Dog Handling (Paperback)

~ Clare Naylor (Author) "Francesca Honeycomb [oh, come on, if you think that in my fantasy life I'd be noble enough to keep the name my parents gave me..." (more)
Key Phrases: Ben Parker, Greta's Grundies, Amelia Fraser (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Bride-to-be Liv Elliot is plagued with doubts--not so much about her fiance, Tim, but about her readiness to trade in freedom for commitment. Still, she is devastated when Tim breaks their engagement. To mend her heart, she leaves London to join her best friend, Alex, who lives with her rich boyfriend, Charlie, in Australia. Charlie and Alex's circle includes Liv's first love, Ben Parker, with whom she had a teenage summer fling while vacationing in Aix-en-Provence. Ben has since coupled with pencil-thin, beautiful Amelia, so Liv thinks she has no chance--until Ben begins to flirt with her. Taking the advice of two gay friends (who have read the odious dating manual, The Rules), she tries to win Ben through "dog handling," a theory that espouses treating men like the dogs they are. Liv is a likable Everygirl, with whom many twentysomething female readers will identify. Despite the distastefulness of the whole "dog handling" concept, the novel accurately depicts the self-doubts of young single women searching for romance. Beth Warrell
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“[A] red-hot read . . . sure to turn up the heat.”
—Cosmopolitan

“[A] SPUNKY HEROINE . . . Amid the comedy, though, the novel has a quietly confident, smart-girl sensibility. . . . Yip, yip, hooray!”
—People

“Comically wicked . . . Reminiscent of Bridget Jones’s Diary.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Highly creative and wildly entertaining.”
—Romantic Times



From the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345453387
• ISBN-13: 978-0345453389
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #525,665 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Meh, I found it trite., November 8, 2005

By	Just another Stephanie "Stephanie" (Somewhere in Illinois) - See all my reviews

I've heard everyone go on and on about how wonderful Clare Naylor is, and I was hoping to be entertained. Yeah, well, I wasn't.

Liv's fiancé dumps her and to heal herself, she takes time off her job and goes to stay with a friend (who's living in a rich-boyfriend-who's-never-there's house) in Sydney, Australia, where she has amazing, chick-litty adventures with gay men and single guys who want nothing more than a shag. Same ol', same ol'. She meets up with her very first love, Ben Parker, who is dating the Girl Everyone Wants, Amelia Fraser. He starts to fancy Liv, who then follows the advice of her gay friend James, to treat men like dogs and they'll always be begging for more. Throw in the prerequisite chick lit twists, and voilà, the story.

There was a lot going on at once in this story, and it made me weary reading it. I didn't even really look forward to reading it that much once I got into it, but I wasn't going to waste all that valuable reading time, so I slogged through. I've read better.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun but average, January 24, 2006

By	Kelly Peterson "Hopeless Romantic" (Phantastic Philadelphia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a story about recovery after a bad breakup, reinventing of self and reigniting an old flame. It was also about knowing how to handle men (or dogs, same thing!) in order to keep them coming back for more. This was a fun read, although I do have to say that there wasn't really anything special about it. However, it was enjoyable and effortless to read.
-indifferent

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexy and funny -- Naylor's best novel yet!, May 16, 2002

By	CoffeeGurl (MA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

I have read and loved Clare Naylor's previous novels, Love: A User's Guide and Catching Alice and I couldn't wait to read Dog Handling. I was not disappointed -- Dog Handling is Naylor's best romantic comedy to date. Liv is one of the best heroines of this genre and the story -- treat a man like a dog and he'll be eating out of your hand -- keeps you turning the pages, especially when the petty game backfires and she gets more than she bargains for. There are some fun twists during the story that will keep you guessing. I recommend this fun novel to all chick lit enthusiasts.