My Life with Dogs

I never much cared for grown-up books about dogs. Oh, a dog sitting at his master/ mistress's feet, looking cute or mischievous, added to my enjoyment of a book. But an entire book that featured dogs as a fairly important part of the plot? Nah. Until I started reading about The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Although I usually run like crazy when I hear a book touted as "a classic in the making," this book, though maybe not quite a classic-to-be, is a great summer read. I can't explain my attraction. It's the words, of course. Thinking about his beloved companion Almondine (now there's a great dog name!), Edgar thinks that perhaps Almondine will have forgiven his crimes, for which he wanted more than anything to atone...Others dreamed of finding a person in the world whose soul was made in their mirror image, but she and Edgar had been conceived nearly together, grown up together, and however strange it might be, she was his other. Much could be endured for that."
I recommended the book to my best dog-loving friend and she was lukewarm. Now I'm afraid to overly rave! But I can't put it down and last night I got to the last chapter, way past midnight, and couldn't bear to finish. It's that kind of book.


I started to call this entry Dogs in Books. But I can't really write anything about dogs without mentioning my own sweet dogs. Ginger and her great-grandson Barley, who lived to the ripe and lovable old age of 15. This is the first summer in thirty years that my family hasn't had a dog happily underfoot. Barley was a great dog, a gentle soul.

Barley at his Birthday Party

I love kids' books with dogs in them. Winn Dixie is a favorite, but there's also Harry the Dirty Dog, the McDuff stories, and the hilarious Ike in Dear Mrs. LaRue. When Ike gets shipped off to obedience school, he writes pleading letters back to his owner about his cellmates: "They are BAD DOGS, Mrs. LaRue. I do not fit in!" The book always reminds me of my friend Nonie's dog Hoops who ate both aluminum foil and a very expensive shoe. Hoops and Barley were friends at Obedience School. Barley graduated with flying colors. Hoops graduated, too.

Just in case we decide to get another dog, I'll be ready with a name. This terrific website lists dogs in fiction, from myths to movies. Ginger came to us already named but my family almost came to blows when picking a name for Barley. And reading over this list of famous dog names, I see a few I'd like to try out. Nero, Boots, Banga anyone? Maybe my next dog will be fictional.

Opening the Book

Is there anything better than a beginning? Beginnings of many things-- with the possible exception of a head cold or a tick bite (both of which I had last week...). But since this is a book-related blog, I mean here, the beginning of a book.



Having read a few reviews that piqued my interest, I raced on over to the library (OK, I clicked on over to their website) to reserve THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE. I had to wait a while to move up on the list, but yesterday the book arrived and I brought it home.



I love the mystery of a book's beginning. Where will we go on this journey? Why does Chapter 1 open in Korea, 1952? From the reviews, I thought I'd be reading about dogs, Wisconsin, farms, a family. But wait. Read on. By page 9, I was hooked, reading about Edgar's grandfather and his "extra share of whimsy." The words! The family's story! The dogs! And most of all, the amazing writing. I stayed up way too late and am now fighting the urge to move away from my work at this computer and read some more.



This is why I love good beginnings. For me, there're all optimism and anticipation, a sense that the book will take me on a new journey, entertain me, teach me. I can sense that this is a book to be savored. I think I will return this library copy for others to enjoy and hustle on over to the bookstore for my own. Then I really love opening a book, the fresh cover and the never-turned pages, the stiff spine, the smell, the new words.