Charming. Funny. Heartbreaking. Poignant.
Disclosure: I received this book as an advanced reader copy.
Bias #1: I am a dog person.
Bias #2: I am familiar with the small neighborhood of the Chelsea NYC, where the author lives, and describes in this book.
Bias #3: I watch CBS Sunday Morning every week and enjoy Martha Teichner's reporting.
While many people are familiar of reporter Martha Teichner (or at least her calming, even speech pattern), I was surprised to learn that this was her first book. She is a long-time owner of Bull Terriers and lovingly describes all their quirks and flaws, as any breed-loyal dog lover can. With any story about dogs, there is heartache, and there were times in this book I was teary every 3-4 pages. But she quickly moves on to ridiculous events that only happen when you share you life with dogs.
As this non-fiction book begins with the daily ins-and-outs of canine ownership, the author moves along in sharing the serendipity of a new friendship with a talented, funny, intelligent, stylist NYC woman who is facing a health crisis. Their friendship forms over their love of Bull Terriers. The book is as much about friendship as it is about the love of our canine family members. Being middle-aged and heading over the hill, this passage particularly stood out to me, for its observation as well as its eloquence:
"As I think back, when I was in college and then in my twenties, making friends was like the days getting longer in spring. No matter how busy I was, there was always more time to talk...I consider the friends I made then some of my closest friends still. They're the planets in my personal solar system...I feel their gravitational pull, even though I hear their voices now, hollow and far away...I see their faces in the gallery of mental snapshots I visit, aware that the pictures in my mind are out of date...Life steals our time. Our days get shorter, our worlds get smaller, the way in harder."
An easy and enjoyable read, 242 pages.
Disclosure: I received this book as an advanced reader copy.
Bias #1: I am a dog person.
Bias #2: I am familiar with the small neighborhood of the Chelsea NYC, where the author lives, and describes in this book.
Bias #3: I watch CBS Sunday Morning every week and enjoy Martha Teichner's reporting.
While many people are familiar of reporter Martha Teichner (or at least her calming, even speech pattern), I was surprised to learn that this was her first book. She is a long-time owner of Bull Terriers and lovingly describes all their quirks and flaws, as any breed-loyal dog lover can. With any story about dogs, there is heartache, and there were times in this book I was teary every 3-4 pages. But she quickly moves on to ridiculous events that only happen when you share you life with dogs.
As this non-fiction book begins with the daily ins-and-outs of canine ownership, the author moves along in sharing the serendipity of a new friendship with a talented, funny, intelligent, stylist NYC woman who is facing a health crisis. Their friendship forms over their love of Bull Terriers. The book is as much about friendship as it is about the love of our canine family members. Being middle-aged and heading over the hill, this passage particularly stood out to me, for its observation as well as its eloquence:
"As I think back, when I was in college and then in my twenties, making friends was like the days getting longer in spring. No matter how busy I was, there was always more time to talk...I consider the friends I made then some of my closest friends still. They're the planets in my personal solar system...I feel their gravitational pull, even though I hear their voices now, hollow and far away...I see their faces in the gallery of mental snapshots I visit, aware that the pictures in my mind are out of date...Life steals our time. Our days get shorter, our worlds get smaller, the way in harder."
An easy and enjoyable read, 242 pages.