My Life with George: What I Learned about Joy from One Neurotic (and Very Expensive) Dog (Wheeler Hardcover) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Judith Summers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2008 | Series: Wheeler Hardcover

"Humorous and poignant, reminiscent of John Grogran's Marley & Me."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"The sentiment is keen, the journey captivating, and the pain heightened by the charming honesty of the writing."
--Good Housekeeping

When Judith Summers met George, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, it was love at first sight. George was seemingly the perfect puppy, brimming with love and joy. But it wasn't long before King George ruled the roost in Judith's home. Willful, possessive, and badly behaved, he refused to eat anything other than organic roast chicken and suffered from every allergy and illness under the sun. On top of that, George was accident-prone. But just as his naughtiness was boundless, so was his devotion to Judith and her young son. A foot-warmer on cold nights, a good listener, and a fierce (okat, not so fierce) protector, George was always by their side--and much of the time underfoot. My Life with George is a memorable and moving story of how, after one woman's tragic loss, an impossible but adorable dog named George changes her life.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coping with the loss in an 11-day period of both her ebullient husband and her beloved father in 1998, Summers, then the mother of a nine-year-old son, bought a puppy to fill the gaping emptiness in their lives. From his first night in his new London house, George, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, proved he was top dog when he finagled his way into Summers's bed. George's piercing barks could only be quieted by an early morning nosh; he vomited on carpets and beds after swallowing a foam ball; rang up astronomical bills at the vet and dental hygienist for frequent illnesses and mishaps; and ran off one of Summers's beaus with licking, farting and neediness. Summers's spiteful cat, who peed on the couch and let George take the rap, was sent packing to an animal refuge. George was devastated when Summers split with another boyfriend who pampered him with take-out Chinese, and the pooch survived a vicious attack by a bull terrier on Hampstead Heath. Although unnecessarily expanded from a newspaper article, Summers's (Casanova's Women) genial, sweet Marley-wannabe tale should appeal to other pet owners whose rambunctious animals dominate their existence. (Nov. 6)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

Animal enthusiasts will love this story of four-legged emotional rescue but beneath the surface there is a touching and bravely charted narrative of bereavement and its aftermath --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 357 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (March 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597227110
• ISBN-13: 978-1597227117
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,114,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story of love and loyalty, November 11, 2007

By 

Miz Black (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life with George: What I Learned About Joy From One Neurotic (and Very Expensive) Dog (Hardcover)

My life with George is Judith Summers' story of the loss and despair she felt after the death of her husband and father within the space of two weeks. Although she still had her son, life felt empty. However, that soon changed when George, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel bounced into her life. George's loving personality filled some of the emptiness that both she and her son felt. However, living with George had its drawbacks as well as his care was so time consuming that it almost became a full time job.

This book attracted me and I had to read it as soon as I could but at the back of my mind was the comparison to the book Marley and Me by John Grogan. I thought that this book would pale in comparison but I was wrong. Both stories are about the love between a pet and his owner but even more so about loyalty and love between two living creatures.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable but not enough George, December 11, 2007

By 

Bears (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Life with George: What I Learned About Joy From One Neurotic (and Very Expensive) Dog (Hardcover)

The book is interesting, but George plays a surprisingly small role. Even though he's got his name in the title, there are several long stretches where George is absent. The book is really more of a recent biography about the author with several supporting characters -- it could have almost as easily been called, "My Life with Joshua" (her son).

In the end, all I really know about George is that he loves to eat human food and shred paper.

I had hoped for "Marley & Me" with Marley replaced by a Cavalier, but that's not what I found here.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read this Before Getting a Dog!, September 26, 2008

By 

Wendy (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life with George: What I Learned About Joy From One Neurotic (and Very Expensive) Dog (Hardcover)

Anyone who is going through the process of deciding whether or not to add a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or any other type of dog to their family should read this book! It will help them understand, through the author's experiences, ALL of the requirements and responsibilities plus joys and sorrows that sharing your home with an animal can actually entail. It is proof that the challenges and costs are all worth it in the end.

If one is a type of person who can learn from other people's mistakes, there are some great lessons for potential dog "parents" in this book. Experienced dog people could find themselves relating to but frustrated with the author over her way of handling George's "issues". Fortunately, they will find themselves laughing and crying with her too.

The title of this book is very accurate; it is about her life WITH George, not just about the beautiful little dog on the cover. Reading this would also be helpful to anyone who has lost a spouse to illness. My heart just ached for the author and her son.