Customer Reviews

Lady: My Life as a Bitch

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Lady My Life as a Bitch by Melvin Burgess dealt with many teenage issues such as teenage love, independence from family, and behavior. The title refers to a girl named Sandra who becomes a dog named Lady. Sandra wants to be independent and is almost in control of her risqué life. One day while out with her current boyfriend, Sandra encounters a homeless alcoholic. When she accidentally knocks over his beer, the alcoholic changes her into a dog, which is what she deserves according to some, the way she lives her life.

Frightened and not sure what has happened Lady as she is mow called runs to her house where her mom screams, calls the police, and tries to shoo her out of the house. When Lady sees herself in a mirror she truly realizes what has happened to her. That night in a shack she meets two dogs, Mitch and Fella who were also turned into dogs by the neighborhood drunk. They explain the situation in between sniffing. They also explain how great being a dog can be the pleasures of running all night and chasing cats.

Although being a dog is great Sandra does miss her family and goes one day to see them. With her dog memory she can only just remember them. Sandra carefully sneaks into her old room and puts some of her old clothes on and creeps downstairs. What will her parents think? Will they believe their beloved daughter presumed missing or dead is alive in the body of a dog? Will she ever be herself again? Read this to book to find out.

This book is NOT for young teens! Very snappy read, very hip and really, really funny. Bittersweet story with the right ending- not sentimental, not moralistic, just plain fun. I read it straight through.

A bargain.

This is a great read and I can reccommend it to anyone. I thought that it dealt with a lot of issues very effectively, eg teenage love, seeking independence from your parents, and finding a place where you belong in society. Melvin Burgess is a fantastic author and if you enjoyed this you should try reading 'lady' too which is as good, if not better than 'junk'.

Once again Melvin Burgess captures my imagination. This was really great read. I couldnt put it down. The ending is totally not what I expected but expect from Burgess. I think the lesson with this novel is to live your life the way you want it.

When I first picked up the book it was because my school librarian said I should read it. I thought it would be a typical teenage book, but after the first few pages I just couldn't put it down. This is a great book, with an unpredictable ending (at least I couldn't predict it and I'm quite good at predicting endings). I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed with this book.

OMGAWD! This book was so much fun to read. I was belly-aching with laughter with every scene with Sandra's family. I agree with a previous post of course, I wouldn't recommend it for teenagers, maybe young adults 17 and up. I'm over 21 and I wouldn't even tell my own mother what's contained in this book!(huf huf)There's a bit of immoral stuff in there that you could only find some type of animal doing, but you can find the main character and her two other humans-turned-dog getting into some pretty funny situations. Remember that this is supposed to be a story told by a teen in Britain so certain words and phrases are different from other fantasy books. If there is room for a sequel, I wouldn't hesitate in purchasing that book, too. The author's certainly got a knack for making a story of a dog's life interesting and funny!

The concept behind this book is great, but it was a dry and boring read. Instead of exploring many different things a dog might think or experience, the author just revisited a couple of different ideas over and over again.

This was a good book. I liked the way Burgess really got into how a dog feels and senses things. While this is not a book that has a place on my 'Favorites' list, I still think it was a really good book with a very unpredictable ending.

Worth reading. (...)

Well, it was okay. Nothing special. Kind of gross though.

Sandra Francy has not been acting like herself lately --- not in the least. The 17-year-old girl from Manchester, England has ignored her schoolwork, family and friends --- all for the sake of a good time. Now Sandra has a new crowd of "friends", is doing drugs, and is fooling around with boys. She is undoubtedly taking her social life to a dangerous extreme.

One day, during one of her escapades, Sandra runs into (literally) a homeless alcoholic. Upset by the fact that he touched her, she and her boyfriend-of-the-moment Wayne start telling the man off. In the heat of the moment, Sandra knocks the homeless man's can of Special Brew out of his hand. Furious, the man yells at her and chases her down the road and into an alleyway. Just when Sandra thinks the worst is going to happen, the man backs off and is thoroughly frightened.

Sandra runs home to tell her mum and brother about the incident, but her mum starts screaming and says that a crazy dog is in the house. Thinking that the dog is trying to attack her, Sandra seeks her brother Adam's help. Adam ignores her and slams the bedroom door in her face. She becomes angry and locks herself in her room to try to get away from the canine offender.

But when Sandra looks into her bedroom mirror, she quickly discovers that she is the dog! She manages to escape from her house and roams the streets looking for a place to hide. While in an abandoned shed, Sandra reflects upon her life as a girl and her new canine existence. She is soon visited by two dogs, Fella and Mitch, who have been transformed as well.

Sandra finds out that the alcoholic's name is Terry and that he was the one who turned her into a dog. In fact she learns that he has been turning people into dogs since childhood --- all because of his temper. Desperate for human companionship, Sandra seeks out Terry. He is unnerved at first, but quickly shows Sandra a way of life on the streets.

Lady, as Sandra is now called, is at first happy with her new life. But as Lady reflects on her old life, she becomes restless. Will she be a girl again, or will she forever be this four-legged creature?

Unfortunately, LADY was not my cup of tea. With its sexual innuendoes and crude attempts at mature humor, Sandra's soul-searching narratives concerning her past regrets and her family become meaningless. I strongly recommend that only a mature audience read this book. If you're interested in reading a book by Melvin Burgess, you should pick up a copy of BILLY ELLIOT --- it's meaningful and amusing.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle (SdarksideG@aol.com)