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Summary: A clever plot-twisting romp through Victorian mores
Review: and manners. This book is a hybred of sci-fi and sleuthing. I read it slowly savoring it as I would a great bottle of wine. I will read it again and have already sent copies to friends.
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Summary: Relentlessly amusing
Review: I view with suspiscion any book, play, or movie that labels itself "hilarious"; they are often at best only mildly humorous. A mystery fan, I bought this book for the quirky title, not realizing it was categorized as sci-fi, but I was pleased to find that it deals with one of my favorite genres, time travel. The writing is so relentlessly amusing that the humor ceased to have an impact on me after a while, but the story is well plotted, the characters are appealing, and I really loved the dog (to say nothing of the cat).
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Summary: An excellent read.
Review: I didn't think this book was as great as some of the other reviewers, but it is well worth the time and money spent. The characters are a bit 2-dimensional and the plot is occasionally spastic, but getting from here to there is enjoyable and there are a lot of laughs along the way.
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Summary: Transcends genre
Review: Don't be put off by the cover blurbs comparing Willis to Irving or Toole; I would have been, had I not read some of her other books. Willis is a better writer than either--she is not as self-indulgent. I don't know why Willis is not a MAJOR literary star. This book transcends genre, but then, many books do. That alone would not be reason enough to read it; but "To Say Nothing of the Dog" may be her masterpiece (until her next book--I thought that about "Lincoln's Dreams" too). If you appreciate wit, insight, and an affectionately skeptical view of human nature and history, I predict that you will be buying copies of this book for all your friends. I know I have. Did I say it was funny?
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Summary: Something for everyone
Review: Time Travel, humor, mystery, Victorian England, romance, a cat..... to say nothing of the dog..... all rolled up into one book! This book will appeal to different readers all with different interests. It 'really is' one of those books you're sorry to finish reading. You can't wait to get back to it... but feel kindof melancholy because that also means the end to the adventure. Here's hoping the author decides to make a series of this.
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Summary: A fun, glorious book from a unique and creative author
Review: I picked up this book right before getting on a plane, and it kept me laughing in delight through a twelve hour flight. I bought it because I have enjoyed other books by Connie Willis, especially the Doomesday Book, which is linked to this book. The plot was quirky and amusing, the characters were lively, and the writing was inspired. I especially love the treasures of anachronistic expression peppering the dialogue of the book. A great and very fast read - highly recommended. (PS - If you liked this book, make sure to check out Bellweather and Doomesday! They are just as good.)
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Summary: Intelligent, funny and damned clever all at the same time
Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog allegedly is a rethinking of the 1888 vaudevillian-like 'novel' by Jerome K Jerome, Three Men in a Boat. In fact, Connie Willis has combined chaos theory, time travel, Victorian sensibilities (with a Jane Austen type flair)and really funny bits into a plot that would make an engineer proud. This is a terrific book! Our hero is trying to straighten out an historical incongruity which arose through an oversight by a fellow time traveler. The pace begins with a leaisurely, absurd river trip (a la Jerome) but pace and purpose subtly change through the pages to become a scientific thriller, a love story or two, a consideration of chaos theory and history, and ends with a masterful blending of all of the elements into a congruent whole (including one plotline that ends with an appropriate Victorian melodramatic twist). This was my first try at Connie Willis, but I immediately picked up Lincoln's Dreams (which also starts slowly and picks up both emotional and plotting impact through its pages)and Uncharted Territory. Each of the books is very different than the next. If you like an author who is well informed in science, history, is sensitive to character, has her tongue firmly planted in her cheek with wit and grace and best of all can actually write well, I enthusiastically recommend To Say Nothing of the Dog. It may well start you, too, on ferreting out the rest of the books by this writer whose biggest fault is that she is under-prolific.
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Summary: "Witty, Erudite, Thought-provoking and Entertaining"
Review: As someone who is not a fan of science-fiction, I highly recommend this book about time-travel, the space-time continuum, and similar subjects dear to the hearts of science-fiction junkies. An unlikely plot (a 21st Century restoration of Coventry Cathedral) and unlikely protagonists (time-travelling Oxford historians, Victorian bimbos, a bulldog, and a cat named after an Indian queen), but a witty, fast-paced read, and a whole lot of fun.
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Summary: Don't hesitate to buy this book!
Review: I don't read much science-fiction, but this book was so cleverly done, so well thought out and appealingly written that I'm going on to read the rest of Connie Willis's work. If you also are not a sci-fi fan and are not sure if you'll like this book, let me assure you: it's funny, it's smart, the characters are real and the writing is excellent. You'll be sorry when this one's over.
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Summary: A Wonderful Read!
Review: I had to get a copy of "Three Men in a Boat" to do the background work, and it was really worth it! Connie Willis has done a fine job with this. Easy to read, good for the brain, and thoroughly enjoyable. The hunor is charming and the lot superb. Definitely a worthy book!
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