hiltzmoore's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I had been putting this one off for a while, even though I had heard it was great. I loved all the adventures of Marley and family, and loved the realism of life with a dog as opposed to the glorified pet-ownership that I sometimes feel pressuring me to get a dog sooner than we are ready for. The author was great, and you can tell that he is a columnist that is used to writing in ways to keep the readers interest. I rushed through this book even as my life was in upheaval this week, so that is a real testament to the author's writing talent. I did feel he wrote slightly too much about his own writing and personal exploits from time to time instead of focusing on the dog and the family, but all in all, a lovely memoir.
mysticslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. It is so heartwarming and Marley reminds me a lot of a dog that I grew up with. If you love dogs and their crazy antics, then I definitely recommend that you read this book.
mollywithcurls's review against another edition
5.0
For any dog lover -- or just anyone with a streak of sentimentality -- this book will make you laugh out loud and cry. It sure did for me. It's an easy read but it will touch your heart. I'm also particularly biased because it's written by a journalist and I was touched by the sprinkling of newsroom antics and thoughts only a journalist would truly understand.
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
5.0
This book did exactly what it said it would. It made me laugh and it made me cry. I don't know what it was about this book that made it so truly magnificent but I didn't want to put it down at all. The film is one of my all time favourites and I wanted to give the book a go, and I'm so happy I did. I connected a lot to it, especially the end, as recently I had my old dog put to sleep, so perhaps that's why the tears wouldn't stop rolling down my cheeks when I reached the end. Marley was a very mischievous 'four-legged pain in the ass', but I think that's what made the book. You got a deeper insight to a relationship between a man and his dog which was so heart warming due to it just being a few words on paper. I would definitely recommend this book to any dog lover.
pmatt2010's review against another edition
5.0
OMG! This book had ALL the feels!
The story builds up and the last 30-40 pages had me sobbing. I was laughing out loud in probably all of the chapters. The story was so well built up, and the story of life in it, again I was sobbing. This book has taught me a lot about life and I can't stop thinking about it!
I would recommend this book for people who don't mind crying and a great theme. It was written so well! Easy 5 stars after reading it.
The story builds up and the last 30-40 pages had me sobbing. I was laughing out loud in probably all of the chapters. The story was so well built up, and the story of life in it, again I was sobbing. This book has taught me a lot about life and I can't stop thinking about it!
I would recommend this book for people who don't mind crying and a great theme. It was written so well! Easy 5 stars after reading it.
blester042590's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
4.75
mfabiano726's review against another edition
This was an uplifting story and was even better when we discussed it - especially since we are all animal owners. Just a joy to read - fast and fun!
zoealyce's review against another edition
4.0
I have never read anything quite like this, in fact I don't usually read this type of genre at all. Perhaps that's why I loved it so much.
The Grogans can easily be criticised for buying Marley for all the wrong reasons, but many couples buy their first pet in the exact same circumstance. Judgement shouldn't held against them if they do all they can to treat their pet like a member of the family. In this case they definitely did :)
I enjoyed reading about Marley's escapades, they made me laugh, grit my teeth and cry in all the right moments. The context was entertaining, and I loved how it was written. John Grogan did a good job at luring me into the book, and I honestly struggled to put it down.
The struggles with trying to conceive their first child pulled at my heartstrings, especially the moment when Marley consoled Jenny when she was feeling her lowest.
I love the personal touch about keeping all the newspaper columns that John had written about Marley throughout his life. I found it touching that reading these old columns pulled John and Jenny back together when times got tough, remembering all the love, laughs and tears they shared with their pet.
The ending was written perfectly, and reduced me to tears. So sad... so touching... and so realistic.
One of the very few books I could read over and over again, I highly recommend it.
The Grogans can easily be criticised for buying Marley for all the wrong reasons, but many couples buy their first pet in the exact same circumstance. Judgement shouldn't held against them if they do all they can to treat their pet like a member of the family. In this case they definitely did :)
I enjoyed reading about Marley's escapades, they made me laugh, grit my teeth and cry in all the right moments. The context was entertaining, and I loved how it was written. John Grogan did a good job at luring me into the book, and I honestly struggled to put it down.
The struggles with trying to conceive their first child pulled at my heartstrings, especially the moment when Marley consoled Jenny when she was feeling her lowest.
I love the personal touch about keeping all the newspaper columns that John had written about Marley throughout his life. I found it touching that reading these old columns pulled John and Jenny back together when times got tough, remembering all the love, laughs and tears they shared with their pet.
The ending was written perfectly, and reduced me to tears. So sad... so touching... and so realistic.
One of the very few books I could read over and over again, I highly recommend it.