The Dogs of Babel

By: Carolyn Parkhurst

Narrated by: Erik Singer

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

When his wife dies in a fall from a tree in their backyard, linguist Paul Iverson is wild with despair. In the days that follow, Paul becomes certain that Lexy's death was no accident. Strange clues have been left behind: unique, personal messages that only she could have left and that he is determined to decipher.

So begins Paul's fantastic and even perilous search for the truth, as he abandons his everyday life to embark on a series of experiments designed to teach his dog Lorelei to communicate. Is this the project of a madman? Or does Lorelei really have something to tell him about the last afternoon of a woman he only thought he knew?

At the same time, Paul obsessively recalls the early days of his love for Lexy and the ups and downs of life with the brilliant, sometimes unsettling woman who became his wife.

©2003 Carolyn Parkhurst (P)2003 Time Warner AudioBooks, A division of the AOL Time Warner Book Group.

Critic reviews

"A wonderfully original and richly imaginative novel." (Kermit Moyer, author of Tumbling)
"The brilliance...lies in the subtle buildup of emotion...and how powerfully that emotional wave hits...An unforgettable debut." (Booklist)

Like a slow motion train wreck

This book was a real "page turner". I honestly had trouble turning my audible player off. The narration was excellent; haunting and pensive, sad and gripping. Great storytelling. Definately recommended.

A story of grief

The narration was superb! I thought the story to be an incredible journey through one man's grief. Even the unbelievable and macabre middle sections worked because the protagonist kept questioning the sanity of it all. Shame on the reviewer who gives away essential ending elements!!!

Mixed feelings

I both loved and hated this book. The writing and narration are both superb, and the plot, overall, is compelling. I agree with the reader below, who feels that some events in the second half can stretch patience and credibility. And, by the time we get to the ending, it seems a little rushed and pat. Also, I'm with the dog lover below who found some scenes to be almost unbearably painful. But, all in all, I guess I recommend it. . .it does provide some fascinating observations of psychological dynamics, and it is compelling enough to keep one listening, even if with a bit of frustration at times. (How's that for a mixed feelings review. . .?)

Back-story excellent, present story mediocre

The format of this story involves a lot of flashbacks to the main character's past with his wife with splashes of the present thrown in to advance the storyline.

Unfortunately, the actual storyline is not that interesting and I found myself growing anxious waiting to get back to the flashbacks. The flashbacks are wonderful. They are well written and well executed by the narrator.

Just for the flashbacks/backstory, it's well worth listening to.

Animal precinct meets time traveler’s wife

I think the people who gave this book critical acclaim didn’t finish the book. There were chapters I wanted to end, to put me and the characters out of their misery. Good beginning, satisfactory ending. Could have skipped a couple of unbelievable and unforgettable chapters in the middle.

GREAT!

I only downloaded this book two days ago and found that from the moment I started it, I was unable to do anything else BUT listen. It was very easy to follow and the author did a wonderful job of drawing you into this widowers life. I felt that the narrator was easy to listen to and made the various characters very real. I could relate to Paul despite the fact that I have never lost a loved one. I loved the way you "discovered" Lexi through the eyes of Paul. A very good story!

Almost excellent.

A very good idea. His wife commits suicide, why?
On the face of it they were very happy. The only witness was the dog. If he can teach the dog to speak, then he can find the answers he deperatly needs.
At times a deeply compelling narrative although flawed.

Good reader, so-so novel

The narration for this novel is excellent but the story itself is less successful. Although the book starts out beautifully written and with great insight into character, the plot goes awry and becomes unbelievable. The twists of the plot began to make me frustrated as the author forced well-drawn characters to do stupid things whose motivation is in no way accounted for by the story. If the narrator had not been so great, I would never have been able to finish the book--I wanted to stop listening after a while, but because it was still on my iPod I ended up finishing it while captive on an exercising machine. But I cannot recommend the second half of the book, though the first half was very promising. Again, the narrator was great.

Absolute joy and sadness

The narration was exquisite. This has been my favorite book for more than a decade and I have only just stumbled upon the audible version. The countless times I have read the physical book don’t compare to the way it can be absorbed in this capacity. Beautiful story, beautifully spoken. Bravo!

Emotionally Harrowing

This book needs to have trigger warnings all over it.

If you are sensitive to animal cruelty, you might be sickened by the description in the novel. This is not a heartwarming dog story.

If you have bipolar disorder or live with someone who does, you might find these characters bringing back lots of memories from your own life.

I have insomnia for the second night in a row after finishing The Dogs of Babel two days ago. What is running through my head, is the descriptions of the terrible fights Lexy and Paul had, and how a marriage counselor could have helped them so much! They did love each other and yet had no skills about non-violent communication or conflict resolution. They grow more and more heated until things get smashed and neither has the insight to deescalate and say “ok, let’s take separate walks to cool off, and pause this argument, calm down and eat and breathe and sleep, and revist this topic in 24 hours when our adrenaline isn’t pumping full force.”

I could definitely relate to Lexy’s sudden boiling rage, and techniques I learned in therapy and medication helps me a lot to control my strong emotions! It was very frustrating for me to see no attempt at treatment on either Lexy or Paul’s part. Both of them have a house full of books and are reading constantly. I wish they had been reading self help books.

Additionally, the animal cruelty bothered me.

Any book that is so well written as to have me worried about the characters for days, as if they were people I know (because they are so realistic that they remind me of people I know) gets 4 stars from me.