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| Manufacturer: HarperCollins e-books
Category: EBooks
List Price: $18.95
Buy New: $9.85
You Save: $9.10 (48%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 4368
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Dewey Decimal Number: 811.54
ASIN: B000OI0F1W
Publication Date: March 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 To My Dog Loving Friends: September 23, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
(I read this book and was touched by it enough to write an email to my Dog Loving Friends) Here is what I wrote:
Dear Dog Loving Friends,
Over the past few days I read a book that I checked out of the library called Dog Years written by Mark Doty.
The book moved me so much that I intend to buy a copy for me to keep as my own. (And I never ever buy books to own.)
I recommend it to you (if you will endure the more poetic parts of it and seemingly random diversionary discussions), and I recommend it to Connie's hairdresser given that he owns 14 dogs. Susanne, if you can pass this on to Connie or make mention, I would be grateful.
The book is told in the first person. It is a memoir of sorts - reminds me of a scrapbook in a way - with lots of "photos" (the photos being stories) of dogs, but other "momentoes" stuck in the book such as random musings on poetry and sidebar discussions on such non-dog related topics as Judy Garland, the difference between dispair and depression....and boy does he nail it when he decribes depression. I am not quoting directly but something like: "Depression moves in heavily and sits in the sink as the dirty dishes from yesterday" ....
As strange as all the pieces were, it comes together quite lovely. Like a meal or a recipe in which I would have NEVER thought to combine all those ingredients, but it worked beautifully.
This book all made sense to me (except for some of the poetry..ok, ok, so I admidt I am missing the Emily Dickenson gene along with the cooking gene, but I will go back and carefully re-read some of the poetry.) I especially liked the poem on the wind. See that is the great thing about this book. I just finished it and already I am eager to read it again.
The book starts slowly and gets much better after a few chapters. I was momentarily confused between a dog named Wally and a man named Wally, and I was mildly irritated that the author used the word "fierce" or a very similar word 3 times on the same page. jeeze, picky, picky.
But then on the other hand, I rather LIKED this "flaw" because I felt like he was not a honed pretentious writer following all those rules we learn in English and writing classes, but instead he was really writing from the heart. And I myself, of course, cannot even write one smidgen as well as Doty.
Doty, an artistic insightful angst ridden gay man, recollects his past and how important his dogs were to him. He brilliantly perceptively and precisely captures what I think we see and love in our dogs. I was constantly saying "YES, YES, YES!" outloud to myself while reading. I wept copiously at the end.
The manner in which he desribes his dogs "resonates" with me (I hate to use that overused word, but it really fits here).
Because Doty is a poet, he sees his dogs through poetic artistic eyes.
The book will make you laugh and cry. I hope you take time to read it. See the reader reviews in the link below. (and I copied in the link to Amazon for my friends to click to).
- later -
 Absolutely wonderful August 16, 2007
3 out of 3 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
8 out of 9 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
9 out of 43 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.
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