Customer Reviews

I Thought You Were Dead

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I accidentally stumbled across this book in a large pile of books that my mother was reading. Am I glad I picked it up. It's the story of a middle-aged guy who has never really communicated with his father -- i.e., Every Guy. He has a competitive relationship with his brother, and is floundering in his love life. The only love he can count on is from his dog, Stella, who acts as his best friend and psychologist. After his father has a stroke, Paul takes a hard look at himself and his life, in order to put everything, including his relationships, back on track.

This book made me laugh out loud because certain parts were so funny. And it made me think about the parental bond, and how many regrets we have after we finally realize that our parents are mortal and we haven't said or done what we wanted to. Not to mention what a critical role animals, and dogs in particular, play in terms of consoling us and making us happy. All-around great entertainment with a message.

I joined a book club for the chance to socialize and get away from my usual genres -- mystery and espionage. I don't usually enjoy the human emotional theme but this book grew on me. My dog experienced the same fear of lightening and end of life. The guy's perspective on divorce, relationships and drinking portrayed realistic self- examination. Stella, the dog, plays the inner voice we all have when we are mulling over issues and trying to be honest with ourselves... A nice spin.It all ties up very neatly in a very short period of time. Regardless, this is a light, beach read for men and women.

I had intended on hosting The Dog Days of Summer again this year, so when I saw the audiobook copy of I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson offered up in LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program, I requested it. I was excited when I snagged it and it arrived in April. I'd never snagged an audiobook before. As with much else in my life the second half of this year, Dog Days of Summer didn't materialize this summer and this audiobook slipped my mind. I didn't get around to listening to it until September.

I Thought You Were Dead begins with the premise that a man and his dog can actually speak to each other. The first time Josh Clark, the book's narrator, speaks in Stella's voice it was slightly awkward. I decided to suspend my disbelief and see where the story took me. I am so glad that I did. It didn't take long for Stella's voice to feel natural and necessary to me. I loved her. Any worries that I might have had that this novel would be too much like The Art of Racing in the Rain were put to bed immediately.

Paul's story of his broken marriage, his half-hearted career as a writer of "For Morons" books, his faraway family and ill father, his tenuous relationship with his current girlfriend and his other issues were interesting to me as well. Life doesn't always work out the way it's planned. This novel is about coming to grips with that realization and coming out the other side a stronger person. In that way, Stella's place in Paul's life falls somewhere between conscience and his inner voice. It all worked well for me.

I don't often all out cry when reading books. I Thought You Were Dead was the first audiobook to ever bring me to tears - three times in fact. If you love dogs, are entering your middle years, live far away from your family, consider your life a disappointment, or are human, you will find something for yourself in this book. I've never had a pet like Stella, but having such a wonderful dog love you must be one way the universe lets you know just how valuable you are.

If you listen to audiobooks, I found Josh Clark to be an engaging narrator.

Final Thoughts

The premise may seem risky at the outset, but if you're anything like me, it will be well worth it.

I Thought You Were Dead; Pete Nelson

(a WONDERFUL audio book experience)

Paul Gustavson's life seems to be going in the wrong direction. Paul's a writer of the "For Morons" series; his wife has divorced him, his girlfriend is seeing someone else, his sex life has more downs than ups due to recent impotence problems, and his father has suffered a serious stroke.

Depressed, he eats too much junk food, is getting seriously out of shape, drinks a little too much, and spends a little too much time in a dirty, smelly bar called The Bay State, located in western Massachusetts. Even his dog Stella thinks this bar is too dirty and smelly to spend time in.

You see Stella, is Paul's aging Lab and Shepard mix dog; she is wise beyond her years, and has a masterful vocabulary. A dog with amazing insight and sensitivity, Paul's furry therapist of sorts, discusses issues about, relationships, life, death, and whether dogs are smarter than wolves. Stella's insight, is exactly what Paul needs when he is feeling lonely, unloved and depressed. And, it is Stella that causes Paul to get his life back on track, and to sort out his life and mend his relationships with his father, brother and find joy in life once again.

MY THOUGHTS - Josh Clark is the most amazing reader. Your heart will melt as you listen to Stella's calming dog voice. It is pitch-perfect, and it is the banter between Paul and Stella that makes this book so special. I think this book would be good if you chose to read the print version, but if you enjoy audio books -- seek this one out. Dog lover or not, it is a story to be enjoyed -- funny, touching, heartfelt and memorable. DON'T MISS IT!

I was afraid to read this book-always cry when a beloved dog dies-sure enough, I cried.

Loved Stella-hugged my dog all afternoon after I finished the book. Liked the story, The characters were not too well defined, however, (except for beautiful Srella) but was not sorry I bought the book. A good read!

The author grabbed me from the very first sentence of this book. Paul and Stella's conversations are revealing, poignant, funny, beguiling. Paul's journey with his girlfriend, Tamsen, and his family were entirely credible to me. I've lived in CA my whole life, yet I know these characters in Northampton, MA. I can smell the stale beer at the bar. I can walk down the streets of the town in my mind's eye. The only time the author let me down (and I won't spoil the book for you) is at the crescendo. It will suffice to say that the book peaks and Paul makes an important decision. It was so momentous, and yet author Pete Nelson chickens out. There's so much more he could have done with that moment. There's so much more the character Paul could have felt, thought, done. But this shows how engaged I felt with this book. It was a wonderful ride. Thank you Pete Nelson, I look forward to reading you again!

Paul is kind of a sad sack. He drinks too much, he can't seem to make his love life work, and he has awkward relationships with his father and brother. The only thing really going for Paul, is his dog Stella.

Nelson asks the reader to accept the fact that Stella and Paul have two-way conversations. Not like the conversations in Kerasote's "Merle's Door", where the author supposes what Merle is trying to tell him, but actual conversations where Paul talks to Stella and she talks back.

Stella is the steady voice of reason in Paul's life, and the conversations between the two of them are the best parts of this book, and where it really shines. Nelson's prose is easy reading, but I found the first third of the book to be just too full of info dumps (blocks of text that explain the backgrounds of people or situations) but once all the groundwork was laid, the book was quite enjoyable.

The unfolding of Paul's relationship with his dad is touching, and a testament to how little most of us understand about our parents.

Throughout the story, Paul struggles with his love relationship, which is a confusing 3-person situation. (not confusing to the reader, but confusing to Paul). I so wanted him to dump the girl, because even though Nelson presents her as a no-nonsense fair-minded person who marches to her own drummer; I saw the character as a game player messing with Paul's head, and I wished the drummer she was marching to would knock her upside the head with his sticks.

C.Ariel Wulff, author Born Without a Tail

I loved this book so much that I bought multiples to give away (always keeping one for myself) I read my own copy twice. This is such a heartwarming story about a man and the trials in his life. This is not just a book about a talking dog. This book will make you laugh and cry, and you'll buy a copy for a friend! Great book for bookclubs. Truly one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it!

I picked up this book at the local library and was quickly engrossed in the story. Paul's dialogues with Stella, his half-Shepard half-Lab mix breed are laugh-out-funny. Thoughtful and quick-witted, Stella is the star of the story. The other characters are memorable, too. They feel truly authentic in their human complexity. Like Paul, who is insecure and anxious, but is selfless, loving, caring, funny, and brave at the same time. Or his father, who, ironically, opens up to Paul and the rest of his children only after having a stroke which leaves him unable to move or speak. Even the secondary characters, whether it's Paul's ex-wife or his drinking buddies whose lives we only catch a glimpse of feel real and engaging. Unfortunately, the book fizzles once Stella is no longer around and Paul quits drinking. And the picture-perfect, feel-good ending made me feel cheated. Still, it was a worthy read.

A good story to me is about the main character's uphill battles. What I focused on were Paul's battles with alcoholism, sexual impotence, and with his so-called perfect, monied, successful older brother, Carl. Paul's lack of knowledge and social skills are typical of the kind of hero I pull for. One of my favorite books is Ordinary People because Conrad Jarrett,like Holden Caulfield, has suffered so many severe emotional setbacks. Paul is older, but he feels that he's at the bottom of the pecking order, the "omega dog," who constantly appears to be a failure in the eyes of everyone except an open-hearted, open-minded woman named Tamsen, who sees his soft side and is attracted by his kindness. This is a very traditional "romance," in which the two lovers have to fight their way through every psychological and physical obstacle imaginable.

What may eventually connect them is their somewhat similar backgrounds, since Paul's father and Tamsen's mother are both successful teachers. That doesn't sound like a very strong bond, but they both admire their parents' profession, which tells you about the value system they share. Money and social prestige are not their ultimate goals. They value compassion.

Some critics are emphsizing that this is a story about dogs. Maybe, the connection to dogs is simply that dogs are extremely sensitive, and Paul is an extremely sensitive person. Beyond that I think the analysis of dogs should stop, and one should analyze Paul sans dogs.

Paul is troubled by his childhood like most of us. His only escape from his "perfect" family is through becoming the rebel. He's the black sheep who fights for his personal identity by defying conventions. Perhaps he feels shamed by his perfect, loving family. He listens to the beat of a different drummer like so many rebels. But he is not a radical extremist who would destroy lives. At the core he is as "middle class" as the rest of us. He seeks a life that is productive, that of a writer, even though writers like all artists are considered outcasts and useless.

Tamsen also values success in the corporate world, and she wants to climb the social ladder by marrying a medical doctor, Stephen. After her own difficult psychological struggles to do the right thing for herself, she make her choice. Hopefully, it's the one that readers will think is right for her.

So, please don't try to convince me that this is a story about Stella, Paul's dog. It's really a story about characters and families in conflict and how those conflicts are eventually resolved.