Customer Reviews

Gone to the Dogs

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I loved Guterson's first book. GONE TO THE DOGS is even better. The main character, Rena, is a total delight. She's a wisecracking, disorganized, and kind of lazy waitress who just got dumped, so she steals her ex's new girlfriend's dog. If you need to know more, there's a wacky mother who's newly in love, a sister who's recently thrown herself too far into Judaism, and a sweet, moving father. Plus various love interests along the way, although I won't ruin that part for you. The story is riveting, the dialogue hilarious-- it's a book you won't be able to put down. I can't recommend it highly enough!

A totally entertaining read that had me laughing out loud. The author's voice is so convincing, with a great knack for dialogue that you feel like the people are real. This would be a fabulous movie.

Loved, Gone to the Dogs. I picked it up, expecting to read for 30 minutes at most, but I ended up reading the whole book! It was so good! I laughed out loud, which is something I rarely do when reading. I love how this is not the usual "girl gets dumped" book. She does not live a beautiful apartment in Manhattan, she doesn't work in advertising, publishing, or fashion. Her ex-boyfriend is not a lawyer/doctor/billionaire. She lives a real life that makes the whole story refreshing and enjoyable. She has money problems, a dead-end job and lacks most housekeeping skills, making her a character that I can actually feel for. This book is a must for anyone who wants to read a book about normal people and the not so normal things they do.

This was a delightful, fun book to read. Wonderful dialog. Interesting characters. Waiting for the sequel. Good to read on a rainy winter night.

I LOVED this book. Left me laughing till I had tears in my eyes. The main character was my best friend by the end. Wish Guterson would write a sequel to this.

Brian displayed his guts when he telephoned his fiancée Rena the waitress to end their seven year relationship. Angry especially over his cowardly means of dumping her, an outraged Rena kidnaps his dog Tilly only to learn the canine with a girl's name is a boy and as an aside her ex (that is Rena's ex and not the dog formerly called Tilly) has a new girlfriend.

To make matters worse for Rena, her late fifties mom has a new guy Dr. Ron in her life and her sister's perfect Orthodox Jewish marriage is falling apart. Her family decides to find a man for Rena; their latest selection is kind hearted but ethical Chuck, who tells her, he likes her, but she needs to move forward starting with returning formerly Tilly to Brian. Rena blunders making her conclude that to err may be human, but no one especially the errant one forgives.

This lighthearted chick lit tale is fun to read due to the interaction between Rena the neurotic who expects her family to blind date her with a serial killer and her stereotyped (by her) family, who serve as her straight men and women for her asides. Amusing, fans will enjoy this frolic as Rena wails to no one there Who Let the Dogs Out (nod to the Baha Men) and this is not Cleveland.

Harriet Klausner

Rena is our narrator in this wonderful romp through all things Jewish. Well, maybe not all things. Although Rena, the younger of two daughters, has earned graduate school credits, she has spent the last too many years with Brian and waiting tables. And she cannot understand how her main supplier of recreational drugs, her older sister, has become an Orthodox Jew, replete with wig and all-things-kosher. The result of spending a little too much time in a kibbutz where she met her husband. And then came just a few too many kids. Brian, the long-time boyfriend who actually proposed marriage, returns from a white-water trip with a new girlfriend who is both a vet and the owner of a dog. And that's where the title of the book comes into this. Early on in the novel Rena sort of steals the dog. Just sort of. This presents several dilemmas, including the fact she lives in a "no pets allowed" apartment. But mostly this is about being Jewish. Oh, yes, I failed to mention this: the sisters' parents are divorced and mother has fallen in love with a much younger man who may be converting. But to what is he converting? Oh, yes, and quite naturally what Rena needs most is to meet a nice Jewish man, right? Right! And who better to know what she needs than her sister and her mother. There is nothing better than a Jewish writer writing Jewish satire. And that's what this book is. You too might just want to convert, especially if you have long wanted to wear more wigs. This is a wonderful read.

What kind of woman steals her ex-boyfriend's dog? In this case, a very funny one. Rena is on the downhill side of her 20s, discontentedly underemployed slinging steaks at Sammy's Place, when her fiance Brian goes off on a rafting trip and returns with a new tall, blond, athletic girlfriend. And now Brian, who never liked animals, shares a bungalow with his new love and Tilly, a dog "the size of a Volkswagen."

Who wouldn't drive by compulsively a couple times a day? Who might not stop once, unlatch the gate on the dog's pen, and just see if perhaps the dog wanted to get into the car? The fact that Rena lives in an apartment and has never really liked animals herself does nothing to dissuade her. "Big Guy," as she refers to him, moves in. Other than needing to eat, poop and be exercised occasionally, Rena rather warms to him, although she knows he must be temporary --- like her waitressing job was supposed to be. Meanwhile, her matchmaking mother goes into full gear, while Rena's wig-wearing, ultra-Orthodox Jewish sister seems to be having some second thoughts about her own marriage choices.

Rena's landlord Carl is not amused by Big Guy or convinced by Rena's stories about how soon she'll be returning this dog she is not supposed to have. She binge watches movies and drinks Diet Coke. "When you're alone and depressed, it's a good idea to pass on Magnolia and Philadelphia unless you've already made a firm commitment to kill yourself." She meets Chuck at her sister's place, and despite at first mistaking each other for devout Jews, they begin a tentative, rather formal friendship. He doesn't seem fazed by the true tale of how she acquired Big Guy, and agrees to help her return him without getting caught. And to further confuse the issues, Brian re-enters the picture.

Reading this enjoyable, frothy novel, I couldn't help imagining it as one of those 1940s madcap farces, if only 1940s madcap farces allowed the "f" word. Mary Guterson's dry humor renders Rena as self-deprecating, smart and sassy --- in other words, irresistible. The dialogue is strong and funny, keeping us turning the pages. Rena tells us she's not very good at small talk, but check this out: in the car with Chuck, she asks him what's the worst thing he's done.

"What? Is this some kind of personality test?"

"Yes. Like if you were to tell me you've killed somebody, then I might consider making you get out at the next light."

"Oh, very good way to suss out the murderers."

All the characters are lightly but carefully drawn through Rena's cynical, keen voice. We are never in doubt that Rena will be OK in the end, but the journey is still a heck of a lot of fun. This book will not change your life, and I doubt that it's meant to. But it will make you laugh --- a lot --- and Rena is one lady who any creature, four-footed or not, would likely follow home.

--- Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol

A light, easy, entertaining, and engaging read. I finished this book in a weekend and it left a smile on my face.

Very fun to read and well-written! You are immediately drawn into the story and life of the characters.