Lapping up toilet water. Sniffing crotches. Chewing shoes. That's a typical dog.
But, an animal capable of yanking a table 50 yards for a whiff of French poodle, turning a solid wood door into splinters and making a gourmet meal out of chicken poop – that's one heck of a story.
"Bad Dog" Marley is a Source of Laughter and Tears for Readers
Journalist and author John Grogan's bestselling book Marley & Me chronicles the many escapades of his exuberant yellow Labrador retriever Marley, a nearly 100-pound purebred who possesses the destructive force of a runaway train together with an endearing heart of gold. Even a reader claiming "I'm not a dog person" will enjoy Grogran's wry wit and his ability to capture the spirit of a seemingly irredeemable animal.
From tropical West Palm Beach and Boca Raton locales (Grogan's good-natured pokes at Boca's plastic-surgery addicted populace are an added bonus) to a sprawling home in the scenic mountains of Pennsylvania, Marley paws and chews his way through countless pieces of furniture, gold jewelry, a movie set and many ingenious – and ultimately failed – attempts on the part of Grogan and his wife Jenny to contain his rambunctious behavior. Along the way, readers are also introduced to the couple's three children, who each grow to love the ornery dog.
John Grogan's Humorous Style Makes the Book Marley & Me a Must Read
Grogran's style – a natural, candid narrative peppered with humor and warmth – is a pure joy to read. Most will chortle and later sniffle their way through the chapters as his family life is, over time, partly defined by a true character: an incorrigible, less-that-brilliant Lab with more lives than a pampered house cat.
Marley ages but never changes. Grogan describes him as "a central player in some of the happiest chapters of our lives…[a dog who] taught us the art of unqualified love." In the end, his grief over Marley's passing, as expressed in his newspaper column, helps him connect with hundreds of others who live with and love their "bad dogs."
Marley & Me is a celebration of the simplest yet most extraordinary pleasures life can offer, such as the love and loyalty between people and their pets. Grogan has apparently achieved what so many long for – contentment with and appreciation for what he's been given.
It makes a reader want a dog just like Marley.
Well, not quite.
Check out my other book review on Breaking Dawn, the conclusion of the Twilight series.
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