The Dogs of Babel (Today Show Book Club #12)

Rating:
Summary: Tender and mysterious!
Review: The book tells of college professor Paul's attempts to solve the mystery surrounding his wife Lexy's death in a fall from a tree. In alternate chapters, the professor recalls his relationship with his wife as well as the steps he takes to learn from his dog Lorelei why his wife died. He feels that, since his was dog present at the time of Lexy's death, the answer to his question is going to be revealed by teaching his dog to talk.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. Just as my husband said I would, I did cry. I liked the mystery of the story and the slow, tender way the author described the professor's relationship with his wife. The sadness and disorientation he felt after the death seemed very real. The hidden despair shown in spurts by Lexy was frightening and sad. The premise of the professor's trying to teach his dog to talk gave the book a special and interesting quirk.

An FYI: I would caution animal lovers that some parts of this book may not be to their liking because they do involve pain to dogs.

Rating:
Summary: ORIGINAL PREMISE THAT DELIVERS
Review: People seem pretty heavily divided on "DOGS OF BABBLE." I agree that the premise is more original than the delivery, but it is by no means bad. I enjoyed it very much. I won't categorize "DOGS OF BABBLE" with something like "MIDDLESEX" or "MY FRACTURED LIFE," but I think it is just as good as "LIFE OF PI" and "ATONEMENT." It dares to be different. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. But, more often than not.

Rating:
Summary: Not what it's cracked up to be
Review: I agree with the review that says this novel is predictable, and I'd like to add that it's very sappy. The dialogue between him and his wife seemed made up and unnatural, and her character wasn't consistent.
I decided to read this book because I was lured in by the idea that he was going to find some secret unknown canine language. But it more explores this man's feelings about his deceased wife. It goes back and forth from past to present: (past - he reminsces of his wife and their relationship and present - trying to find the mystery of her death), but the "mystery" was very predicatable. By the time I reached the end, there was no "ah-ha!". After I finished this book, I felt very dissatisfied, like I'd wasted a week of my life on this let-down of a novel.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Overrated
Review: I was overwhelmed with anger at the husband, Paul. Ms. Parkhurst has to have created one of the most self-absorbed, foolish and frustratingly stupid characters ever put in print. The reason his wife died is obvious to anyone who ever saw an Oprah episode or read a teen angst magazine. And yet this man is so stupid that he makes his poor, sweet, and defenseless dog suffer in order for him to "find" the reason. He was simply blind and too self-absorbed. The last straw for me came when he started obsessing over the "news" he heard from the psychic. This "news" was something he already knew. Yet he only obsessed and considered it a factor when a phone psychic told him about it.

Ultimately the plot contrivances in this were the quality of poor sitcoms. The animal cruelty was written with stereotypical characters and I found the details to be stomach wrenching - don't pick this book up if you are a dog lover.

The concept of the romance and story was interesting (it made me pick it up at the store), but I will not purchase another of Ms. Parkhurst's books.