I Am the Codyman [Paperback]

Linda Stubbs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2002

Cody isn't your average dog. He lives in a hotel-on his own tab, thanks to the generous (if eccentric) will of his dearly departed "mother."

Each night, he opens his suite to a hotel guest. After encountering Cody's sweet face and understanding eyes, hotel guests almost always open their hearts to him. Luckily, Cody is even smarter than he looks.

Cody, who tells his own story in this book, bravely faces the challenges of his first solo year-a year when he deepens current friendships with hotel employees and forges new relationships with hotel guests and neighbors.

Through it all, Cody's incredible sensitivity and uncanny intelligence allow him to solve problems, bring people together, and make the world a better place. After only one year, he has hundreds of people who credit him with their own happiness. After all, he is the Codyman!

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: American Classic Books (September 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589820231
• ISBN-13: 978-1589820234
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,020,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deserves MUCH wider distribution, November 9, 2002

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Am the Codyman (Paperback)

This book has much going against it: a "small publisher,"
a Canadian author and an uninviting layout with small type. However, once I picked up this book, I got hooked!

When Cody's "mom" died, Cody inherited the magnificent suite at a luxury hotel where he had been living for many years. The author creates a legal scenario that, while not likely, is certainly plausible. Cody will remain in the suite, paying the going rate from his trust fund. Each night the hotel will try to find him a roommate (Cody hates to be alone) who will get free occupancy of the suite on condition of sharing with the dog. The General Manager is reluctant, but money -- and the threat of the money moving to another hotel -- convinces everyone to accept this unusual arrangement.

Cody can understand conversation around him, as well as speech of dogs and cats he encounters. His loveable personality encourages guests to talk to him. Cody learns a lot about the guests and they, in turn, find their lives changing after a night in the suite. Cody sometimes helps the situation along. He listens but he can't talk and never steps outside the physical limitations of the canine species. Only one guest seems able to hear Cody and carry on a real conversation, but the others feel Cody's love and are inspired.

It's a feel-good story, no doubt about it, on the order of Miracle at St Cecilia's. We learn what the dog thinks, as we do in the Midnight Louie series (Carol Nelson Douglas) or the Mrs. Murphy series (Rita Mae Brown). Cody reaches out to those who are homeless and orphaned. There's only one villain or threat to Cody and the evil stays hidden, like the backstairs region of the hotel itself.

This author, Linda Stubbs, can write. Either she had a good editor or she's a natural. I didn't find myself mentally crossing out excess lines. Her dialogue is flawless. She creates a "voice" for
the dog that is uniquely his and she captures the different personalities that move around him. And she keeps the emotional suspense up throughout the book: we have romantic liaisons and we can't help wondering what will happen to those we meet.

If this edition had been packaged with more elegance, we would be reading it at the browsing tables of leading bookstores. It's not for everyone. But if you have someone on your gift list who's an absolute fanatic about dogs, someone who has to be reminded, "He's only a dog!" I recommend this book. I should know.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What dogs would say if they could write!, January 30, 2003

By 

A. Douglas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Am the Codyman (Paperback)

Linda Stubbs captures the personality of a West Highland white terrier without sounding silly or trite. The short chapters make for great bedtime reading, even by or to children. And Cody's encounters lend themselves nicely to family discussions about friendship, trust, and caring for the less fortunate. Cody's tale is imaginative, engaging, and lively -- fun reading for book and dog lovers of all ages.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a must if you love dogs, November 26, 2002

By 

keltie donnellan (canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Am the Codyman (Paperback)

What a great book.It moved me to tears in some places and laughter in others.If you love dogs you`ll love this book.If you are looking for literature to share with your children,young and old,you`ll love this book.It is refreshing to read the english language as it is meant to be ,without any profanity.This book deals with real life issues of true importance in such a subtle gentle way.Issues of kindness,friendship,loyalty,generosity and spirit.I was left not with a sense of preaching or concrete ,right or wrong answers,but rather a sense of responsibility to my fellow man.Long after I read the book I found myself wondering how I line up in my treatment and judgement of those around me.One more thing,after reading the book you become very careful of what you say around your dog.