Rating: 
Summary: An Unpleasant Experience!
Review: What are publishers thinking? ARE publishers thinking?Paul, the main character, has no character. He loves his wife... that's who he is. She is troubled and clearly needs therapy. The writing is somewhat tedious (do I need a paragraph to tell me they say hello to each other when he comes home?) and the book is quite sentimental, except for the dog abuse, which is horrific. I wish I could wash the book out of my mind. I have given it two stars because she defined his first wife's self-obsessed ways beautifully, having her say something like: "I have repeatedly asked you not to leave your dirty coffee cup on the table and you have ignored my needs and wishes." Possibly the writer will grow now that she is a published author (obviously most people here disagree with me). Hug your dog.
Rating:
Summary: twisted wearing the mask of beautiful
Review: Upon reading the fly leaf description of this book I thought it sounded interesting and magical, and at first I wasn't disappointed. Paul Iverson's wife Lexy has died mysteriously with the couple's dog Lorelei as the only witness. While flashing back to the story of their lives together, Paul struggles with trying to discover clues about the circumstances of Lexy's demise, wishing that Lorelei could speak in order to tell him the truth about the events of that day. He actually begins to try to teach her, taking a sabbatical from the university where he is a professor of linguistics. Even that part sounds preposterous, but it really wasn't until the middle of the book, when some of Paul's choices lead him into a sick situation with the predictability of a bad horror movie (No, you idiot! Don't go to that house, what are you thinking?) ... after that, the symbolism becomes forced, the characters no longer seem believable, and surprises that should be important fall flat with their poor delivery. Parkhurst's writing style is lovely, but she could use some help on plot. Even though the cover, the book's summary, and its book club status make it appear tantalizing, I would skip this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A book that came along at the right time
Review: The tenacity of Paul's love for his clinically depressed wife -- she was bi-polar probably -- made me have a good look at my own relationship with a difficult friend whom I was about to abandon out of sheer frustration. Message: don't give up on someone you love, and grieve (spectacularly if you wish) when they are gone, whether through death, the ultimate abandonment, or through forced separation. The animal abuse? Well, it happens in many other circumstances, unfortunately, and this time the perpetrators got their just desserts. The love of animals also shone through. A brilliant book which I accepted in the spirit with which it was offered. May the author have a long and successful writing career.
Rating:
Summary: Masks, ghosts, talking dogs and hidden messages
Review: While not just another love story, "The Dogs of Babel" does detail the love affair and marriage of Paul and his mask-making wife, the newly deceased Lexy. As the narrative unfolds, the reader watches as Paul's obsessive attempts to make sense of his wife's death force him to become reclusive, to relentlessly pursue a pay-by-the-minute phone psychic, and to try to teach his dog, and only witness to Lexy's death, Lorelei, to speak. "Dogs" is a modern day fairy tale in the true Brothers Grimm fashion. Parkhurst has crafted a sweet story of romance and love counter-balanced by deep sadness, despair, and the desperation of grief. Not a novel to be taken in the literal sense, "Dogs" explores the surreal and often futile attempts of survivors to answer questions surrounding a loved one's death and to blame themselves even when circumstances are beyond their control. Parkhurst skims the surface of mental illness and its sometimes exasperating silence and links it to the allegorical Cerberus Society, whose sole purpose is to create a speaking dog. Masks, ghosts, talking dogs and hidden messages combined with raw human emotions in a familiar household setting create an atmospheric and beautifully layered story. A wonderful read, without a doubt this season's "The Lovely Bones", and a story that will stay with you long after the last page has turned. *Having read and reviewed this book, and then read other's reviews, I must add a personal note of recommendation that readers approach this book with no expectations. Ignore the hype, ignore the reviews, yes, even mine, and approach this book with an open, inquiring, intellectual mind. If you do so, I think you will be pleased. As my mother always says, the origin of resentment is expectation. Good reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I was expecting
Review: I kept putting off reading this book because the premise sounded kind of dumb to me - a man tries to teach his dog to speak after his wife dies in an apparent accident. Little did I know that it would turn out to be a romantic, wistful, and tragic story of love and loss. After Paul's wife Lexy dies falling from a tree, he decides to try to teach their dog, Lorelei, to speak since she is the only creature to have witnessed Lexy's fall and know if it was an accident or suicide. Through the process, we learn of Paul and Lexy's courtship and marriage in flashbacks that are telling of her state of mind. As we read about their relationship, it becomes clear that Lexy has emotional problems that Paul isn't quite equipped to deal with and that she is reluctant to talk about. She becomes depressed and has violent moments that contrast with the free-spirited woman he married. In his quest to find out what happened at her death, Paul finds himself mixed up in an underground group of scientists who are mutilating dogs in their attempts to get them to speak. The two stories come together in an ending that tells of the love Lexy had for her husband, even beyond death.
Rating: 
Summary: Grief
Review: I had this book recommended to me as a powerful record of the problems faced by a person who is living with someone who is depressed. This triggered my enthusiasm for reading the book because I have some experience with depression - although I am not myself depressed. But the book is not really about depression at all. In fact the depressed person is dead right at the outset of the novel and we only learn about them through the memories of the grieving partner. But these memories are fragile uncertain things, and as he gets closer and closer in his memories to the day of death he becomes more and more confused and doubtful. What has he missed? What signs did he not see? So this book is not about depression - about its signs, about indicators, about failure to see, about failing management..... This book is about grief and grieving - about how unsettled the grieving person can be - perhaps even mad to a degree. It is a wonderfully inventive book but many of the steps taken by the grieving person I could not myself imagine taking - but then I have yet to grieve in this way so maybe I should not be so sure. I also think that the writing is far superior in the telling of troubled times - so many writers seem to struggle with their descriptions and explanations of good times.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly fabulous!
Review: Prior to reading this novel, I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not. I had heard good things about it, but I didn't think I'd find it very interesting. Boy was I wrong! The Dogs of Babel is officially on my list for the best books I've read this year. Paul Iverson's wife, Lexy, is found dead after an apparent fall from an apple tree in their yard. The only witness is their dog, Lorelei, who cannot relay the answer to Paul's most important question -- did Lexy fall on accident, or was it suicide? As a linguistics professor, Paul does a lot of research and work with the spoken word. Why couldn't he teach Lorelei to talk? So Paul takes a sabbatical and embarks on the process of teaching Lorelei to say what she knows about that fateful day. I loved every minute of this book. The Dogs of Babel is beautifully written and I commend Carolyn Parkhurst for writing this story. However, it is more about teaching a dog to talk. The flashbacks of Paul and Lexy's life together are the best parts of the book. Lexy is a free-spiritied and troubled character, and their courtship and marriage was incredibly romantic and tragic at the same time. And despite some sensitive material about dog abuse, I still found The Dogs of Babel an exquisite read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful.
Review: I got this as an advanced reading copy from a friend in publishing. She dropped it in front of me and said "READ THIS". The last time she did that it was Alice Sebold's Lovely Bones, so I listened to her and I read. And I was not disappointed. The book (as everybody else has said before) is about a man who loses his wife. There's something ODD about his wife's death, though, so he tries to teach his dog to communicate with him and tell him what happened the day she died. Sounds hokey, but it's not. Trust me, it's not. The book takes on a bit of mystery as you go . . . as a reader want to know what happened to Lexy. You want the dog to talk. You want Paul to stop acting crazy. Pieces of the dead wife's history begin to unfold as you continue through, and you realize what a wonderful, sad, character Lexy was. The author takes her time, making you like the character you never meet, and by the end you are touched by Lexy's story and how Paul and the dog tie in. The only reason that I gave this book 4 stars and not 5 is the dog talking bit got a little weird on me at one point. There's a subplot that involves a network of people that try to teach dogs to talk and the crazy things done on their 'quest'. I understand why it's in the book, but some of it gets a little raunchy. I would have rather dedicated those pages to Lexy the Mask Maker, but beggers can't be choosers. I'm still thrilled with the rest of the novel. Buy this book. Delve into it and enjoy it. It won't be that hard to do. There is a poignant sadness that colors every page. The author really makes you care about the little family of Paul, Lexy, and Lorelei. And the last few pages, when Paul realizes exactly what happened, will choke you up. They are a real heartbreaker. Happy Reading.
Rating:
Summary: Woof-woof
Review: For some reason, there seems to be a plethora of books about dogs or books with dog "themes", and all are bestsellers. Did I miss something? Is it the year of the dog? I first encountered "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" which is bizarre, excellent, and a must-read. Then I read "Bark of the Dogwood" (yes it does have a dog theme) which is one of the funniest and most entertaining books I've come across. But the latest was "Dogs of Babel." This wonderful, fun, disturbing, and well written book is tops on my list, whether its a list of dog books or not. Parkhurst is an immense talent and should not be missed. Highly unusual and guaranteed to be like nothing you've come across before
Rating:
Summary: Original and Different, Not Just Babble!!
Review: I bought this book because I thought the title was interesting. After reading it it all made perfect sense. "The Dogs of Babel" is a unique story about a man who attempts to solve the mystery of his wife's death through the knowledge of his dog. Although the story is far-fetched it is appealing simply for the originality behind the plot. But the story is also sometimes too predicitable as well. How a linguist professor happens to own a dog who is smart enough to be the first talking dog....life isn't that easy. The dog story is entertaining if you like dogs and it sure will make you look at your dog a bit differently at the same time. I didn't like the animal abuse but I suppose if there ever was a real talking dog and scientists got ahold of it, "real" dogs would probably no longer exist. So not only do the dogs "babble" they also represent the story of Babel by attempting to cross communication gaps between species, in the Bible it was between tribes. So curl up with your favorite pooch and start your own babble for what it's worth. A nice read and something different for a change.
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