Rating: 
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I can not recommend this book to anyone and perhaps for the same reason that one reviewer mentioned. The characters of the man and woman were not developed enough for me to sense that they had a real relationship or to care what happened to them. Lexy's character never seemed real to me, and reasons for her depression or suicide tendencies were vague. As for the section dealing with mutilation of dogs for scientific purposes, I didn't even read those pages. Don't be fooled by the glowing reviews for this book. I'm very open minded and read all sorts of books, but this one did not engage me in any way.
Rating: 
Summary: I was loving it but then ...
Review: I found myself lost in this poignant and incredibly romantic description of a relationship. The main character Paul starts with the day his wife is found dead at the bottom of the apple tree in their backyard, apparently an accidental fall, and works backwards as he re-examines how they met and fell in love etc. It was beautiful look at what makes a couple, why do we love each other, what are we willing to forgive or sacrifice to be with someone we love.Unfortunately for me the book then took a gruesome and completely unnecessary turn about a group of people obsessed with teaching a dog to talk - by any means necessary. The whole thing felt very manipulative and left a bad taste in my mouth. I think that Parkhurst is an incredibly talented writer and there were some amazing and very descriptive paragraphs in this book that I found myself reading 2 and 3 times but I would have liked it much more if it had left the horror out - it felt all wrong here. I give one half of the story 5 stars and the other 3 to average out at 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Magically Captivating
Review: An incredibly moving saga of the continuum of grief, the Dogs of Babel captured my interest from the first page and rarely did it let go. There are ethereal, beautiful scenes in this story that are generally found only in dreams or old Fellini movies. Those images have haunted me since I closed the cover for the last time and are part of what prompted me to write this review. The main character of Paul Iverson was crafted with deliberate attention to each minute detail; his palpable grief came across in each of his odd actions and my heart was touched by his love for the dog that he and his wife had shared. That being said, I found the character of his wife Lexy to be less compelling in that there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to her madness, but I wonder if that was just the point. The couple's Rhodesian Ridgeback Lorelei, is the most real dog that I have ever read about in literature; her presence is a big part of what makes the book so good. Another reason are the very clever surprises that come out just when you least expect it. I suggest this book to readers who enjoy a sentimental story, but just make sure you sit with a box of tissues at your side. Nicole Flowers
Rating: 
Summary: Not the story I expected
Review: I love odd premises and this one hooked me ... haven't we all wanted to communicate with our animals? But that's not what The Dogs of Babel is about. Instead, the novel is mostly the love story between a wimpy man and a mentally unstable woman. Neither character was particularly sympathetic nor well developed, so their story together didn't interest me much -- I wanted the woman to take better care of herself so she could be less harsh and unpredictable; I was frustrated with the man for his irresponsible act regarding the dog's safety and for withholding an important piece of info from us without any apparent motivation except to be a surprise. Development of the dog's "character," however, was in sharp contrast to that of the humans -- each one of the too-few scenes with her was rich and emotional and satisfying. The deep grief and animal torture that have been described by other reviewers made me wary to read this book, but they did not affect me to the degree they have others. All in all, this novel did not entertain me much during the reading or leave much with me afterward.
Rating: 
Summary: Babbling thoughts on The Dogs of Babel
Review: "And I find, more and more, as the days go by and the balm of my forgiveness washes over the cracked and parched surface of my heart, I find that remembering her as she was is a gift I can give us both." Carolyn Parkhurst's The Dogs of Babel provides wisdom and insight in t midst of a tragedy. Her use of originative creativity makes the novel an authentic page-turner.
In The Dogs of Babel, Paul Iverson's lifestyle becomes dramatically altered when he comes home from work one day to find that his wife, Lexy, mysteriously died. Nobody was around to witness except for the dog, Lorelei. In the time following the accident, Paul becomes determined to uncover the strange clues around the house to reveal what happened to his wife. Paul becomes certain that by training Lorelei to talk, he can uncover what happened to Lexy. While Paul investigates, he thinks back on all the memories of his life with his spouse.
When looking at the plot of the book, the setting comes into play. If Lexy never fell from the tree, the story's purpose would prove itself useless. For example, if someone other than Lorelei had been nearby to witness the "apple tree" incident, how could the plat possibly amount to anything?
Although Parkhurst uses a unique method of drawing the reader into the plot, certain clues seem to give away future events. A representation of this occurs when Paul reveals that Lexy had told him "during the sweet, breath holding time of their engagement" there "had been moments in their life when she had thought about killing herself". This statement automatically makes one start to wonder if perhaps Lexy's enigmatical death is suicidal.
For the most part, Parkhurst demonstrates an excellent job of elaborating on the high points of Paul and Lexy's love life, but a few instances occur where the topic being stated can be brought out more. One such occurrence is a small anecdote of their wedding, which is all said and done in approximately three sentences. Although Parkhurst's use of figurative language creates a very vivid picture of the "small and lovely" wedding, most readers wish for a more complete story.
All in all, The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst proves itself to be a novel whose purpose thrives on keeping individuals up all night reading and questioning what comes next. While a few minor flaws remain evident, the novel should not be pushed to the back of the bookshelf to collect dust. Although the plot tends to be easily predicted, high points make if a quite enjoyable book. The Dogs of Babel captivates the hearts of readers and inspires them to stop "looking through eyes of clay" and "find the truth held all along".
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I really enjoyed this story -- couldn't put it down. A sad and thoughtful tale.
Rating:
Summary: More than just talking dogs
Review: When I began this book, I thought it seemed like a cute story. However, by the time I finished The Dogs of Babel, I realized that this was actually a book about love and grief, and what a person feeling these emotions may be willing to do. I have felt both these emotions first hand and the author does an amazing job putting these feelings onto paper.
Yes, Parkhurst does use an unusual storyline to get her point across. Who would think that a book about a man trying to get his dog to communicate with him could be serious? The point is that someone with unresolved grief is willing to do ANYTHING to have it resolved. If you are the type of reader that likes straight to the point, no deep thinking involved, books, don't read this. If you are the type of reader that likes a book to keep you intrigued for days to come, I suggest that you give The Dogs of Babel a try. I think you will be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: going to extremes to pursue answers........
Review: Author Carolyn Parkhurst starts her novel along an unusual path. Paul a linguist makes a decision to try and teach his dog, Lorelei, to speak in order to unravel the facts behind the death of his wife, Lexy. Lorelei was the only "eye-witness" to Lexy's last moments.
This turns out not to be a fantasy novel but an examination of a relationship. Paul dissects and explores every aspect of their life together as he attempts to discover what really happened the day Lexy died. His relationship with Lorelei takes on a life of it's own, yet, it seems merely a distraction to what he is really seeking. He makes contact with another group of individuals who are also attempting to create talking dogs, and that is when this unusual tale takes a turn to the bizarre!
Dogs Of Babel was an unusual look at a most unusual relationship that ended in an abrupt manner, or did it? Was it as unforeseen as Paul would like to believe? If so, why does he go to such extremes to pursue answers to the almost unanswerable questions that he alone raises?
This strange story is written with a novel vision, but still seems to follow a traditional path. The talking dog aspect does not feel like an important part of the story, but more like a device to intrigue. The whole concept is both peculiar and curious as was this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Thought Provoking Read
Review: Assuming you'll get plenty of synopsis from other reviews...
I guess this would fall under Science Fiction (since it involves planetary travel at warp speed). Although the cast of characters are not Star Trekky, they are Jesuits. This book does raise a lot of religious and philosophical questions without being preachy. One question posed: how does finding life on other planets affect one's religious beliefs? I like how the story unfolds, intertwining the present with the past. I like the author's creativity in "First Contact" Issues. I found several of the characters to be likable and enjoyed reading what they had to say. I found a few conversations between these characters to be fresh and thought provoking. However, I felt the object of suspense was a little over-hyped. I also had trouble with all the foreign names, keeping them straight for a while. And either I missed it, or it was never clearly explained what happened to Emilio's hands. The book is so rich in detail about everything else, without being overbearing about it, I'm thinking I must have missed it.
Rating:
Summary: Forrest Gump Lovers Might Like This Book
Review: I thought Forrest Gump was a stupid movie. The main character in this book (the narrative voice in the book) is very Forrest Gump-like. Ok, perhaps 20-30 more IQ points, but similarly boring, naive, gullible, and hapless. His wife's character is revealed as somewhat complex and thus somewhat interesting, but not until after her death, and unfortunately the life-flashback portion of the book takes up half the text. While she is alive she is simply whimsical and quirky, and so, together with Forrest, their 150-or-so pages of courtship and marriage is banal, saccharine, and commonplace. The last 60 pages or so help to salvage what was at best a plodding love story.
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