Marley & Me: A Review

I read Marley & Me for one of the bookclubs I'm in. I really enjoyed it, which surprised me quite a bit. I am not a "dog person." I like them well enough and I don't dislike them and sometimes I even think they are cute and cuddly. But for the most part, I generally think of them as stinky, smelly, oversized oafs that make messes and never clean up after themselves and need constant attention. I would take a baby over a dog any day. At least the baby will grow up and eventually begin to take care of himself. The same cannot be said of a dog.

I don't think I felt this way as a child. We had cats growing up and got a dog when I was a teenager. I loved my cats and certainly liked the dog. But now that I'm an adult and would actually be primarily responsible to care for and clean up after an animal, there is no way I ever want one in my house. I'm messy enough as it is.

Knowing all of this, I figured I wouldn't be too interested in John Grogan's New York Times bestseller recounting the misadventures of his manic yet lovable dog, Marley. But I was wrong. I actually enjoyed the book quite a bit. Marley is described as the world's worst dog; and it might not be too far from the truth. I couldn't believe all of the horrible things he did or the outrageous behavior that his family put up with. If anything, I have incredible respect for Grogan and his wife for not only keeping the dog, but for truly loving and caring for him.

But it is the writing ability of the author that makes this book so good. Grogan is a very talented writer. His descriptions are so detailed, filled with witty humor. I laughed most of the way through. He has a wonderful narrative voice. Apparently, the book is being made into a movie scheduled to come out at the end of this year (starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston). I am curious how they will do it. Of course, there is plenty of action to film, but I think it is Grogan's narration that makes the book and I'm not sure how they will translate that on film. Unless they have Wilson's character narrating a lot, which might work, but could get tedious.

Anyway, my final thought of the book is that I think whatever your opinion of dogs is, it will be reinforced by reading this book. If you have always wanted a dog, you'll probably still want one because despite his horrible antics Marley is endearing and loving. And if you're like me, convinced that dogs are nice, but not for you, then you will certainly find plenty of reasons to reinforce that decision.

But like I said, the actual writing is the best part, and it's a quick read. So if you want something new to read, check it out. I think you'll like it.