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| Author: Mark Doty
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $7.00
You Save: $6.95 (50%)
New (33) Used (17) from $5.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 27083
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0061171018
Dewey Decimal Number: 811.54
EAN: 9780061171017
ASIN: 0061171018
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New / Excellent Condition -- All orders ship within one business day! (M-F) -- [Loc:C2]
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| Customer Reviews:
 Absolutely wonderful August 16, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is eloquent, poetic, deep, funny and thoughtful. I have never felt so connected to other 'dog people'. So many things Mark describes about his wonderful friends I found myself saying 'yes, Pukka does that too!' 'I know exactly what he means!'. 'I know exactly how he feels!'
In addition to capturing the bond between human and pet dog, the book is also punctuated by real life events that have effected us all, like 9/11, and the death of a partner. Overall, the story is well written, (although it did go back and forth a bit in time), heart warming, heart wrenching, real, thought provoking and also explores issues of self worth, depression, relationships. And although the story revolves around a gay couple, it transends gender and sexual orientation as anyone can relate to their relationship with each other and with their dogs.
I cried too much at the end though! (Well done)
Unconditional non-judgemental love July 7, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
A dog offers unconditional love and companionship throughout it's life. The unwavering devotion of the golden retriever and labrador is beautifully portrayed in this novel. These recollections are heartfelt and touching. I could not put this book down.
I am the author of-Dreams in August: Life, Love, and Cerebellar Ataxia
Far Exceeded Expectations July 3, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I picked up Dog Years for my husband, as he liked the Jon Katz books. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. I expected a somewhat sentimental eulogy but this memoir is so much more -- it is really a kind of treatise on the inevitability -- and necessity -- of pain in any fully lived life. Further, it is about the limits of language to express experience, and the capabilities that dogs and humans have to communicate without words. Doty moves back and forth between the mundane and the sublime, from poop to poetry (he cites Emily Dickinson's poetry as language that tries to capture the eneffable, the unsayable). Of course he explores his own sadness but he lets us know early on that he had always had a melancholy bent. An important dimension of this memoir is his own journey down and through depression and his recognition that he was in need of help. I was reminded of other writers as I read -- John Updike, Andrew Solomon, Jane Kenyon and Donald Hall. Much more these than -- Jon Katz. Beautifully written, deeply affecting: a book that is an undeniable pleasure to read even while you're close to tears.
 only 1 chapter worth reading May 21, 2007
8 out of 40 found this review helpful
This book was not written very well. It could have been so much better.
I did not care for the writing style. Also, there were not enought highlights of the postive and 90% of the book was very depressing.
 Eloquent musings on the bond between man and dog... May 13, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Anyone who has had a dog and especially nursed one through the end of its life will savor this book. I defy you to refrain from reaching for the Kleenex!
Dogs occupy a special place and special relationships in our lives. Their shorter life spans guarantee that the relationship will ultimately end up in grief over their passing. You feel half-ashamed grieving over "just a dog," but this memoir legitimizes the depths of those bonds and those feelings.
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