Rating: 
Summary: Beware, lovers of dogs!
Review: Yes, as various reviewers have stated, this is an emotionally charged and interesting book. It's beautifully written, quirky and off-beat.My problem is with the animal abuse. I wasn't prepared for it, and was deeply shocked when it showed up. The images presented stayed with me for weeks, and I felt betrayed by the book for springing them on me. I realized I had to write a review in order to warn others who, like me, monitor their exposure to descriptions of human cruelty perpetrated on the defenseless. So beware, animal lovers. This book may really hurt.
Rating: 
Summary: Strange. Very Strange.
Review: I ordered this book from my Public Library System based on a blurb I read pre-release, which heralded it as a great mystery with dogs serving as canine Dr. Watsons. It is not. Nor can it properly be filed in the library's "Mystery" section. It is Literature. Sparse, haunting, sometimes lyric, Literature. When I received the book, I noted that Noveau Novelist Carolyn Parkhurst is described on the inside back jacket as holding a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in creative writing from American University. This frequently, as in this case, portends a cerebral hand-wringing. I also noted that the book had become a selection of the Today Show Book Club, (Hey! I don't get up in time to languish in front of the TV before bolting out the door in the morning!) another ominous portend. And it was deja vu all over again. Prior Reviewers have already given away more than enough of the plot. If you want to pre-read it, read them. I would just add that I was disgusted by the doggie disfigurement. If you loved *The Lovely Bones*, you'll lap this right up. Reviewed by TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer.
Rating: 
Summary: Barking up the wrong tree
Review: Intriguing premise, some good prose and imagination, nicely paced, but ultimately a disappointment. Once you get to the parts with an underground cult in suburbia (who just happened to live in the same neighborhood as the protagonist) doing mutilation surgeries on dogs to try to get them to speak English, a television psychic who takes copious notes of all her conversations for the book she's writing (who'd read that one?), and a PhD in Linguistics who is about as bright as a blown light bulb. Similar in tragic tone to "The Lovely Bones," but without all the humor. My advice: speed-read through all the Dogs Hooked on Phonics stuff, and you'll finish in half the time and may be moved a bit by dysfunctional people meeting in mid-life and trying to overcome their psychological issues.
Rating:
Summary: Strange story
Review: I'll cut to the chase. This book quickly reminded me why I don't read fiction anymore. I tried one more time. Now I remember.
Rating:
Summary: A real downer
Review: A friend told me this book had been on the USA Today bestseller list for a long time. Okay, so I read the blurb. A man teaching a dog to talk. I remember how much I loved Dean Koontz's Watchers and forked over way too much money. Certainly the author is skilled, but this book is not uplifting like The Lovely Bones. I can handle death, but when dogs are mutilated, I can't take it. What really haunts me is that the author probably saw an article about actual people who do these horrible things and went on to weave a fictional story about it. I know these things exist in the real world, but I don't have to read about them for entertainment. And that's why I read. Anyone else who wants a good book about dogs, if you haven't read Watchers, pick it up. It's been re-released recently. Sorry, Parkhurst, but you're off my list.
Rating: 
Summary: Author lacks talent, but excels at gratuitous violence
Review: "Dogs of Babel" has to be the most vile, disgusting book I have EVER read. The author's dark side is scary -- that she would utilize animal cruelty of the most evil kind imaginable (not once, but twice) to sell books makes me frightened she is on the streets. This is gratuitous violence at its worst. I checked this book out of a library, so am certainly glad I didn't give this person a dime of my money. I was ready to toss it mid-book, but felt, to be fair, I would see if the author had any purpose for the cruelty to the dogs in her story and if the merits of the book could redeem her choice to write about such depravity. Turns out she did have a purpose-- to sell books, period. Redeeming merits? NONE.
Rating:
Summary: Not Like The Lovely Bones
Review: Why was this book compared to The Lovely Bones? I heard that and expected this book to be about someone from the afterlife trying to communicate back to the current people on earth. I guess whenever there is a best-seller or a popular movie, people think they can promote a new book or movie by claiming that it's the next Harry Potter, or the next Big Fat Greek Wedding. Anyway, after feeling misled and actually reading the book for what it was, it wasn't too bad. In fact, there was point where I was horrified at the thought of what would happen next in the story and that added some suspense for me. It was enjoyable to slowly get to know the wife via flashback and see that there was more to the story than initially laid out - I believe they call that How The Story Unfolds.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark and Haunting
Review: To say that I loved this book would be putting it mildly. The characters, the plot, and the beautiful prose of this author has been haunting me since I read it. The novel takes you on a rollercoaster ride that I did not want to get off of. Although the story line seems farfetched, in the context of the book and the characters it truly did seem believable. I would highly recommend this book, but not to those who cannot handle something of this dark of nature or someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one. It is a very deep novel and it seems to stick with its readers.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, eloquent style, but had problems with the cruelty.
Review: I'm in two minds about this book. I read it in just over a day; I couldn't put it down, but I also have serious reservations about a book with such graphic depictions of cruelty to animals. I know that the book was a work of fiction, and that the scenes depicted are never gratuitous, but I question whether the rather silly sub-plot of Wendell Hollis, the underground dog society, and Dog J was really all that essential to the story. Parkhurst has a nice, economical and elegant style, and her pacing is tight. When Paul returns home and finds that her wife has died under strange circumstances, we are plunged right into the mystery, and the tale unwinds quickly at a deft pace. Although, not central to the story, the outcome of Lexy's death, however, will come as no surprise to the reader. The real story is the astute observation of a relationship full of dysfunction, and a modern marriage that is unfortunately seems to be doomed by a lack of communication. This is also a story of grief and sadness, as we realize that Lexy's needs as a wife, and possibly as a mother will never be fulfilled, and that Paul will never be able to recapture the love that he felt for Lexy. And then there is gorgeous Lorelei, the real star of the story, and the character who possibly holds the key to Lexy's death. The story effectively jumps between the present, as Paul mourns and tries to come to terms with the death of his true love, and the past, as we witness their meeting, courtship and eventual marriage. During this time learn much about Lexy; she's spontaneous - particularly when she drags Paul off on a first date to Disney World lasting a week - and she's also an artist, a lover, and loyal to Lorelei and Paul, but she's also seems to be incredibly insecure and unhappy with the world. I had problems with some of the other plot twists involving Lady Arabelle, and a ridiculous subplot involving a ghost that Lexy is obsessed with in New Orleans. And I still don't know what is the true meaning of all the symbolism, or indeed whether there is actually meant to be any symbolism! Are the masks that Lexy perpetually paints a way of shutting out reality? Are they her method of communicating with Paul? Is her obsession with the death masks towards the end of the story, her cry for help? The story ends up being kind of vague and muddled as Parkhurst tries to cram so much into this story. Consequently, I found this book kind of disappointing - read The Dogs of Babel only if you want a fast and quick read. Michael
Rating:
Summary: Quietly Profound
Review: Parts fairy tale and whimsy, parts dark and disturbing, The Dogs of Babel is an unusual love story about imperfect, but very deep love. Paul Iverson is grieving deeply for his wife, Lexy, and tells the story of their remarkable relationship while desperately grasping for answers to questions that, in the asking, indicate he may already know some of the answers. Lorelei, the family dog, is the only witness to Lexy's death and the first to painfully alert the world to this tragedy. So begins Paul's quest to find a way to communicate with Lorelei to uncover the events leading up to Lexy's fatal fall. Though some readers may feel this is a bit over the top, animal lovers will feel less so. Paul's observations on how Lorelei does successfully communicate her own grief and needs, sleeping on a sweater with Lexy's scent, patiently waiting some mornings near her studio, will ring true with anyone who has learned to respect the wonder and intelligence of animals. Carolyn Parkhurst weaves together symbolism and language to create a story more complex than it appears on the surface. Paul and Lexy are interesting and multi-faceted characters - their imperfections make them believable and endearing. Paul, a somewhat reserved and thoughtful linguistic professor, has a new world opened to him because of Lexy. He remembers and shares the (almost painfully) beautiful escapades of their courtship and marriage, as well as the troubling conflict of their darkest moments. Lexy, a gifted artist in a unique medium, papier mache masks, has let only the tip of what appears to be a destructive mental torment known to her husband. The Dogs of Babel is a quietly compelling story. There are several disturbing chapters related to animal abuse and cruelty I found difficult to reconcile with the rest of the story, but overall, Lorelei's role in the story is important and respected. The greatness of this novel lies in the beautiful storytelling related to three themes - the animal/human bond, the complexities of grief, and the extraordinary intricacies of unconditional love.
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