Good Dog. Stay.

By: Anna Quindlen

Narrated by: Anna Quindlen

Length: 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

"The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed."

So writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen about her beloved black Labrador retriever, Beau. With her trademark wisdom and humor, Quindlen reflects on how her life has unfolded in tandem with Beau's, and on the lessons she's learned by watching him: to roll with the punches, to take things as they come, to measure herself not in terms of the past or the future but of the present, to raise her nose in the air from time to time and, at least metaphorically, to holler, "I smell bacon!"

Of the dog that once possessed a catcher's mitt of a mouth, Quindlen reminisces, "There came a time when a scrap thrown in his direction usually bounced unseen off his head. Yet put a pork roast in the oven, and the guy still breathed as audibly as an obscene caller. The eyes and ears may have gone, but the nose was eternal. And the tail. The tail still wagged, albeit at half-staff. When it stops, I thought more than once, then we'll know."

Heartening and bittersweet, Good Dog. Stay. honors the life of a cherished and loyal friend and offers us a valuable lesson about our four-legged family members: Sometimes an old dog can teach us new tricks.

©2007 Anna Quindlen (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc.

Not long enough to be worth the $9 I paid

What disappointed you about Good Dog. Stay.?

It was too short and it didn't say anything new about dog ownership or the joys of dogs or the saddness of losing them. I might have felt better about it if I hadn't paid $9 for it having used all of my credits -- though I would have been annoyed to spend a credit on it too. It just wasn't long enough to be worth that much money!! I also didn't really like the author/narrator's speaking voice. It was okay. I wish I had noticed how short this was before purchasing it.

Would you ever listen to anything by Anna Quindlen again?

Certainly -- though not read by Anna herself. I loved her book "Still Life with Breadcrumbs".

Any additional comments?

Lower the price for this!

this is not a book!

Any additional comments?

To be honest I should have paid more attention when I purchased this book but I'm such a Quindlen fan and I was in a huge hurry so I saw it, clicked and off I went! I was SHOCKED when 45 minutes into my trip the book is OVER!! I just finished a book that went on for 11 glorious hours and cost exactly the same. Something isn't quite fair. It was a delightful essay but should not have cost me so much!!!

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

All dog lovers and owners need this book

This book truly touched my heart and soul. I have been a dog owner for over 50 years now, and thought I knew it all...until I listened to this book that is. I found out why my dogs have acted the way they have over the years. I look back and had I known about some of the canine behaviors talked about in this book, I am certain my pets and I would have been so much better off. Who knew? You will too once you listen to this book. It is amazing!