Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: life coach, animal hospital, merrill markoe walking, Johnny Depp, Doggy Depot, Every Holiday Tree (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Markoe (It's My F—ing Birthday) delivers a light-on-its-paws account of dog-lover Dawn Tarnauer's canine-led quest for love. Twice-divorced Dawn is the product of a fantastically dysfunctional family (Dawn's sister, Halley, is an overly enthusiastic life coach, her mother is a struggling entrepreneur and her former smalltime rockabilly musician father invests "a lot of time into perfecting... authentic fifties outfits"); her dog, Chuck, begins talking to her after dud radio-DJ boyfriend Paxton dumps her. Though other dogs can also suddenly communicate with Dawn (including Johnny Depp, a friend's dog), Chuck remains the leading pooch as he plies his master with sage advice and astute observations—"He seemed humpy," Chuck opines about one suitor; "Who doesn't like puppies? That's psychotic," he muses about Paxton—as she negotiates the standard fare of chick lit (losing her job, getting mixed up with wacky beaus, aiding her friends through their respective crises, finding a place to live). Until, that is, Chuck runs away, forcing Dawn to realize her true love may not be a biped. Off-beat enough to stand out of the pack. (Aug.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* When her latest boyfriend leaves her for another woman, twice-divorced Angeleno Dawn Tarnauer buries her face in the fur of her mixed-breed canine, Chuck, and cries. The dog, it seems, sensed trouble all along. "I should have said something before," he laments in a gravelly voice. "Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" Has Dawn gone nuts, or is her dog actually talking to her? This latest offering from multiple Emmy winner and one-time David Letterman head writer Markoe (It's My F***ing Birthday, 2002) may be her best yet, delivering the drama, dark humor, and dysfunctional characters that have become the author's cachet. There's Halley, Dawn's dim, cell phone-addicted sister, determined to succeed in her new career as a Life Coach (thanks to the encouragement of her friend, convicted-killer Scott Peterson); their woefully nonmaternal mother, Joyce, inventor of the hokey but potentially very profitable Every Holiday Tree; and Dawn herself, a tall, blonde California beauty who feels more comfortable sharing confidences with mongrels than men. Markoe's fans will delight in her hilarious doggy dialogue, as when Chuck enlightens his owner on the topic of urination: "There's two kinds of peeing," he says. "There's regular peeing, because you have to pee. And then there's auxiliary competitive peeing. For acquiring an empire. I'm all about the real estate." Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Villard (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140006483X
• ISBN-13: 978-1400064830
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #566,429 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paxton hates me - he's just pretending, October 27, 2006

By	Aslen "aslenpaige" (Independence KY) - See all my reviews

I read this hilarious book in one sitting, laughing out loud and even snorting at times.
If you ever loved a dog, and talked to it, and wondered what all the whines meant, and what on earth they were doing, here's a highly entertaining book, especially from someone who always watched her own dog's reaction every time a new guy came into her life.
I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Grrrr....woof !!!, January 4, 2008

By	Neil Glasser (Monroe, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel (Paperback)

amusing, with a decent story line. the dogs have some good insights. would have preferred to hear more from them and less from the humans in the story.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Enjoyable, September 6, 2006

By	Molly Bedard (CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Markoe's writing is lovely, and so easy to tangle yourself up in. It flows nicely, and keeps you interested at all times.

Her characters are well developed... each one showing their quirky imperfections at just the right moment.

The dogs are fabulous. I can't even count the number of times I caught myself thinking that my own dog would absolutely say some gof the things Markoe wrote about if she could only talk. Fortunately, my dog cannot talk, which made reading about a woman who converses with her dog that much more entertaining.

I highly recommend this book, and fully intend to run out and buy another of Markoe's works as soon as possible.