Rating: 
Summary: Intelligent, Literate, and Funny
Review: The third reading of this book was just as good as the first two. Not being a huge Victoriana fan, I was leery going into this book, but Willis has managed to blend the wit of Austen with top-notch science fiction worthy of the masters. She manages to provide a plausible world, without getting bogged down in the details of how all this stuff is supposed to work.Our Hero, Ned Henry, is shuffled off to the Victorian Age with little more than the 21st-century equivalent of "Teach Yourself" Victorian England, an ill-fitting wardrobe, and the mother of all hangovers. Willis artfully uses Henry's (and our) initial confusion to introduce the reader to not one, but three exactingly (though, in the case of the Blitz, briefly) realized and absorbing eras. Willis has the extraordinary ability to describe a world engrossingly, with a minimum of verbiage, and she uses this ability with rare form in _To Say Nothing of the Dog_. Willis also has an unparalleled gift for characterization, and a wicked wit. Even her annoying characters become (moderately) sympathetic. Her protagonists are breathtakingly nuanced, and again, all is done with a soft touch that is most welcome in a genre better known for its world-building and concept exploration than its characterization. Like many Victorian novels, _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ is essentially a book about trifles, and the inordinate amount of grief and excitement the little things in life can produce. Though there are dire threats, they are muffled by the soft lights of gentility, and the knowledge that the protagonists have little choice other than to muddle through as best they can, and hope they don't destroy the world in the process. This leaves them free to obsess over misplaced kittens, hideous art, and the romantic fortunes of just about everybody but themselves. The entire work is suffused in a gentle humor that cannot help but be infectious. Brava! I heartily recommend this book, to sci-fi fans, and non-fans alike.
Rating:
Summary: ...To Say Nothing of the Great Plot
Review: After reading Doomsday Book, I truly believed that no time travel novel could ever make me happy again. I was wrong, of course. I've read To Say Nothing of the Dog five times and each time is like the first. Brilliant, witty, historically accurate, and quietly speculative, Willis' novel is not only an intriguing theory about historical incongruities, it's a fun ride. Richly populated with elements of the absurb (reminiscent of Jane Austen, in some strange way) as well as romance, this book won't let you put it down. Remember that the amazing thing about Willis is that she writes FICTION about SCIENCE. This is the core of her novels and especially this book. Buy it and realize that this book is a shining example of why we book lovers read!
Rating:
Summary: Delightful. . .
Review: I bought it on a whim - just felt like spending money - and didn't pick it up for six months. Finally, stuck at LAX for four hours waiting for a delayed flight, I picked it up and began to read it, not expecting much. It grabbed me right away and instantly became one of my favorites! I would recommed this book to anyone - whether you like a mystery story, science fiction, comedy, or romance novels - this book has it all! The mystery is such that it keeps you guessing until the end - and i discover something new each time i read it. A really wonderful book!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The Dog is not Doomsday
Review: I made a point of choosing a relaxed, vacation time to pick up "The Dog", having been forewarned that it could be "hard to get into". As an avid reader of not just Science Fiction, but also historical fiction, classic literature and turn of the century tomes, I was looking forward to proving how much better than average I would be at appreciating the nuances of Willis' much-acclaimed work. To be precise, it took until page 56 to begin to shake that feeling of: "Should have checked this one out of the library, not purchased it!". Unfortunately, while fast-flipping by the final 50 pages, that buyer's remorse returned. For those who read Doomsday, and wished it wouldn't end quite so soon, be forewarned: This is no Doomsday. Willis is not as adept at carrying "light hearted humour" as the other reviews imply, in my opinion. What is lost, are characters with the kind of depth and development that Willis has shown masterfully in even her short stories. 400+ pages worth of Victorian-style slapstick is a challenge, indeed, and it is because Willis can do so much better that I rated this book so low. Imagine the Three Stooges blended with Bridges of Madison County, into a 3.50 hour movie, and you have "The Dog". Finally, if time travel as a quasi-science fiction subject is of interest, there is, in fact, more conceptual material here than I had expected. It by no means carries the book. If you like Willis, like the sound of the positive reviews, by all means read the book. Try to borrow it.
Rating:
Summary: Broadened the interests of this sci-fi fan
Review: This was my first Connie Willis novel. I picked it up hoping for a time-travel story, but it turned out to be much more than that. It is also a mystery, a comedy, and a romance. I found this to be a completely delightful book from the first page to the last. The characters are likeable, the story is solid, and the style is engaging and fun. Science fiction fans like myself should enjoy the time-travel elements of the plot, and Willis' elegant treatment of chaos theory. She brings off the science simply and believably without a lot of techy jargon (after all, the time-travellers are historians not scientists.) She also manages suspense without violence, romance without explicit sex, and comedy without slapstick. I am now reading some of the mystery novels that Willis' literate characters refer to throughout this story, including Dorothy Sayers' "Lord Peter Wimsey" mysteries, Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone", and Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat". And, of course, everything else Connie Willis wrote is now on my wish list!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: This book is a very good book. The characters are well done, the humor is subtle, and the ending is perfect. This book is definatly one of my all time favorite books. If only Connie Willis would write more light-hearted books such as this... There are a few slow areas in the beggining of the book, but once you get into it this book is well worth reading. If you enjoy light romantic comedies then this book is for you. If not, read it anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best novel I've ever read
Review: Connie Willis is a master of prose. With this book she takes her abilities to a completely new level. My favorite thing about the book is that it is not too science fictiony. Anyone who liked Doomsday book will love To Say noting of the dog. Anyone that liked Three men in a boat will also love this book. My recomendation is BUY THIS BOOK!!!
Rating:
Summary: Willis Still Amazes!
Review: I recently read "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and, coming from a recent reading of the "Doomsday Book" was very pleased that Connie Willis (no relation, that I know of) still amazes me with her feel for character, comedy, tragedy, and history all rolled into one fun package. What could have been just an interesting recitation of Victoriana and Blitz details is instead turned into a cheek-in-tongue comedy with hints of Conan Doyle's spiritualist "manifestations," "Charley's Aunt" and, of course, Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat." My only regret is that having read this book, I will probably keep rereading it until Ms. Willis produces something to equal it!
Rating: 
Summary: I hate it. Well, I will read some more. Can't Stop
Review: I read this book after reading reviews of it on amazon.com, and having seen it referred to in reviews of other books I had liked. At first, I could not stand the writing style. It just dumps the story and characters into your lap. That is not to say it involves you in the story right off. It takes awhile for you to see any semblance of plot. In the first few chapters there are no less than two people whom you hope are killed in gruesome manners, and the sooner the better. But I kept reading. I still did not particularly like the book, but I had read enough to understand the plot (or so I thought) and I needed to have some answers before I could stop reading and start a new book. I was well into the last third of the book before I realized that I cared about the characters and their fates as much as I needed answers to the questions of the plot. Some people have said this book is a comedy. It is light-hearted, and has some good situational comedy that, if you were watching it as a TV show, would probably make you laugh very hard; However, even though I could see the humor, for me it only pushed the plot ahead faster. I doubt any of you have read my other reviews, but I do not go into characters, or the plot, and I will not here. But, I will tell you that if you dislike this book to begin with, just keep reading and you will be suprised. In addition, for those people who say the book is inaccurate at times, I did notice some inaccuracies, but it is fiction. Get over it.
Rating:
Summary: What an imagination....
Review: ...this woman has! Take a little time-travel, a little futuristic science, a touch of romance and a flair for comedy, and you might end up writing something as witty and entertaining as To Say Nothing of the Dog. But then again--maybe not. Because you would have to blend all those ingredients in just the right mixture. That's no small feat, and Willis does it perfectly. This book isn't at *all* like Mervyn's Peake's Gormenghast trilogy, yet the imagination behind TSNOTD reminds me a bit of Peake if that makes sense. In a world of derivatives, To Say Nothing of the Dog is unique. Don't pass this one up! And while you're at it, try Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. You'll be laughing out loud at that one, too.
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