In this memoir, John Grogan shares numerous stories about his beloved dog Marley, an exuberant yellow lab. Readers will travel along with the Grogan family as the ponder the decision of obtaining a puppy, the early days and the innocence of puppy love, and throughout Marley's long and often frustrating life.
Marley was a special dog, with the heart of gold and the innocence of an angel he managed to terrorize many by his pure size and harmless mischief. Marley provides a ray of light when times are hard, and Grogan demonstrates this fact over and over again.
What I Thought:
I read this book in preparation to see the film version of this novel. This book is simply a wonderful, heartwarming, feel good memoir about a family and their beloved dog. I laughed out loud, probably provoking stares of fellow diners at McAlisters as I chuckled at Marley's latest antic. Tears flowed down my face as Grogan describes Marley's last days and the hardships he faced as an elderly dog.
Simply put, it is a not-to-be-missed gem.
Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: Marley & Me by John Grogan.
Marley's story is unique, as Grogan rewrote the story with an edition for every member of the family. Marley & Me was written for adults as he includes many hardships his family faced such as fertility issues, neighborhood happenings (such as a murder in the neighborhood), and other topics that more clearly show Marley's character and devotion to his masters', but may not be so appropriate for kids.
Check out Grogan's novel Marley: A Dog Like No Other for a wonderful version of Marley's story that is kid friendly and includes the same stories of Marley's antics.
(I read this story earlier this year and it is a wonderful book as well. I laughed, I cried...it's just superb and a story that is well suited as a family read aloud.)
For the youngest children, Grogan teamed up with illustrator Richard Cowdrey and released Bad Dog, Marley!, a picture book of some of Marley's antics.
(I've read this book as well and it is a super book for children who love animal stories, or who have a rambunctious dog of their own at their house.)
And finally, if you can't get enough of Marley, check out my review of his Christmas story here.
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