrocca's review against another edition
4.0
Reread this. I thought I’d rediscover it as awful but I still found it funny. It has a Christopher Moore quality to it.
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
2.0
I remember picking this up and thinking it sounded really interesting so I put it on my to-read list and that's where it stayed for a while. I saw that there was a talking book edition available through the library so I decided to get it.
I hate to give this 2 stars because I've heard great things about this but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I found myself becoming bored with the characters. Bob didn't really irritate me or make me feel anything about him at all. Lucy was also boring, the character I think I liked best was the Eck. It didn't really say anything but I felt like I connected with it the most. The story of God being a sex driven teenage boy is unique and had me intrigued for a time but I didn't really understand where it was going.
I really think that I didn't get the concept of what the author was trying to achieve. Please don't base my review on not reading this because you might enjoy it!
I hate to give this 2 stars because I've heard great things about this but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I found myself becoming bored with the characters. Bob didn't really irritate me or make me feel anything about him at all. Lucy was also boring, the character I think I liked best was the Eck. It didn't really say anything but I felt like I connected with it the most. The story of God being a sex driven teenage boy is unique and had me intrigued for a time but I didn't really understand where it was going.
I really think that I didn't get the concept of what the author was trying to achieve. Please don't base my review on not reading this because you might enjoy it!
ibisette's review against another edition
2.0
litterally plowed my way through this book with poor character design.