Customer Reviews

To Absent Friends: A Collection of Stories of the Dogs We Miss

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, it's THAT Jameson Parker, the blond brother from TV's "Simon and Simon" PI show. He left show biz to become a writer, and is apparently doing a darn good job.

This is a collection of stories, essays, and poems about dealing with the grief of losing a beloved dog. Included are familiar names - like James Herriott, John Updike, and James Thurber - from familiar books, and unfamiliar pieces, originally published in newspapers and foreign books. Parker himself even has a short piece, a very touching one on the pet-owner's most difficult decision: euthanasia.

Let me warn you, you probably won't be able to read more than one or two of these pieces at a time. I found myself in tears, time after time. But the writing is good, and not all of the stories are complete tearjerkers.

Those of us who have ever loved a dog will be deeply moved by this collection of stories. The authors range from dog trainers to owners of a beloved household pet, but each writer captured something of the gift dogs give their human companions. My only complaint with the book was with the occasional typographical errors that the publisher should have caught. The book was most impressive in every other respect. It tugged at my heart strings, and I am sure that other readers will share my feelings.

I have always thought there was a good reason that "dog" is "God" spelled backward.
This book, and I have read many on the subject of companion loss, truly capturess
the absolute unconditional love that dogs so willingly bestow on us mere humans. It
is a tragedy in the worst sense that some of us don't deserve such devotion -
as in the story of the "Dark-Brown Dog." I would caution readers that this particular
chapter is exceedingly difficult to to absorb. Most of the stories however are a
heartfelt tribute to dogs whose love and complete dedication colored the authors landscapes
in the most meaningful of ways. It is, as is said in the book, a travesty of justice
that they can't accompany us longer in our journey through life.

The delivery on this was also wonderful the book is about dogs who we've loved and lost is a wonderful book

These stories speak to all of us who know and love dogs. Anyone who has ever lost a faithful canine friend will be truly moved. There is a wonderful range of stories in this book.

This book had some seriously sad stories in it. Some were pretty horrible. My wife wanted to read it, but I told her not to or she would have cried for days. Some were heart warming, but a lot were about dogs dying and some in some pretty horrible ways. I don't think I let my dog out of my sight for 3 days after reading this. The authors other book was much, much better.