Customer Reviews

What Wendell Wants: Or, How to Tell if You're Obsessed with Your Dog

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this book from my husband for Christmas. I have a LIST of people I am lending this book to...it's hillarious!

Anyone that gives it less than 5 stars just doesn't understand what life is like when you are obsessed with your dog. So many times through this book I could swear I was writing it.

Of course I feel a bond of sorts with Jenny Lee since she did consider a French Bulldog. I own two...and several other dogs and animals. And, YES, I am obsessed with all of them.

Two PAWS UP!

I was recommended this book by one of my dog loving friends who said that it was a must read--and I'm pleased to report he is absolutely right! It's such a relief to know that there are others out there who obsess about their dogs the way I obsess about my Jack Russell--McKenzie. I too throw birthday parties for my dog and also have a weakness for cute Halloween costumes.

The best thing about this book is that the author embraces her neurotic tendencies and owns up the fact that she's a little nutty when it comes to her dog, but you never blame her for it because it's obvious that it comes from the heart.

There are also some really funny charts in the back of the book! It's definitely a great gift for the dog lovers in your life!

Jenny Lee is the author of another book written prior to this one which seems to have received decent reviews, but she has also been a writer for such magazines as "Redbook". I believe this sort of writing is where her talent, as such, must lie. As a person who shares my home with five dogs, I adore my canine friends and family members and usually enjoy reading about the antics of other dogs, too, but this silly book -- complete with many sections written in ALL CAPS for emphasis (and lots of precious parenthetical asides, too!)-- was, regrettably, more than my stomach or patience could bear. After a couple of irritating chapters, it has been placed on the reject pile.

The author was very funny and the stories rang true so many times - the thought we put into our dogs health, well-being and feelings can be over the top. She would go to any length to make sure Wendell the dog was happy and safe, and the stories were hilarious. In the end, we would all do the same. She also gives cute little descriptions of "Ten Types of Dog Owners" that all dog owners can identify with.

I found this book to be quite funny in its accounts of life with Wendall (or more so life with Jenny who worries about Wendall). I smiled and chuckled often as I read. However, while I am obsessed about dogs, I was relieved to find that I am not obsessed in the ways that Jenny is.

But while this was a good book, it does not even compare to similiar books about life with dogs. I would recommend Marley and Me by John Grogan, A Dog Year by John Katz, and The Dogs of Bedlam Farm also by John Katz over this book anyday. Those books all seemed to captivate me and connect me to the owners in a way this book never did (although perhaps it's because this is also much shorter).

We bought a Papillon and the breeder who sold her to us highly recommended this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was hard to tell how much was "real" versus made up or exaggerated in the telling, but regardless, it was a good read, if only to convince myself that I'm not that obsessed with our dogs!

I had two different friends call me up and tell me about this book, which is probably the biggest indicator that I am obsessed with my dog, Higgins. I took their advice and bought What Wendell Wants and I'm so glad that I did, because I laughed all the way through it. Jenny Lee really opens up her life to you and shares lots of stories about her dog Wendell and his place in her life. What I found interesting is that she knows she's obsessed but seems a bit unsure about what to make of it, but by the end she realizes that it's okay because she knows it all comes from love. There are also lots of hilarious snippets included, top ten lists and even a breakdown of different type of owners I'm proud to say I'm the "Raging Neurotic". It's nice that she can laugh at herself, first, before she laughs at others. If you have a dog who is more than "just a dog" this is the book for you. p.s. my dog Higgins couldn't agree more.

As a dog lover and owner this book had me laughing out loud and itching for more. You can't help but fall in love with Wendell through the wild stories Jenny tells. If you deny being an obsessed dog owner I dare you to read this book. You'll be surprised at how many ridiculous things you do for your beloved pooch. I hope there will be more to come from Wendell and Jenny.

As the obsessed owner of a blinded-at-birth basset hound, I really wanted to love this book. But it should have been trimmed by one-third before it went to print. I quickly grew weary of the incessant cutesy parenthetical asides, as well as Lee's habit of explaining/belaboring her jokes and pop culture references. Either we get it or we don't. Move on. (Oops, was that a belaboring? [See, this is how she writes!]).

However, I enjoyed the brief essays and observations scattered throughout the book. Keyword being "brief." But the rest of it read like the work of a talented high-school student who is too amused by her own wit.

For my money, the classic in the doggie love genre is Jacqueline Susann's wonderful "Every Night, Josephine." And from Lee's frequent use of the word "glorious" - an adjective that Jackie used quite a bit in her book, but to much more comic effect - I'm guessing that Lee has read it too.

I was given this book by a friend, since my dog is also named Wendall (with an A) and I have to say, besides relating to MUCH of the book, I loved the way Jenny writes. I had never read anything by her before, that I am aware of, but I now a huge fan and can't wait to to read more! I felt her writing was intersting, smart and most of all FUNNY! I laughed out loud at times, with my own Wendall right at my side.
I can't wait to have my other friends, be them dog lovers or not, read this. It is wonderul!!!