Izzy and Lenore

By: Jon Katz

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Jon Katz is the New York Times best-selling author of numerous nonfiction tales of man's best friend. Here he presents the story of two dogs that profoundly affected his life and work. Skittish border collie Izzy pushes him into rewarding work with Hospice. And black lab Lenore's gentle spirit helps remind him why he wanted to work with animals in the first place.

©2008 Jon Katz (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Another Interesting Jon Katz Story--

I have listened to several books by Jon Katz--they have all been different, and very interesting.

This story is mainly about Izzy, the author's border collie. It contains some very touching stories (and yes, sad) about Jon and Izzy's work with the Hospice organization. It is truly amazing how much joy animals can bring to people, even in short visits.

If you like books about animals, you will enjoy Izzy and Lenore. I certainly did, and I will continue to look for books by Jon Katz.

A moving gentle story..

What did you love best about Izzy and Lenore?

Knowing that they are real.

What other book might you compare Izzy and Lenore to and why?

I'm not sure haven't read many books like this one.

What about Tom Stechschulte’s performance did you like?

All of it - he is/was beautifully suited to narrate this.

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

If I had not been driving 99% of the time I was listening, then no. I would have finished though.

Any additional comments?

Why is there not a picture of Izzy on the cover, seems he did far more for others than Lenore did in her six months of existence during this book. ( not a spoiler, neither died in this book)

Another Great Jon Katz book!

"Izzy and Lenore" is another great, fun book about Katz's dogs. The book left me convinced again that the benefit of having a dog in your life is an indescribable pleasure, and for both dog and owner, an opportunity to grow and learn.

Katz writes about his dogs without making them saints or nightmares. He has a very honest appreciation for the relationship between dogs and owners, and the parts both play in that pairing.

Katz's books about dogs can't appear often enough for me. First captivated by Orson, the wonderful/devildog border collie that Katz owned and trained, "My First Dog" was a lovely tribute to a dog that was a handful!

A must-read for dog owners!

Beautifully touching story

Beautiful, touching story about life and death through the eyes of a writer and his dogs. Loved this book and all the life stories it told the listener. Not too sad although did bring tears to my eyes a couple of times. Mostly just plain good stuff. People helping people, loving animals, and finding healing along the way. Definitely recommend.

The narration was decent enough. Voice was a little gruff but seemed fitting. I did not like the production. At chapter ending there was barely a pause before next chapter announced and reading began. There was also one chapter in the book, about halfway that it literally sped up. It was fast for the entire chapter and then the pace resumed as it had been. Quite odd. Thought it was my player but the settings were exactly as they were.

Mench

Would you consider the audio edition of Izzy and Lenore to be better than the print version?

no they are about the same

What did you like best about this story?

I love that Jon puts his heart in his stories.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Laughter through the tears.

Any additional comments?

Jon comes alive in his stories, I feel like I know him and the transformation of his life.

Favorite Audiobook

What did you love best about Izzy and Lenore?
The intertwining story. The author's ability to step outside of himself and be critical of himself. The dogs make the story. Love the narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Izzy and Lenore?
I don't want to spoil the books with specifics. The narrator, Tom is the key to the success of this book for me. He vividly brings the "characters" and the author to life. He is the voice of Jon Katz for me.

Which scene was your favorite?
No spoilers!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed and cried. Izzy's hospice work is especially touching and the stories about the lives she impacted will warm you.

Izzy & Lenore

This was the best downloaded book so far!! As an RN, I've encountered some of these same situations & wish I had Izzy by my side! It was written & narrated so well that I could lose myself in it! I would love more like this!

Animals are Pure Love

Jon Katz had finally realized his dream and was living on a farm. His wife and daughter would visit as often as possible. Jon talked to his wife frequently. Jon's wife wanted to stay in NYC to work but was not quite ready to leave everything behind and live full time on a farm.

Jon had Rosie, a border collie, living with him when he was contacted by a friend who wanted him to come and see Izzy, also a border collie, who had been abandoned. Jon finally agreed but what he found was one filthy dog who couldn't stop running up and down a wire fence. As Jon was wont to do, he agreed to take Izzy home, clean him up and find him a home.

Jon didn't give Izzy away. He saw something in Izzy, what that something was, Jon was not sure. Jon put a lot of time into getting Izzy trained how he wanted him to be trained. He succeeded and Izzy was a great dog. Rosie herded the sheep on the farm and was always alert and she slept beside Jon's bed and Izzy slept under Jon's bed.

Jon needed something to keep him busy but he needed that something to be useful. He thought it through and decided he wanted to work with hospice. Jon took Izzy with him when he went to fill out the paperwork. Izzy laid beside him and stayed that way until Jon was finished filling out the mound of paperwork needed to become a volunteer for hospice.

There was a 6 week workshop, twice weekly, to be completed, to work with hospice patients. Again, Jon took Izzy along and he did as before. People would stop and interact with Izzy and he rather enjoyed the attention.They would leave and Izzy would lie back down.

Jon had been right when he knew that Izzy had something. Izzy loved people and when interacting with them he instinctively knew what boundaries were needed for the individual person. Jon would be taking Izzy along when he went out to make a hospice visit.

As I've noted, Jon loved dogs. A friend called and told Jon that his Labrador Retriever had just had a litter six weeks ago and if he wanted to see them, he was welcome to visit. Jon took Izzy along as was usual. Rosie was too worried about her sheep and wanted to stay at the farm, just in case she was needed. Rosie had no desire to take a ride. That's an aside, letting the reader know that Rosie had not been overlooked by Jon.

Jon reiterated again and again that he didn't want a puppy to his friend. However, Jon returned 2 weeks later and took Lenore home. From the moment she put her paws in the front door, Jon again understood that there would be an important reason for having brought Lenore home. Lenore slept IN Jon's bed.

The narrator was great. He used the voice needed for happiness, sadness and the other emotions that were expressed in this true story. The length of the book was short and I took two days to finish. I wanted the story to continue but....... The story was written with a distinct plot and was followed through to the end. Just why did Jon need dogs, sheep, a bull, cats and other animals? He definitely had lots of animals but Jon loved them all. He even knew their favorite treat because of course, each was different. I hope that this review has made you want to purchase this true story.

wonderful,book and story às all of Jon 's are

Great read. Be sure to read them all. Narrator is fabulous as well. Everyone became friends, sign of a good book.

Jon Katz Gets Serious

I've read numerous books by Jon Katz and enjoyed every one of them. This is my first one on audio. It had been sitting in my Library for a while, and I was in no hurry to listen to it as I thought it would be somewhat similar to the others I had already read.

I was very surprised when I started listening to it yesterday. Where was the humorous Jon Katz I had come to expect? What happened? Was it the narrator's fault?

As I continued to listen, I realized that the author had written a very different type of book. His disclaimer that no dogs died in the book, while initially making me feel a sense of relief, was a bit misleading, but only a bit. The author focused on two dogs, Izzy and Lenore, as you can tell from the title. He also spoke very candidly of his being swamped by depression and how these exceptional dogs had helped him overcome it.

A major part of the book is Katz' decision to volunteer for hospice. This endeavor was a large part of the story, along with Izzy's phenomenal success as a hospice dog who accompanied Katz on his visits. Izzy seemed to have an innate skill and ability in dealing with dying people. These vignettes of the visits to hospice patients were wonderful and heart-rending. You will need several tissues, but please don't let that dissuade you from listening to this book. It is very uplifting, too. And then there is his lab puppy, Lenore! Just listening to her description made me ache for a puppy.

I applaud the author for being so open and honest about his life. I applaud him for being the dog lover and animal lover that he is. This book was very moving for me. The next time I have a Jon Katz book in my Library, it won't be sitting there very long! Highly recommended book (with a great narration, too!)