Rating: 
Summary: Great lead characters!
Review: If you're expecting a story about a man trying to teach his dog how to talk, you've got another think coming. This is about a man grieving over his wife's death. Lexy Ransome had either jumped or fallen from the top of an apple tree and the only witness is her dog Lorelei. Paul Iverson, a professor of linguistics, sets out to teach her how to talk so she can tell him what really happened.
The two lead characters are extremely well drawn. Lexy is an artist who makes decorative masks for every occasion, including death masks. At one point in her life she shaved her head, had the dome tattoed with snakes and went to The Prom as the only bald-headed girl there. The Paul Iverson portrayal is impressive because of how well Parkhurst gets inside the head of a man (He is the narrator). His relationship with his first wife is especially true to life.
If you're thinking this is too much of a downer for you, don't let it bother you. Just when things get especially bleak, Parkhurst throws in a little comic relief. We see Iverson trying to teach Lorelei how to say "water" by hiding her water bowl. She's to smart for him; she drinks out of the toilet bowl.
Some parts of the novel are a bit far-fetched. During his research, Iverson finds a man who operated on dogs to make them more receptive to human speech. The man is doing prison time, but he's got a bunch of followers carrying on in his name. Iverson is so desperate to find out what happened to Lexy that he attends one of their meetings. Because Iverson is such a likable character we accept this. The book also works as a mystery, as Lexy leaves sprinkles of evidence lying about that Paul tries to decipher: she had cooked a steak just before she died, but there's no evidence she ate it; she had rearranged Paul's bookshelves; she had made a phone call to a psychic. All of this draws us further and further into the book, good to the very last bit.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book! Very Good Book!
Review: Carolyn Parkhurst's The Dogs of Babel is a wonderfully powerful novel. However, although drama abounds there are enough bits and peices of humor to keep this book from being depressing.
The Dogs of Babel centers around a man, distraught over the apparent suicide of his wife. The only witness to this horrible event was the family pet Lorelei. Being a linguist, Paul decides to attempt to his dog to communicate so that he can finally discover what really happened on the day of his wife's death.
Overall, this book is less about teaching a dog to do the impossible and more about a man trying to come to terms with the most ultimate pain imaginable. It's about overcoming grief and loss and in a little way, it's about life.
The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that somewhere past the halfway point the book strays from the premise it begins with and turns into a semi crime-drama for about 20 or 30 pages and finally returning back to the original mood of the book before the finale. However, it isn't a huge setback and doesn't disallow the book to be enjoyed.
All in all, this is a great book. Powerful and written at a fast-pace. It's a great summer read. FIVE STARS!!!
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly entertaining summer read
Review: I picked up this book based on what a reviewer said on the CBS Sunday Morning program. Unlike others here, I did laugh while reading this book. Several times. Out loud. I guess the absurdity hit me more than for others. It is basically about a guy trying to deal with his sudden loss. He does it in an absurd way. I loved the way he pieced together what had happened. I'll admit in isn't that emotionally deep and the dog mutilation stuff is disturbing, but it's just fiction. The oddness of the book reminded me of "The World According To Garp" by John Irving, which is one of my all time favorite books.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: I'm not really sure what to say about this book....interesting, intriguing, disturbing, sad, poignant, imaginative. After reading a passage toward the end of the book, I copied the two or three paragraphs and emailed it someone I know, the writing was so beautiful and the sentiment so true...(now I need to send them a copy of the whole book)!Anyway, this may not be for everyone, you really have to let your imagination run free, but I think it is a wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, yet poignant
Review: At first, I wasn't sure if I'd like this novel, for the subject matter seemed somewhat brusque and, as a dog lover, said brusqueness didn't sit well with me. However, The Dogs of Babel, though disturbing, is one of the best reading investments I've made throughout the year. Paul returns home from work to find that Lexy, his wife, has had a fatal fall from their apple tree. Even though the police rules out the occurrence as an accident, Paul finds various inconsistencies that tell him that something more sinister happened. But the only witness is Lorelei, a female Rhodesian Ridgeback and Paul's saving grace. A linguistics professor, Paul is convinced that he can teach Lorelei how to talk. What transpires is a disarming story that floors the reader with its various twists... The novel has a mixture of darkness and poignancy. Lexy is a rather complex character and her eccentricity spoke to me. However, I agree with some of the reviewers that complain about the lack of voice in the novel. Sometimes Paul's narration is wooden and lacks depth - making it difficult to empathize with his grief. Perhaps the novel should have been written in third person narrative. But other than that, The Dogs of Babel is one of the most original novels out there. Though the subject matter might somewhat strong for some people. A warning to dog lovers: there are some passages in this novel that are rather disturbing. Make sure you can handle it.
Rating: 
Summary: the worst!
Review: i hated this book! i never write reviews, but i hated this so much i thought i'd warn you. it reminded me of cheesy danielle steele novels i would read when i was a teenager. the relationship with the couple in the book is far-fetched and the dog part is just as bad. don't get it, unless you are the danielle steele type. i am ashamed that this is one of the best selling books in our country.
Rating:
Summary: As thin as the paper it's written on...
Review: I was very disappointed in this flimsy sketch of a boring man who loses his quirky and irritating wife. My interest in what led Lexie to outbursts of anger kept me plodding through the inane subplot of "Cruella DaVille" type characters until I just threw the book down. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Dogs with Emotional Bite
Review: By now, you know the basic premise: Paul Iverson attempts to teach his dog how to speak, hoping the dog can tell him about his wife's death. Yes, it's an interesting concept. But the novel digs deeper than its gimmick, and does an admirable job of tracking Paul's healing psyche. Much of the book's strength, in my opinion, is built around dichotomies. Paul is a learned man, yet finds himself grasping at supernatural straws (talking dogs and telephone psychics). Paul is skilled at solving puzzles and riddles, yet he fails to put together (even as he narrates) the pieces that point to his wife's mental instability. Lexy, Paul's wife, is the central dichotomy: a manic-depressive who creates masks (the mask metaphor is used beautifully throughout the book). This novel will inevitably be compared to "The Lovely Bones" because of its subject matter. However, I don't think it suffers from this comparison; "The Dogs of Babel" packs emotional heft I found lacking in "The Lovely Bones," and Parkhurst's writing is tighter than Sebold's. On the negative side, the book's second half doesn't have the same intensity as its first half. And, Parkhurst isn't 100% convincing as a male narrator: Paul's missing some testosterone in his thoughts and actions. Also, even though Parkhurst starts to paint Paul as something of a tongue-tied misfit afraid of social situations near the book's beginning, she tends to contradict that characterization: Paul is rather glib and witty throughout the story. Minor complaints, really. All in all, this book is a fine read--especially for a first novel. I'll look forward to future works by Ms. Parkhurst.
Rating: 
Summary: Emotionally Honest? If You're a Zombie
Review: This book is, quite frankly, overhyped. It's a fast, light read, yes, but the narrator is cardboard, and I don't buy that his disconnectedness is due to grief. Paul doesn't know his wife at all, and while that is part of the point, the book relies more on plot surprises than the deep character revelation that makes a book literary. Check it out of the library, but don't shell out the cash for hardback.
Rating:
Summary: Buy a better book.
Review: I don't understand the glowing reviews for this book. The characters are contrived (Lexi, mysterious woman marries Paul,divorced professor) and uninteresting. Lexi somehow convinces Paul to drive 2 days to Disney for their first date (first hint that this book wasn't going to be believable). We never learn much about the backgrounds or motivations of either character. I wanted the author to flesh out these people -- what brought Lexi to her depresssions? What were her outbursts about? We never really understand Lexi because it is written from the male perspective. Then there is the subplot of an underground talking dog society which grossly abuses dogs --- not worth the paper it took to print. And who would believe that Paul would leave his beloved dog in the backyard after meeting up with these creeps? It was a quick read, but still a waste of my time.
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