snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
In order for this book to work, you have to accept it as a fable or fairy tale, not as realism. But once you get into that mindset, it's very enchanting and hauntingly sad. Paul, the narrator, is trying to figure out why his wife Lexy climbed an apple tree on a bright October afternoon and fell to her death. He has the idea that their dog, the only witness, could tell him if she could only talk. Paul spends most of the book failing to solve this problem before finally realizing that he doesn't need the dog to tell him, because the answers have been right in front of him all along. The message seems to be that we have to be ready to face the truth before we're able to see it. Highly recommended.
emptycalories's review against another edition
5.0
I friggin love this author! Love. Love. That's all I'm saying because I'm a bad readers' advisory. I will also say that the catchiness of the plot does not do justice to the moving-ness of this book! Moving! Funny! Puppies! I love it.
kbseymour's review against another edition
2.0
This book started off and I was hooked. I was fascinated. Then, it just spiraled into a ridiculous, cop-out ending. I was so disappointed.
hyacinth_girl's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really good, but really sad. First of all, the main female character commits suicide and any story where someone kills themselves is bound to make me sad. Secondly, the husband doesn't want to admit it because he loved her so much - that kind of devotion breaks my heart (in a good way). And thirdly, there is some pretty severe canine abuse in the book. The couple's dog is last creature to see the wife alive, so the husband, in his infinite grief, tries to get the dog to speak so she can tell him what really happened. He joins some club or cult that is convinced they can do just that, but all of their attempts yield no success. In the end, he is convinced that his wife really did commit suicide. There is also a part from the story Tam Lin, which is so beautiful. This book is so good and I would absolutely recommend this to people looking for a good cry.
mintdivision's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nancyotoole's review against another edition
3.0
Paul Iverson is devastated when his wife Lexy dies after falling out of an apple tree. Although the event is called an accident, Paul begins to notice clues that make him wonder about the truth. He embarks on the impossible task of teaching, Lorelei, the family dog and only witness to Lexy's death, to speak. This act leads him on two journeys, one made of memory that begins when he and Lexy first met, and the other which will damage his professional career, and eventually lead him to the answers behind Lexy's death.
The Dogs of Babel is the first choice for the womenwithbooks group here on livejournal. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the type of book that I'd pick up on my own, as I'm mainly a genre girl and this is straight fiction. I'm glad it did get picked for this month's selection as it was quite an interesting read. The Dogs of Babel may sound strange, but at it's heart it's a fascinating study of a romantic relationship. Parkhurst's writing style is quite lovely, very easy to read with a romantic touch. I felt that the subject of death was handled quite well, the embracing the sadness of the situation without going overboard into melodrama.
The chapters go one of two ways. A large portion of the book focuses on Paul's memories of how he and Lexy became a couple up to the final fight they had before her death. This is where the book really shines. I loved getting to learn about this fascinating woman who makes her living making masks. One thing I realized quite quickly, with her dramatic highs and lows, was that Lexy was mentally ill (I assumed bipolar). The other half of the book is a little more uneven. I really enjoyed the sections that focused on the books that Paul and Lexy owned, as what books you own say so much about you (although I was surprised that there weren't that many novels, given that this is a novel). There are other parts of the book which I feel required some serious suspension of disbelief. The concept of a linguist professor attempting to teach a dog to talk is dubious, but acceptable. There were some sections in the later section of the book involving telephone psychics, and dog mutilation cults that seemed a little far fetched to me, and diminished my enjoyment somewhat.
Despite a somewhat problematic plot, I found I enjoyed The Dogs of Babel. I felt a deep sense of sympathy for Paul, a man who was completely in love with one woman, and had to deal with the reality of her death. I am quite glad that it was chosen for the book club this month.
The Dogs of Babel is the first choice for the womenwithbooks group here on livejournal. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the type of book that I'd pick up on my own, as I'm mainly a genre girl and this is straight fiction. I'm glad it did get picked for this month's selection as it was quite an interesting read. The Dogs of Babel may sound strange, but at it's heart it's a fascinating study of a romantic relationship. Parkhurst's writing style is quite lovely, very easy to read with a romantic touch. I felt that the subject of death was handled quite well, the embracing the sadness of the situation without going overboard into melodrama.
The chapters go one of two ways. A large portion of the book focuses on Paul's memories of how he and Lexy became a couple up to the final fight they had before her death. This is where the book really shines. I loved getting to learn about this fascinating woman who makes her living making masks. One thing I realized quite quickly, with her dramatic highs and lows, was that Lexy was mentally ill (I assumed bipolar). The other half of the book is a little more uneven. I really enjoyed the sections that focused on the books that Paul and Lexy owned, as what books you own say so much about you (although I was surprised that there weren't that many novels, given that this is a novel). There are other parts of the book which I feel required some serious suspension of disbelief. The concept of a linguist professor attempting to teach a dog to talk is dubious, but acceptable. There were some sections in the later section of the book involving telephone psychics, and dog mutilation cults that seemed a little far fetched to me, and diminished my enjoyment somewhat.
Despite a somewhat problematic plot, I found I enjoyed The Dogs of Babel. I felt a deep sense of sympathy for Paul, a man who was completely in love with one woman, and had to deal with the reality of her death. I am quite glad that it was chosen for the book club this month.
ellenw's review against another edition
2.0
Let's get this out of the way first: there is nothing even remotely resembling linguistics in this book. The main character could have just as easily been an English teacher (more believably, in fact), and the author doesn't seem to have, you know, done any research on the subject. When the main character decides to try to teach his dog to talk, his colleagues think he's gone around the bend -- and RIGHTFULLY SO. He should have been laughed out of that department. (It would get a pass if he were supposed to have been genuinely unhinged, but that's not the impression I get elsewhere.)
Anyway. Other than that, interesting concept, and I liked some of the flashback passages. Overall, though, took some weird twists and turns to end up at the conclusion I'd been expecting all along. Not an intellectual novel, but nor is it as moving as it might have been.
Anyway. Other than that, interesting concept, and I liked some of the flashback passages. Overall, though, took some weird twists and turns to end up at the conclusion I'd been expecting all along. Not an intellectual novel, but nor is it as moving as it might have been.
jules9's review against another edition
3.0
I almost stopped reading this because the premise was so ludicrous but I stuck with it out of curiosity. It was really about depression and stages of grief in the end.
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