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

Started Early, Could Not Stop Listening!

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Jackson Brody, Tracy Waterhouse, Courtney, Tilly and many more characters with depth and charm.
I will be a Jackson Brody fan from now on and am thrilled to know he lived before this book!

Surprising and sad

I needed to read most of the way before making any conclusions. Wonderful writing and a great story. Read it yourself.

wonderful!

Where does Started Early, Took My Dog rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

great narration, very good story, A mystery with many layers.....I would definitely suggest this book

Great series.

I stumbled upon this series and I'm so glad I did. It is extremely intense. The characters are rich and vibrant and the narrator does an excellent job bringing them to life.
Get this series. You won't regret it.

Quite dark and depressing.

For me it is much more difficult to follow a story in Audible than a traditional book or an ebook. Multiple characters which I found harder than usual to differentiate and understand. Not as much focus on Jackson Brodie’s character, which was disappointing and made the book less enjoyable for me.

the characters

Another great story with Jackfson Brody, characters you care about and the perfect reader. Worth your time and credit. Thank you, Kate Atkinson.

Such a complex plot

Wow! I was not expecting this. I thought this would be a cute little mystery. It turned out to be a complex book with a terrific plot and clever characters. The narrator is perfect for the book. I had to listen to it twice just so I could see how Kate Atkinson had pulled it off. Excellent use of a credit for me. Remarkably entertaining.

Complex and entertaining

I had a bit of trouble getting things straight at the beginning of this novel, but as the story progressed I couldn't stop listening (got a lot of dishes washed!). The narrator was fabulous - with subtle character differences and a dry tone that had me laugh out loud in places. I found the characters believable and -not appealing, really, but I could like them and have compassion for them. The little girl was worth the price of the book. A crazy scene at the climax of the plot, with enough denouement to give a good sense of closure. I bought it for the title, but will go back and listen again for the quality. Looking forward to "reading" more of Atkinson's work.

Not what I expected

I hadn't read any of Kate Atkinson's books before but I liked this title and the description sounded interesting. I wouldn't have downloaded this book if I'd realized it was part of a series. The book was a lot darker than I thought it would be. Most of the characters I had to work at liking, they were pretty jaded with life. However, the writing was good and the reader was fine. I liked it enough to download the first novel containing these characters, hoping to understand how they got to where they were emotionally in this book.

loved this book

Besides hating the fowl language, I loved this book! Out of all the books I have read over the years, this is the first time I've reviewed any of them! This was tragic, yes, and heart rending, yes, but I found myself laughing as much as crying because it was too sooooory funny! The narrator reading the story had a perfect voice for this. And I would find myself more times laughing at the dry humor than not! Just loved it