Rating: 
Summary: Bravo!!!! Carolyn Parkhurst
Review: I took my time reading The Dogs of Babel --- I didn't want
it to end.The characters will capture your heart, and touch you in a
in a rare way. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A mysterious love story
Review: I just finished this book which I found to be an absolute page turner after chapter 2. At first I was a little worried that this was not going to be what I had anticipated but once I got into the story, I couldn't put it down. It's primarily about grief and working through the grief process but we have a front row seat to the workings inside the heart and mind of someone who has experienced a devestating loss. I have been there so I could strongly relate to what this man was going through. I found it extremely touching and loving but with a feeling of mystery that just keeps you wanting to know how things will turn out. Relationships and life are just not easy but the process of growth is well developed in this book. It's a book that will stay with me for sometime. Thank you Carolyn for sharing it with us.
Rating: 
Summary: Anna Quindlen, What Were You Thinking?
Review: Anna Quindlen...I really admire her, don't you? Such a gifted writer. A woman of keen intellect and insight into the human condition and body politic. Consequently, for some years now, I have read her avidly, most frequently agreeing with her every utterance and always admiring her bountiful talent. So, when Quindlen last year very enthusiastically endorsed Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones," I was all ears even though it didn't sound too appealing. Adolescent girl, rape, heaven...? Ugh...sounded like a religious book...a chick book...or, worse yet, Hallmarky sentimental. Nonetheless, based solely on Quindlen's rapturous review, I read "Bones." And I was enthralled from the first page. Seldom have I -- a voracious reader -- read a novel as gripping, lyrical, and as provocative. Hooray for Sebold for crafting this gem of a novel -- and for Quindlen for shining the spotlight on it. So when I read in USA Today that Quindlen had blessed another new author and novel, Carolyn Parkhurst and her "The Dogs of Babel," I counted down the days to its June 2003 publication, knowing that I was in for a big treat: a compelling, page-turning story beautifully and intelligently told. "Dogs" was published; I bought it; I read it in a few days. And now I have a question for Anna Q.: What were you thinking? One word springs to mind in describing "Dogs": dumb. The story is just flat-out dumb. And I am not referring to the widower's wanting to teach the dog to speak in order to learn what happened on that October afternoon in the backyard. That's a lamebrained notion. Of course. But the poor widower, a linquist, is desperate to discern the facts of his late, beloved wife's last day. Yes indeed, I thought as I ended chapter one, this is going to an excellent novel. Wrong. After that first chapter, the story plodded along. Not great, but not bad. And then I hit page 165 and The Cerberus Society. This, Dear Readers, is where "Dogs" plummeted into a death spiral of idiocy. Groaning, I kept reading, believing that the Quindlen-annointed Parkhurst was going to pull her story out of this free-fall. But she didn't. And the rearranged books...? I won't elaborate as not to give away any of the story, but, trust me, it's more groan-inducing idiocy. Also, for the record, even though the husband Paul Iverson tells the story, it was not quite right. Unlike, say, Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone" in which Lamb tells his story convincingly from the woman's perspective, I somehow always was aware that Paul's story was being written by a woman. Fellow Amazonians, my advice to you: Save your money. But if you do invest your money and time into "Dogs," I hope you disagree with me completely and enjoy it immensely. As for me, though, I was very disappointed. Not only in this lackluster novel, but in My Anna. Missy, next time you recommend a book, I assuredly will wait to see what the critics and Amazonians have to say about the book before I make any purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Warning! This book contains graphic animal abuse!
Review: This book contains graphic animal abuse that may bother you if you are sensitive to it (like me). I had high hopes for this book. I heard it was going to be "The Lovely Bones" of this summer. The premise was great and unique, but the book itself was not. It was just another sad story about marriage and mental illness with some disgusting animal abuse thrown in for no reason. Nothing unique here. I was highly disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: strong depth and imagination
Review: Linguistics Professor Paul Iverson returns home to find his wife Lexy Ransome dead from an apparent fall from a backyard apple tree that it seems she must have climbed up on. Their dog Lorelei is the only witness to the tragedy, but her barking brought help too late for the victim. Over the next few weeks, the mourning Paul notices little things in his home seem out of kilter. Originally writing this off as grief, he begins to wonder about whether his spouse accidentally fell or committed suicide. Desperate to know the truth, the linguistic professor tries teaching English to the eye witness his canine, but little if any progress is made until the duo hooks up with an underground group that may enable improved communication between man and dog, but at what price? THE DOGS OF BABEL can be divided into three parts: the romance between Paul and Lexy, the teaching of English by Paul to Lorelei, and the workings of the underground group. Each segment in of itself is well written, but never fully integrates into a cohesive novel as if Carolyn Parkhurst could never decide on the main theme. Though some romance fans will appreciate that piece best, this reviewer relished the interplay between the professor and his dog. Ms. Parkhurst displays depth, imagination, and talent that makes this novel worth reading, but hopefully her next tale is more focused. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: WARNING: DEEPLY DISTURBING TO ANIMAL LOVERS
Review: If you're an animal lover who is repulsed by scenes of animal cruelty, avoid this book at all costs. Although it's billed as a moving novel about grief and the bonds of love, those themes are overshadowed by the graphic (although highly implausible) theme of surgical animal mutilation. The animal cruelty that you dismiss as only a passing reference at the beginning of the book blossoms into a critical plot point that made me want to vomit with disgust. I couldn't sleep after I read it. Can't stand reading about the occasional animal-cruelty story in the newspaper? Do yourself a favor and skip this book: there are plenty of similar novels out there that won't turn your stomach.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: Parkhurst's debut novel is INCREDIBLE. It's not just what she writes (an utterly engaging narrative in and of itself) but the way in which she does it. Each sentence is expertly crafted and this really works to elevate the tale. It's also dark - which makes it better still, lending the story a gritty realism most tales of grief and loss lack. It would have been so easy for this book to fall into melodramatic cliche, as Paul pined and cried for his dear lost Lexy. But he's gripped by a sort of madness that gives him a disturbing focus. He's sent places he has no business being (both literally and figuratively) and this makes the story both interesting and engaging. Highly recommended!!
Rating:
Summary: A terrific story of love and loss
Review: A moving, touching story of loss and the ways that we grieve. The characters and their losses and attempts at love feel very real, despite the somewhat contived concept of the book. In the end, the silence of the dog is only a metaphor for our own inability to give voice to our own grief. Also recommended: ALISON'S AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR MANUAL, by Brad Barkley...another moving (and funny!) novel about love and loss and grief.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and tragic
Review: 5 stars
"The Dogs of Babel" is about Paul Iverson, a linguist at a local university who meets and quickly marries a young artist named Lexy Ransome. She is everything to him- she brings light and color to his dull, academic life. The two have a seemingly happy and passionate marriage until one day Lexy mysteriously falls from a tree and is mortally injured. The only witness to the incident is the couple's dog, Lorelai and Paul, in his grief and desperation, decides he is going to make Lorelai communicate in order to reveal the secrets of his wife's last day. He abandons his friends, family, and career in order to work with Lorelai, and in doing so finds out much more (both about himself, Lexy, and the nature of desperate people) than he bargained for. When I read the premise for "Dogs of Babel" I had no idea how Carolyn Parkhurst was going to make it come together. But she did, and did so beautifully and tragically. Although the concept sounds bizarre, what it really does is provide a meaningful way for Paul to retell all the events and emotions of his marriage to Lexy. This is a wonderfully written book. The narrative weaves in and out of the past and present with no effort at all. Normally, I can't take stories of grief and loss too often because they make me fear for the fate of my own loves ones. But this was different- it's not a book about grief, or sadness, it's a book about the thing we do in desperation to move on from the pain. It's an honest story about the cruel secrets of human nature. Note: I must warn you- there are some situations dealing with animal abuse in the book. While Paul is doing research on the ability of animals to communicate, he runs into a bizarre underground group that is determined- in any way possible- to get dogs to speak. I am *very* sensitive to issues of animal neglect and abuse, and while it was hard for me to get through some of the brief passages in the book dealing with these topics, it was not enough to get me to put the book down or turn me off from it. But if you are sensitive to it, you should be aware it comes up in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Read, and you'll cry too...
Review: I flew through this book in a little over an hour, which means I was comfortable and interested enough to not put it down, yet it also means it doesnt inspire any deep thinking. Parkhurst's writing seems effortless, and her characters endear themselves to the reader. And for those animal lovers out there, you will shed a few tears in the process.
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