Started Early, Took My Dog

A Novel

De: Kate Atkinson

Narrado por: Graeme Malcolm

Tracy Waterhouse leads a quiet, ordered life as a retired police detective -- a life that takes a surprising turn when she encounters Kelly Cross, a habitual offender, dragging a young child through town. Both appear miserable and better off without each other -- or so decides Tracy, in a snap decision that surprises herself as much as Kelly. Suddenly burdened with a small child, Tracy soon learns her parental inexperience is actually the least of her problems, as much larger ones loom for her and her young charge.

Meanwhile, Jackson Brodie, the beloved detective of novels such as Case Histories, is embarking on a different sort of rescue: that of an abused dog. Dog in tow, Jackson is about to learn, along with Tracy, that no good deed goes unpunished.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Brilliant...Atkinson seamlessly weaves together [strands] in a plot driven by coincidence and a diamond-hard recognition of man's darker nature...[Tracy's] odyssey as a new parent to a waif dressed in a ragged fairy costume, relayed with both tenderness and wry wit, must be one of the grandest love affairs in crime fiction...For its singular melding of radiant humor and dark deeds, this is must-reading for literary crime-fiction fans."—Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist, starred review

"The sleuthing is less important than Atkinson's fascinating take on the philosophical and emotional dimensions of her characters' lives."—Kirkus

"[The Jackson Brodie books] are an entrancing hybrid of the literary novel/detective story. Case Histories...is a classic....Atkinson's views of contemporary society can be bleak, but she has an amazing eye for kids, dogs and human fallibility." —Mary Ann Gwinn, The Seattle Times

"Magnificently plotted...In the author's signature multilayered style, she shifts between past and present...Atkinson injects wit even in the bleakest moments...yet never loses her razor-sharp edge."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"I can't take my nose out of Kate Atkinson's new thriller, Started Early, Took My Dog."—Alex Beam, The Boston Globe

"Mixing wry wit and gritty realism, Atkinson deftly smudges the border between literary and detective fiction-with complex, compelling characters negotiating a maze of grisly violence, dark secrets, and shadowy dangers."—Karen Holt, O, The Oprah Magazine

"Wonderful...full of artful digressions and unexpected turns, but it amply makes good on its obligations as a mystery novel to explain the who, what and why." —Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

"Mold-breaking...Each one of these [Jackson Brodie] books, including this latest, is a delight: an intricate construction that assembles itself before the reader's eyes, populated by idiosyncratic, multidimensional characters and written with shrewd, mordant grace. They are in some respects mystery novels, but they're written with a literary skill uncommon in that genre, and in a mode -- the tragicomic -- that few but the most adept novelists can pull off in any genre."—Laura Miller, Salon

Ms. Atkinson writes passages that simply have to be read twice, once when you first travel through the book and then later, when you want to see just how she tricked you...Ms. Atkinson remains a wonderful stylist and Grade A schemer...She was never confined to the crime genre, has written in assorted other modes and excels at them all. Whatever she goes on to write, she leaves Jackson Brodie at a suspenseful and pivotal moment. Future installments are well worth waiting for." —Janet Maslin, New York Times

The tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive:0)

I love Jackson Brody and all Kate Atkins novels, with thier myriad of characters. However, many times it is a struggle to get into the novel and remember all the characters; but they alway come together in the end.

weirdly wonderful

Odd, disjointed, wordy, wonderful characters & language, beautifully narrated: would listen to anything else by this writer.

Enjoyable listen. Stands up to a second 'reading'

An interesting tale, well told. It is part mystery, part romance in the classical sense, part sheer entertainment. Note that it is part of a continuing series by Kate Atkinson. Something I wished I knew before starting this one.

A lot to follow but worth it.

This was my go to book when I was grooming my dogs. I actually got excited to do the dogs because I got to listen to the story! Sad to have it end.

Great depth, but somewhat confusing

I am a great fan of Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels, but that said, they are always a bit confusing, this one especially as it swings rapidly between time periods and different characters’ points of view. Perhaps in written form it would be easier to follow. Also, even though each stands alone, it definitely helps to read the series in order as Jackson has quite a backstory and other characters often show up in later books. The strangest part of this one is that Jackson has mental conversations with ex-girlfriend Julia and ex-wife Josie during the course of the book, and one is never sure whether they are remembered or imagined, along with innumerable literary references. It does make for a rich tapestry, which is part of what I love about Atkinson’s writing, but be prepared for balancing upon shifting tectonic plates.

Finally, there are always unanswered questions and characters whose stories are bound to surface in future volumes.

Atkinson’s language is richly layered. Her character development makes you realize this is a totally inhabited world, imagined fully in the author’s mind - almost Tolkienian in depth. There is an over-reliance on coincidences, characters who just happen to be in the same place at the same time and whose threads become conveniently wound together, but that seems to be a general fault of the modern novel. Perhaps less Tolkienian and more Dickensian.