Farewell, Miss Julie: Or The Spoiled-Rotten Bird Dogs [Paperback]

Robert Tinsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 20, 2006

People who love dogs will find adventure, humor, and pathos in this family story. If every man needs one good woman and one good dog in his lifetime, Dad found both. Although the woman and their children appear throughout this book, the story focuses on the dog and her man. Julie was an undersized Llewellin English setter, amiable of disposition, and freckled of face. Dad, an avid outdoorsman, doted on her shamelessly for seventeen years. They roamed the great outdoors, sharing adventures with game birds, varmints, white-water rivers, and hang-gliders. So inseparable were they, Mama once remarked, "If that dog could cook and make love, I''d be out of a job!" Julie would never have won a field trial, but she became a serious bird dog, hunting bobwhites and ruffed grouse in the Appalachians. Later, the game was valley and mountain quail in California. She learned not to chase rabbits and deer, but Dad was powerless over her ground-hog addiction. Upon encountering a woodchuck, her eyes would glow with the joy of combat, and she would attack with colors flying. In the field, it was all business, but the professional training fraternity would curl its collective lip to see Dad coddle his dogs around the house. With her second litter, Julie produced a handsome co-character, Pretty Boy. Julie perfected a guilt-inducing stare that paid off in shares of whatever snack was being consumed. She endeared herself to all with her dance of joy when an outing appeared imminent. Disapproval was expressed by a disdainful sneer. In her old age, arthritis overwhelmed her. Dad tirelessly medicated and massaged her, but finally had to accept the only thing to do for a painfully crippled dog that implored him for relief. Most of the action occurs in Virginia, California, and Florida.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert S. Tinsley was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. He attended Duke University, where he wrote for the college newspaper. Adventure beckoned, and he left during the Korean War to become a naval aviator. He's never been sure which side quit when they learned he was coming. During his twelve years active duty, he wrote numerous newsletters, and, as an aviation safety officer, far too many aircraft accident reports. He has had only one wife, Jackie, and still has her. She served as a model for "Mama" in this book. Well, let's not kid the reader, who soon realizes the book is a memoir, even if written in the third person and presented as fiction. It is (mostly) true. After active naval service, the author spent a season aerial crop-spraying, before signing on with a major air line. He continued flying for the naval reserve. Perhaps as preparation for writing such a book as this, he spent most of his spare time afield, hunting, fishing, hiking, and canoeing. Dogs have always been a large part of his life. The family has never been without at least one. The act of hunting with a dog forms a special bond between two sentient beings, in the same way a border collie bonds with the sheep owner. Tinsley has been writing regular columns and features for the Star-Advocate (now Florida Today Communities) since 1992. He has done humorous and informative stories for various publications, including Savannah Magazine, Air Line Pilot, Quail Unlimited, and Logbook, a Magazine of Aviation History. He has a non-fiction book in the works. The writer has lived over much of the United States. Particularly worthy of mention are Front Royal, Virginia; Half Moon Bay, California; and Titusville, Florida-- places where the spoiled-rotten bird dogs resided.

Product Details

• Paperback: 140 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (April 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425910114
• ISBN-13: 978-1425910112
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing back old times together., November 14, 2007

By 

Bernard Schwartzman (Winchester, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Farewell, Miss Julie: Or The Spoiled-Rotten Bird Dogs (Paperback)

Oh, 'Farewell Miss Julie' certainly did bring back memories. Bob and I not only flew together with United Airlines, but we are also very good friends and remain so today. We have hunted quail, dove, and grouse, with Pretty Boy and then Julie, along with my English Setters 'Windy' and then 'Peaches'.

Reading this book was like reliving all those wonderful afternoons hunting or just telling tales over dinner. Bob writes just as he speaks. Its like reading Mark Twain. You are right there. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to be a dog lover to enjoy, February 10, 2007

By 

John R. Black M.D. (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farewell, Miss Julie: Or The Spoiled-Rotten Bird Dogs (Paperback)

This book is a heartwarming tale of a beautiful, spiritually complex man surrounded by fittingly loving, amiable and resourceful companions. While is is certainly a uplifitng tribute to the dogs Julie, Pretty Boy, Beegee, etc., it is also a paean of love from the author to his wife, a proper Virginia upbringing, the frontier spirit, the value of friends and trust in one's fellow man. The many stories themselves are precious; the manner in which they are told makes them completely priceless. Mr. Tinlsey's writing style brought back very fond memories of first reading William Faulkner's The Bear, another terrific tale of hunting and coming of age. I say "coming of age" because, in this book, both the author and Julie come to a maturity that can only be gained by learning one lesson of living at a time. The beauty of the process is that Mr. Tinsley and Julie came to this state together. Neither could have achieved it without the other - and both knew and appreciated that fact. Only a Southerner could have written this book. Southerners who have not entirely forgotten the nobility of respect for the land and its creatures that once was the Southern character will read this book with the sweet nostalgia that arises from remembering our good roots.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love animals, you'll love "Farewell, Miss Julie.", October 25, 2006

By 

Lucky Ruth "VegasGranny" (LasVegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farewell, Miss Julie: Or The Spoiled-Rotten Bird Dogs (Paperback)

Anyone who has ever loved (and lost) an animal will enjoy Robert S.Tinsley's book, "Farewell, Miss Julie: or The Spoiled-rotten Bird Dogs." As I read this well-written collection of short stories about a dog and "her man," I seemed to share in their adventures--roaming the Virginia wilds and California mountains. Julie, a Llewellin English setter is beautifully depicted on the book's cover, illustrated by artist Teresa Farley of Savannah, Georgia. Julie should have her paw print on the Hollywood walk of fame, because she clearly emerges as a "super star" in Tinsley's book. Her life, death and the family whose hearts she owned, added my own heart to the collection. I give the book an enthusiastic five stars, and recommend it for animal lovers, lovers of the great outdoors and those who don't mind shedding a tear or just enjoying a good belly laugh.