A Big Little Life

A Memoir of a Joyful Dog Named Trixie

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Dean Koontz

Length: 4 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In a profound, funny, and beautifully rendered portrait of a beloved companion, best-selling novelist Dean Koontz remembers the golden retriever who changed his life. A retired service dog, Trixie was three when Dean and his wife, Gerda, welcomed her into their home. She was superbly trained, but her greatest gifts couldn’t be taught: her keen intelligence, her innate joy, and an uncanny knack for living in the moment. Whether chasing a tennis ball or protecting those she loved, Trixie gave all she had to everything she did, inspiring Dean and Gerda to trust their instincts and recapture a sense of wonder that will remain with them always. Trixie lived fewer than 12 years; in this wide world, she was a little thing. But in every way that mattered, she lived a big life.

©2011 Dean Koontz (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A humorous, poignant portrait of [a] remarkable dog.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

“One dog book that everyone... will deeply enjoy.” ( Booklist)

“A delightful read... an unusually effective brief for the joy that dogs bring us.” ( The American Spectator)

Fabulous love letter to his dog.

What did you love best about A Big Little Life?

The author's love for his dog was palpable. I felt like I knew them both. A charming, charming story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This is the third time I've read or listened to this book. I give it to all my friends who love dogs.

Deeper than expected!

I was surprised and pleased by this story. I may never read Koonz’ suspense novels but I have come to thoroughly enjoy his perspective and beautiful writing of his beloved Golden Retriever Trixie. This is a book I will recommend to other dog lovers.

Beautiful!

Beautiful! The book brought me to tears and brought on deep thinking on the profound impact dogs have on us.

A definite read over again

I love this book. Not only have I read it more than once, but it introduced me to Dean Koontz. He is now one of my favorite authors.

I love Dean Koontz even more.

What an honor to know the great writer on a deeper more personal level. He had a beautiful heart and I so enjoy his spiritual perspective and humor. His relationship with His lovely wife is also very endearing. This is and his other books have inspired me to adopt an English Cream Retriever. Trixie is still changing lives!

An Unapologetic Anthropomorphizer

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would highly recommend it to all my dog-lover friends. It's definitely a book for those of us who know that our dogs are the only perfect kids we'll have.

Have you listened to any of Dean Koontz’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other books which Dean Koontz has read himself. Generally, I am disappointed in books read by the authors (with the bright exception of Alice Walker reading Possessing the Secret of Joy, which Audible really ought to offer, but I digress). I was not disappointed in this. Not only is Mr. Koontz obviously brilliant, but this was really a singularly personal book and hearing him read it made it even more sincere and touching.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really. I wanted to savor it more than that. It was so rich that I loved listening to it on my commutes a chapter at a time. I rewound it frequently to make it last.

Beautiful

This book has a great sense of humor that anyone can relate to even if you don’t have a dog. ;)

Loving dogs

Dean Kootnz captured the love we have for dogs…I personally can’t live without a dog. I feel them to the point of wondering if I was once a dog…well done!

A very good read

What can you say about a dog book? Especially if it is non-fiction but has all the elements of a good novel? I really enjoyed this book and getting to know Trixie. My only drawback is that maybe the Koontzes have gone a big too far, authoring books "by Trixie" and all that. Also, one statement that got to me was their asserting that no human child was loved more than they loved their dog. Now granted they never had children of their own so don't really have anything to compare it to, but that is a statement that is over the top. I have had children I love and I have had dogs that I love. If I had to make a choice, there would be no choice. Dogs can be trained to be much better behaved!

Haha jk. As much as I have loved some pets, it comes nowhere close to the love of a parent for a child. But on the other hand, sometimes I think my dog Harley is my only friend. His loyalty to me is mind-boggling, and I am grateful to have him as a companion through thick and thin right now. It is always "thick" for the dog, even though I want to kick his little hairy fanny sometimes. If you are really a dog lover, look up a youtube video called "God and Dog" by Wendy J. Francisco. It sums up the human/canine relationship pretty well, and I always get choked up when I see it.

Koontz reads his memoir himself, and does a great job of it.

Allowing my grief an audience

2 months ago my 10 year old Rotti mix Cyprus past. Towards the end of his life he had battled bladder cancer which he succumb to 12 days after his 10th birthday. So many of the memories were so relatable to events that happened in Cyprus’ life. I was swept away with emotions by the way Dean Koontz was able to articulate his love and amazement toward Trixie and Trixie’s un dying wonder was Magical and brought me back into the mind space of my own beloved son, Cyprus. RIP 09JUN 2008- 21 JUN 2018
I would recommend this book to anyone who has lost there beloved dogchild or to anyone who doesn’t understand why some people are so in love with there dogs