Good Dog. Stay. [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)

by Anna Quindlen (Author, Reader)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist and novelist Quindlen has recently met with tremendous success in the realm of short nonfiction with an inspirational and motivational bent. Recounting the life and death of her beloved Labrador retriever, Beau, she follows the same pattern. Quindlen masters a calm, thoughtful radio-essay style of delivery that nicely fits the introspective nature of her material, which includes some powerful ruminations on aging and mortality. Yet as a 45-minute stand-alone offering, the recording lacks the weight of a dramatic center, since Quindlen devotes such a large chunk of the fleeting allotment of time to setting the stage on the front end and offering reflection in conclusion. Somehow, it seems as though a two-for-one arrangement similar to the 2005 audiobook release pairing Quindlen's Being Perfect and A Short Guide to a Happy Life might have allowed for a broader and more fully realized sense of her unique gift for deeply personalized narrative.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
"The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed."

So writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen about her beloved black Labrador retriever, Beau. With her trademark wisdom and humor, Quindlen reflects on how her life has unfolded in tandem with Beau's, and on the lessons she's learned by watching him: to roll with the punches, to take things as they come, to measure herself not in terms of the past or the future but of the present, to raise her nose in the air from time to time and, at least metaphorically, holler, "I smell bacon!"

Of the dog that once possessed a catcher's mitt of a mouth, Quindlen reminisces, "There came a time when a scrap thrown in his direction usually bounced unseen off his head. Yet put a pork roast in the oven, and the guy still breathed as audibly as an obscene caller. The eyes and ears may have gone, but the nose was eternal. And the tail. The tail still wagged, albeit at half-staff. When it stops, I thought more than once, then we'll know."

Heartening and bittersweet, Good Dog. Stay. honors the life of a cherished and loyal friend and offers us a valuable lesson on our four-legged family members: Sometimes an old dog can teach us new tricks.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (November 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743571991
• ISBN-13: 978-0743571999
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #786,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honoring a hound with humor and sensitivity, November 21, 2007

By	Richard Cumming "richo" (blue state) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Good Dog. Stay. (Hardcover)

Anna Quindlen has written a succulent tribute to her beloved black Lab, Beau. It's funny, and fond, sentimentally delightful, a fitting honor to a dog who lived a long life.

There isn't any whining here. She makes you laugh as she recalls the pup who spent so many happy days and when he grew old could still get excited about the scent of pork roast in the oven.

When it was his time to go they said goodbye with dignity. The many photos of dogs enhance this pithy homage to a wonderful dog.

Quindlen is not adequately appreciated for her sense of humor. She is one of our leading literary stylists. This book will be treasured by many dog lovers.

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointingly short, November 28, 2007

By	Richard Piatt "Rick Piatt" (Cranston, RI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Good Dog. Stay. (Hardcover)

I purchased this book to be quite honest because the picture of Beau on the cover reminded me so much of my dog Shelly who I had to put down 1-1/2 years ago. I don't know exactly what I hoped for when I purchased this book other than perhaps a loving, funny, retrospective on the life and times of a Black Lab. I guess to a certain extent that is exactly what this book is however there is so little text between all those photos that I can't help but feel that I've been cheated. First off the book is small. Then about half of the pages (or more!) are photos. The text is double spaced. If this had been printed more like any other book it would have taken up perhaps 20 pages total. Somehow, that is just not enough reminiscing for me! I want to hear more of Beau's adventures. I want to hear more about how he aged and how he dealt with Bea (the Quindlen's Yellow Lab companion for Beau). I want more! What little is there is moderately interesting but it lacks the 'wisdom learned through experience' I had imagined I might find between the pages. Overall the book was a disappointment (obviously) and not one I'm likely to read again. But I sure would have loved a chance to say hi to Beau regardless of how bad his book is!

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets, November 24, 2007

By	Julie Neal "The Complete Walt Disney World" (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Good Dog. Stay. (Hardcover)

In my world, an Anna Quindlen book about a dog is about as good as it gets.

This slim hardback, which includes charming photos of dozens of dogs, tells the story of Quindlen's black Labrador, Beau, about his life and death. It's a love story to dogs in general, and Beau in particular. Anyone who knows dogs will see truth in every paragraph, from the absurdity of praising basic bodily functions during housetraining to the ever-present wagging tail. She captures the essence of what a dog is. "When you say "Sit!" a cat rises and stalks out of the room. Most dogs will fall back on their haunches, vibrating slightly, their liquid eyes locked on yours."

The book traces the Quindlen children growing up as Beau grows older. In the end the grown kids make the final decision that it was cruel to keep their ailing pal alive. When the vet makes the final house call. Ms Quindlen has her arms around Beau's neck, whispering in his ear. "Yes, yes, you are the man," I murmured, "you are the best dog, yes, everything's going to be all right."

It took me a half hour to read, and my shirt is still damp from crying. I hugged my chocolate Lab and wrote this review. This is a great book.