Flush: A Biography (A Harvest Book ; Hb 348)

Rating:
Summary: Woolf unchained
Review: Consciously imitating Jane Austen in the opening paragraphs, Virginia Woolf exercises more self-control in this novel than in any other and the result is prose which is less self-indulgent, more lucid, less experimental, more precise if less adventurous than you might expect of this author. The given facts exert a narrative discipline and perhaps Woolf intended it as a book for children. Whatever, it is the product of a gifted writer not straining for effect, a model for young writers to imitate: not the final word on an animal's sensibility and the narrative excitement comes mostly from the Barret-Browning storyline: but an easy, enjoyable, well-crafted read.

Rating:
Summary: "You see this dog..." elizabeth barrett browning
Review: I bought and read Flush with some scepticism. While I can't praise Virginia Woolf enough, I tend to shy away from animal stories. Flush, however, is the exception to the rule. My scepticism soon dissipated and I was thrown into a world more human than most written worlds. Flush is among the most sympathetic and beautiful character sketches I have ever come across. This is a very different book for Woolf and I couldn't be more glad that she took the chance to write something that seems so trivial. There is feeling of release in the way it is written, but it is not flippant. Rather, it makes the character of Flush that much more accessible to the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Voginia Woolf's masterpeice!
Review: I LOVED this book. It was recommended to me by my best friend after she read it, and, believe me, it was worth it.I had a lot of trouble finding the book, but that was OK. It was a fantastic storey, and I really thought that some of the paragraphs were beautifully written. I also have a red cocker spaniel, just like the one on the cover of the Penguins Classics series cover, and I found myself looking at my dog to see if the descriptions and facts given were right. They were. What was the most remarkable thing was that this book was written based on a poem of Flush. ~Gina~

Rating:
Summary: Voginia Woolf's masterpeice!
Review: I LOVED this book. It was recommended to me by my best friend after she read it, and, believe me, it was worth it.I had a lot of trouble finding the book, but that was OK. It was a fantastic storey, and I really thought that some of the paragraphs were beautifully written. I also have a red cocker spaniel, just like the one on the cover of the Penguins Classics series cover, and I found myself looking at my dog to see if the descriptions and facts given were right. They were. What was the most remarkable thing was that this book was written based on a poem of Flush. ~Gina~

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story.
Review: One of my very favorite reads this year. This is a biography of sorts - and a fiction of sorts. It's the story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's cocker spanial Flush. An absolute charmer. This is one of those volumes that can truly be read in a single setting - it is possessed of a free flowing lyric quality often absent in this writer's more cerebral fictions. Still, this isn't a slight piece by any means, but a richly detailed work of the imagination by one of the great literary minds of the past century. This is the kind of book you'll want to recommend to all your friends.

Rating:
Summary: Well written book about Elizabeth Barrett's dog
Review: The book "Flush" by Virginia Woolf was cleverly written from the perspective of a dog and was somewhat engaging. Woolf managed to really capture the personality of "Flush," Elizabeth Barrett's human-like cocker spaniel, from the moment of his birth to his long-expected death. Although this book will probably not dive deeply into your emotional core, it is an entertaining bit for those long, carefree summer hours when your brow is tired from being furrowed in confusion.

Rating:
Summary: "You see this dog..." elizabeth barrett browning
Review: Upfront I have to confess we share our lives with two English Cocker Spaniels, and this in turn gives some insight into the minds of these dogs. Flush is very much the happy cocker spaniel and Virginia Woolf captures his character superbly. Virginia's portrayal of Flush shows a significant understanding of these dear animals (she did have one herself). This biography of Flush is very much an insight into the Cocker's mind. The primeval alusion to "span" is intriguing, if possibly mythical, but it gives a great depth of history to our cockers. This book is light hearted and avoids the heavy cloud of despair usually portrayed in the Barretts of Wimpole Street, although that is the setting of the first part of the book. Flush's last moment did bring a tear to my eye, but he was a lucky and well cared for dog. Although I purchased the paperback here at Amazon, I managed to find a first edition at a second hand book shop and I bought this without hesitation.