Golden Days: Memories of a Golden Retriever [Paperback]

Arthur Vanderbilt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 1999

She had golden eyelashes, a fondness for Vermont cheddar, and a worn-out slipper she brought to those she felt sure needed it. From the time she was an eight-week-old puppy, Amy put herself in charge of the Vanderbilt family. She accompanied her human pack on sun-filled sailing expeditions on Cape Cod Bay, long beach walks, and brisk surf swims, and led them on uncountable jaunts of adventure and discovery. And on those rare occasions when Amy had to be left behind, she would lapse into a sulk worthy of the best Hollywood leading ladies.

Tenderly told, with absorbing asides on the picturesque coastal landscape of Cape Cod, Golden Days is the story of a unique friendship that illustrates the invaluable lessons of life and love only a dog can teach us about ourselves and the world we share.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A love song to a departed golden retriever, keen and tender, from Vanderbilt (Fortune's Children, 1989). Vanderbilt's parents had a dog much beloved by the whole family. Amy was her name, and she possessed all the best characteristics of golden retrievers: She was personable, emotional, enthusiastic, mischievous, always with an eye for fun. Vanderbilt was grown and gone by the time Amy entered the household, but his many summer vacations at the family place on Cape Cod allowed him to enjoy the dog to the fullest. Amy's exploits are the nub of this short remembrance: how she would make nightly rounds to check on her charges; nuzzle a rotting sand shark to partake of its evil perfume; herd the family back to shore when they went for a swim in the ocean; show a bit of her roots during a towel-tugging contest with a bristle and fierce growl; how she failed as a seadog (actually it was Vanderbilt who failed as a seaman) but knew how to throw a baleful look when she was not invited along on an outing, getting all morose and hurt. Vanderbilt twines her story with concisely rendered elements of Cape Cod history. One moment he will reconstruct in his mind's eye a grand hotel in Chatham, Mass., and the next tell the story of Squanto, the Native American who saved the Pilgrims during that first cold winter of 1621. Or he will delve into the natural history of the horseshoe crab while offering it up for Amy's inspection, then remember that it was off this particular beach in 1918 that a 213-foot submarine of the Imperial German Navy broke the glassy surface of the sea to fire upon a tugboat, the only enemy attack upon the US in WW I. Through it all romps Amy. Good dog, lovely book. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A touching book about a wonderful dog."
--Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, bestselling author of When Elephants Weep

"The beauty of this small but mighty book is Vanderbilt's ability to find the right words to describe the incredible charisma and boundless joy of his golden retriever and the love they share."
--The Sunday Star-Ledger, Newark

"Golden Days is not only an eloquent tribute to a cherished animal but a love song whose tune will resonate in the minds of pet owners everywhere."
--The Cape Codder

"Once someone has had the good fortune to share a true love affair with a golden retriever, one's life and one's outlook are never quite the same again. A warm afterglow remains that lasts a lifetime. The author is fluent in that language."
--Betty White

"This well-written reminiscence will appeal not only to dog lovers but also to naturalists and those interested in Cape Cod."
--Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (November 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553379666
• ISBN-13: 978-0553379662
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,067,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memories of a golden, too, December 26, 1999

By 

Sarah Bistline (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Days: Memories of a Golden Retriever (Hardcover)

I found this book at the university bookstore a few weeks after losing my own 13 year old golden-retriever. As I began, tears immediately began to fall but soon they were replaced by smiles and bursts of laughter as I was pulled into the lives of the characters and the wonderful dog, and I was flooded with memories of my own Baron boy. This book is for anyone who has been blessed enough to share their lives with a special golden retreiver, or anyone who doubts the joy a dog can bring. Vanderbilt's book is an honest, from-the-heart portrayal that captures the spirit of the breed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to read and keep and share and love, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Golden Days: Memories of a Golden Retriever (Hardcover)

As a dog lover, I've read, and keep in my home library, copies of all the great books, including Willie Morris' "My Dog Skip," Peter Mayle's "A Dog's Life," Barbara Bush's "Millie's Book," Elizabeth Thomas's "The Hidden Life of Dogs," John Steinbeck's "Travels witih Charley"--all of them. And of all of them I think Arthur Vanderbilt's "Golden Days: Memories of a Golden Retriever" is my favorite. Maybe its because I'm partial to Goldens, but I think its more than that. Amy, the golden retriever, comes alive in this quiet, inspirational book, not as some sort of wonder dog, but as the dog we all have loved. And believe me, you'll end up loving Amy as you do your favorite! Theis beautifully written book reminds me of Truman Capote at his beset, in a short story like "A Christmas Memory."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Universal Appeal, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Golden Days: Memories of a Golden Retriever (Hardcover)

I agree with all the glowing reviews Golden Days: Memories of a Golden Retriever has been receiving, but I see something else in this book that no one else has mentioned yet--an added dimension that, I believe, gives this book its universal appeal. I think the author has written something much more than a book about a wonderful dog named Amy. Behind that captivating story is a meditation on the inevitability of the passage of time, almost an inquiry into the meaning of time and memory. Look at it: all the action takes place in a tiny geographic area, maybe a square mile at most. Very subtly moving across this canvas are the people whose lives touched this square mile--from prehistoric man to Indians and Pilgrims to pirates and finshermen and World War I aviators. Way behind the scenes there's a reference to great-grandparents, and grandparents and parents. A day in the past, the author seems to be saying, was their time, today is ours, tomorrow others will walk these same beaches, and that will be their day. I think it may well be this very quiet undercurrent that gives this slim book its punch and unforgettable power. I'd be interested to hear if any other readers have felt this too.