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Summary: Dogs of Babel
Review: This appears to have been written by a high school freshman in creative writing. No wait, I'm sure the freshman would have done a better job.
Rating:
Summary: Pass this one up
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. The plot is inane. The only sympathetic character is the dog. Lexy is a spoiled, selfish, egocentric fleabrain, incapable of concern for anyone else--neither her husband nor her unborn child. The husband is fumbling, inept, and downright stupid. I was not affected by his pain, his loss--only by his selfishness. The parts on dog abuse upset and angered me, especially the husband's part in exposing his own dog to the horrors of the underground "research" group. The plot is silly, the ending a foregone conclusion from the beginning. Apparently it did not occur to either the professor or his wife to get help for her problems. The novel is somewhat appropriately named--it is a dog and it is babble.
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Summary: A poignant and gripping book
Review: I really liked this book; it's unique story, has a good pace and it really made me FEEL for these characters. I had a lump in my throat and a tightness in my chest through the last 1/2 of the book. Since Lexy dies right at the beginning, I didn't feel much since I was not invested in Lexy or Paul, but as the author flips back and forth between current time and flash backs I developed a real sense of the two characters and their relationship. I'm also a dog lover, so the fact that Lorelei had a large role didn't hurt either. I was a little skeptical when I found out that Paul was going to try and teach his dog to talk in order to find out what caused his wife's sudden death. However, after reading I started to really feel his deep grief and desparation to understand WHY his wife died - what happened during her last moments. The fact that he was trying to teach his dog to talk was so poignant. I thought this was a sweet, touching story although I didn't care for the dog-mutilation society part; I'm not sure it was really necessary. I definitely would recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Creative Story - Failed To Pull Together
Review: Carolyn Parkhurst has a deep well of creativity. The writing could have been better. I wouldn't reread or recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: This is a great book. The Lovely Bones (which I hated) does not even come close to this book. I was extremely intrigued by the characters, and am amazed at the depth the author was able to achieve. The backstory was very detailed and, like A.S. Byatt's Possession, makes you question whether or not the intricate details of the Cerebrus Society are indeed based in fact. I agree with another reviewer that this book contains graphic animal violence, but it is not gratuitous. It's sadly realistic. Even though, the overall effect is somewhat, well, dignified. The animals in this book are characters, too, and they come off a lot better than some of the humans. This book moved me, and I think it will move you, too.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't Live Up to the Hype, But Still OK
Review: Well, this was a tough one for me to like. I always have my doubts about any book with this much hype and for the first part of the novel, I was not impressed at all. The novel, as you probably know, concerns a man who tries to teach his dog, the sole witness to his wife's death, to talk so that he can understand if Lexy, his wife, fell to her death accidentally, or if it was suicide. The novel is really about Paul, the husband, and his attempts to deal with his searing grief--the talking dog is just a gimmick, and for most of the novel, a rather annoying one at that. Paul, our narrator, shifts back and forth in time, trying to make some sense of his wife's death. He reveals truths to us slowly, and readers will most likely change their opinion as the novel goes on about the true nature of Lexy's death. The pacing in the novel is excellent, the writing, strong. It's not the best novel ever, not even the best one I've read this year. It is an engaging and entertaining read from a promising writer.
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Summary: A good start with a sinister ending
Review: I bought this book as a result of hearing the author on NPR and my love of dogs. Listening to the comments it sounded like my kind of book. However, the commentator did remark that it was not a book for young readers, hinting at the sisister conclusion.I actually liked the first half of the book, but it seemed that somewhere around the last third or so a decidedly dark side emerges and I think its fair that prospective readers should be aware of it. The book is well written and the plot is well thought out. Several other reviewers have compared this book to THOSE LOVELY BONES and its a ligitimate comparison. There are some similarities as to the flow of the book and the underlying evil that is the basis of the plot. Half way through the book I would have recommended it. By the end, I'm not so sure. For some reason, the conclusion just didn't work for me. The enchaniting Lexy of the first part of the book turns in to a deceitful person by the end. I'm very leary of these "perfect relationships" and maybe that's one of the things that bothered me about Lexy and the narrator. Perhaps their relationship was too perfect. And it was certainly too perfect for the husband to recognize Lexy's intentions. For a book club, it's probably a good choice because it raises many topics for discussion. There is a lot of symbolism in the plot with the masks. Even the thing with the square eggs which started the relationship. Eggs are not square. The attempt to change them is very symbolic in terms of the entire plot. When Lexy and the narrator first meet, she doesn't want to end their first date, but yet she ends the relationship by her death. All this makes for great discussion. But I believe the basic message is that you have to accept people and animals for what they are. Lexy was not going to change. Her husband should have seen that. Dogs don't talk and the narrator should have seen that also. Life is the way it comes. When you try to change the basic building blocks of life you screw up big time.
Rating:
Summary: Give the dog a bone...
Review: Like many others, I read this book with high hopes and great expectations. Then, I actually read it. I agree with many others that the writing style and pacing were very good, but the story structure completely undermined it, for me. I've read a few mentions of "contrived". I couldn't agree more. I did enjoy that she chose Lorelei to be a Rhodesian Ridgeback (since we have one) - but a breed especially known for NOT barking!
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Summary: Utterly Original, Fresh and Incredibly Imaginative
Review: I look forward to other books by Carolyn Parkhurst. I am hooked for she is an amazing new talent. Her writing is so authoratative and no-nonsense while at the same time being sensitive and poignant. Paul Iverson has lost his beloved wife, Lexy in an apparent accident. Their dog Lorelei was the only witness; so being a linguist by trade, Paul is desperate to teach the dog to talk, or at least communicate with him more effectively so that he can make sense of the strange "clues" that Lexy left him. I don't believe this novel is a true mystery, although it is continuously surprising and darkly haunting. It is a novel that most accurately describes the facets of love and grief. At it's core, this beautiful story is about finding meaning and it tells us that we are not always what we seem, that we are masked from one another, even from the ones we love the most. Perhaps that is where the mystery of this story lies. I read this book over the weekend in two large sittings. Parts of it were disturbing, but also very insightful and wise. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting grief
Review: The Dogs of Babel is simultaneously difficult and easy to read. Paul Iverson is mourning the death of his wife-somewhere in his soul, he knows she committed suicide, but his mind can only skirt around these thoughts. A linguistics scholar, Paul decides to teach his wife's dog, Lorelei, to speak. Lorelei was with Lexy, Paul's wife, the afternoon of her death, and Paul hopes Lorelei can tell him what happened. Paul's search takes him into a nether world of psychics and animal cruelty as he abandons all semblance of a normal life. In the end, Paul confirms to himself what he knew all along, and is able to begin to reclaim his life. "The Dogs of Babel" has some upsetting references to animal cruelty and Paul' extreme grief is open to the reader. This novel may not move you to tears while reading, but the sense of longing and mourning will stay with the reader for awhile.
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