Dogsbody

Rating:
Summary: A perfect book for any age
Review: "Dogsbody" is Dianne Wynne Jones' absolute very best book. I love this book and rank it in the top ten books of all time, along with Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster books, Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising," Shakespeare's complete works (I'm counting that as one book, which indeed it is in my household), and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. "Dogsbody" is not just for children--I have loaned my copy to any number of adults, all of whom say they enjoyed it immensely.

The basic story is about a young Irish girl who is staying with English relatives while her father is in prison. The relatives, especially her aunt, treat her like Cinderella, making her work far too hard for her age, criticizing her constantly, and otherwise making her life hard. Her two cousins, both boys, take their tone from their mother and tease her mercilessly. Her uncle ignores everything.

Into her life comes a wonderful puppy, found by the riverside nearly drowned. The puppy has a deep secret--he is actually a celestial being, Sirius, who has been cast to earth to be born as a dog as punishment for a serious crime.

As the puppy grows up, he must recall his true existence and solve the mystery of who really committed the crime, while contending with the cats (Tibbles and her two sons), the teasing boys, and his young mistress's own problems. If he cannot solve the crime in time, the earth could be destroyed and he could lose his immortality, so it is not a trivial problem.

This book is perfectly written. The author writes deftly, surely, and beautifully, with obvious affection and respect for animals as beings with their own personalities. (My favorites are Sirius and Tibbles.)

Although the story is very interesting and wonderfully told, what makes this book truly shine is how well the author conveys the relationships among the characters. There are parts I read and re-read just because of the emotions they invoke, such as when Sirius licks Tibbles after she is injured in an attack. If you have never read this book, and if you like this kind of fantasy, I urge you to give it a try.

Rating:
Summary: Bring "Dogsbody" back into print!
Review: "Dogsbody" is one of those children's books with real literary merit - my mother stole it out of my bookshelf and read it herself with guilty pleasure. The main characters are complex and never flat, and Wynne Jones conjures up vivid scenes with a few deft strokes of detail. It's one of her best books, and I think it's an incredible shame that young teens in the future won't be able to enjoy it like I did. I'm going to hoard my copy for MY children!

Rating:
Summary: Attention, animal-and-fantesey lovers everywhere!
Review: ...have never heard of Diana Wynne Jones before, but I was in the bookstore and saw this book. It had fantasy and animals, my two favorite things, so I decided to try it. I was amazed. Her descriptions of how the animals think are wonderful, and I couldn't put this book down. The plot is great. You learn about the dog, Sirius', true self as he does. I laughed a lot and even cried a bit. I love the dog's perspective on things. I'm now getting into other books by Diana, but this is by far my favorite. Give it a try. At the least you'll find it amusing.

Rating:
Summary: You have to read this book!
Review: ...have never heard of Diana Wynne Jones before, but I was in the bookstore and saw this book. It had fantasy and animals, my two favorite things, so I decided to try it. I was amazed. Her descriptions of how the animals think are wonderful, and I couldn't put this book down. The plot is great. You learn about the dog, Sirius', true self as he does. I laughed a lot and even cried a bit. I love the dog's perspective on things. I'm now getting into other books by Diana, but this is by far my favorite. Give it a try. At the least you'll find it amusing.

Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Fantasy - With Dogs!
Review: As a fantasy loving child I somehow overlooked Diana Wynne Jones and as an adult and I have been slowly trying to rectify that. I recently read Dogsbody, intrigued because I am interested in astronomy and a dog lover. The story of the dog star, Sirius falsely accused and sent to earth in dog form to try to save himself sounded appealing and on the whole it was an enjoyable story, although I would hesitate to call it a classic.

While the story of an unwanted puppy who is rescued by an equally unwanted little girl could easily have descended into smaltz, Jones, deft writer that she is, manages to sidestep that with a certain matter-of-factness about their shared circumstances. Her characterizations of the inner lives of dogs and cats will ring true with anyone who is an animal lover. Their mannerisms, personalities and cleverness are just what we always suspected in our pets! I also enjoyed the appearance by the Master of the Hunt and his unearthly hounds - a little Celtic mythology to give the story some depth.

On the otherhand, I was also disappointed with the rather weak mystery that drives the plot. Obviously Sirius needs to find the Zoi but I never felt as if Jones did a very good job of describing what it was, or giving a very good idea of its power. The involvement of his companion in his predicament is also not very well explained. We know what her role was, but we never get a sense of why. And while Sirius' quest to find the Zoi is filled with interesting incidents and people, Mrs. Smith for example, as a mystery it just didn't hold up very well. I also wanted to know more about the luminaries and how they came to be but we only get the barest glimpse of their society and powers.

While I personally think that a little more detail and background would have made a better story, maybe Jones, just by coloring in the barest outline and freeing the reader's imagination to fill in the rest achieved exactly the kind of story she thought readers would want. Judging by the enthusiastic reviews posted here a lot of other readers agree. I am happy to be able to recommend it as well to kids and adults alike. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: I want my kids to read this book!!
Review: but it's out of print. If you ever get a chance to buy it, you really should. Diana Wynne Jones is a classic children's author and this book is one of her best. I pretty much agree with all of the other reviews....

Rating:
Summary: An intellectual, creative, and emotional pageturner
Review: Dogsbody a story about Sirius, the star. He is convicted of a crime, and his sentence is to live as a dog until he can find a special implement hidden on earth. Thrilling, suspensful, and interesting this book held my attetion throughout.

Rating:
Summary: Dogsbody
Review: Dogsbody is my new favorite book. It is written in the way only a master author can write. You feel as though you are really on the journey with Sirius, or Leo, to find the lost Zoi.

Rating:
Summary: Dogsbody
Review: Dogsbody is my new favorite book. It is written in the way only a master author can write. You feel as though you are really on the journey with Sirius, or Leo, to find the lost Zoi. Even though the plot may be somewhat 'twisted', you are able to understand exactly what is going on at all times. I was absorbed in the world of dogsbody until I finished the book, and still am. I will definetly read many more of Diana Wynne Jones's books.

Rating:
Summary: Dogsbody Truly a Triumphant Tale
Review: Dogsbody is one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read. I picked up a copy at the library when I was in the 5th grade. I am now 19 years old and each year I am sure to check it out from the library once a year. Whenever I read it, it brigns back all the wonder and amazement that I held when I read it for the first time. Dianne Wynne Jones does a wonderful job in the descriptive sense, especially from a dog's point of view. The plot is well developed and full of excitement... and she mixes in characters of Celtic myth quite well.. all of which makes for an amazing story! Now I just have to find out how to get a copy to keep all for myself..