The Boss Dog (Paperback)

by M. F. K. Fisher (Author) "Most people who wander together have good things happen to them, and possibly the best thing that happened to Anne and Mary and their mother..." (more)
Key Phrases: pistachio nougat, big fountain, black ear, Boss Dog, Madame Paoli, Cours Mirabeau (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
First published as a limited edition by the Yolla Bolly Press, this brief and charming novel by essayist/epicure Fisher tells with childlike esprit of an American family's residence in Aix-en-Provence. The mother and her saucily precocious children, Anne and Mary, get to know the town with the staunch help of Boss--"the doggiest dog anyone ever saw"--a stray with an incurable craving for pistachio nougat. The Boss Dog has an enviable knowledge of Aix's low and high life, and guides the three travelers through crowds and toward restaurants. He is "a large fellow with a fat rear, mostly the kind of terrier called yippy, part Fox and part Boston and part Mystery, a rather rat-nosed, narrow-eyed, undistinguished dog esthetically." Fisher's inimitable observations of place, taste and character give readers vicarious encounters with the fountains, cafes, festivals and food of Aix, while she lyrically--and nervily--captures the lives of Americans abroad. The droll accident of being outsiders, and its fatigues, have rarely been so delicately evident in fiction.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
According to Fisher's afterword, this tale is based on her sojourn in Aix-en-Provence with two young daughters in the early 1950s. The adventures of a proud if scruffy mongrel, the Boss Dog, serve as a pretext for an informal, fictionalized portrait of the southern French city and its denizens. As the recent Long Ago in France ( LJ 2/15/91) attests, Fisher is an elegant and accomplished stylist, but here she serves up more style than substance. The result is mildly diverting and will appeal to travelers, dog lovers, and fans of the author's other, more substantial works.
- Grove Koger, Boise P.L., Id.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: North Point Press (December 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865476306
• ISBN-13: 978-0865476301
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,133,542 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a tasty morsel, March 28, 2005

By	Sharon L Burns "lilipad" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

I thought this book was utterly charming. Fisher delights, as usual, with her precise prose, vivid descriptions, wry and warm affection for the people, places and dogs of France, speficially in this instance of small Provence town of Aix. This, which must be a slightly (or who knows how much) fictionalized account of the author's stay in Aix with her two daughters and their dealings with a mysterious and sometimes aloof dog. Each vignette fully realizes the drama, humor, and flavor of vintage Mary Frances Kennedy. It's good reading for kids; the pace is swift and the diaglogue sharp. I can't wait to read it to my son when he gets older.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Family Fun in France, June 11, 2001

By	Tom Williams "Marketing Maven" (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews

This is a little gem of a book about an American mother and her two children, and their time living in France. MFK Fisher is a delight to read, and this book speaks of her personal experience in France. The book tells about the adventures of a dog that is in command, and how they come to know, watch and love this canine manager.

This is a great story to read as an adult, and especially wonderful to share with children. As someone who lived abroad as a child, I would highly recommend it for anyone moving, or visiting a foreign country (especially France), as it tells of the adventures that one can find everywhere on the road. the adventures that one can find everywhere on the road.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, funny story, May 26, 2000

By	Sophia (the Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boss Dog: A Story of Provence (Paperback)

In this story, the excellent M. F. K. Fisher, better known for her gastronomical writing, tells the story of two American little girls, Anne and Mary, and their mother as they adapt to living in France. They gradually make the acquaintance of a mongrel dog, who manages to keep tabs on the entire town. Told as a series of vignettes, this semi-autobiographical story is charming and funny, if slightly lacking in continuity. A pleasure to read.