Status
Available
Genres
Publication
New York : W.W. Norton, c2005.
Description
From the best-selling author of Cowboys are my Weakness comes a story of a woman, Rea, and her dog, Dante, who teaches her that love is stronger than fear. A catalyst for change in other characters as well, Dante effects the lives of Rae's house-tender, her therapist, two veterinarians, and an anxiety-ridden actor. In addition to Dante, there is also Rose, another dog, and Stanley the Cat, all of whom have something to add. With her characteristic wit and candor, Pam shows us how dogs and humans are both creatures in search of connection.
User reviews
LibraryThing member nicole0112
I fell in love with Irish Wolfhounds because of this book. I have an Irish Wolfhound because of this book. Despite these two things, I didn’t like this book. The book jumps around from the viewpoints of all the characters, including the dogs, the cats, and all the owners involved. The voices of
The story is based around Dante, a three-legged Irish Wolfhound, and his owner Rae (who is incredibly self absorbed-except when it comes to her dog). Rae is hoping to find love, and Dante wants nothing more than to see her happy and see her find love. The novel, written by Pam Houston, chronicles the bond between dog and owner and this is where the story gains its power and momentum. The touching moments between Rae and Dante make you want to reach down and stroke your dog between the ears a little bit longer. Houston describes Wolfhounds perfectly and really captures the essence of the breed. Despite all this, I still don’t recommend the book. It’s heartbreaking, and the human characters make it hard to like them, or care about them at all. If you’re going to read it, flip through and just try to get to the good parts. Houston can write, but the brief glimpses of her talents weren’t enought and left me ultimately unfulfilled.
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the human characters are all so similar, that I often found myself paging back to find out which character I was on. And, when I did figure out which human I was dealing with, I didn’t like them especially. The dogs were written well, and I think the whole book could be improved by ripping out all the sections covering the people and just leaving the dogs and the cat.The story is based around Dante, a three-legged Irish Wolfhound, and his owner Rae (who is incredibly self absorbed-except when it comes to her dog). Rae is hoping to find love, and Dante wants nothing more than to see her happy and see her find love. The novel, written by Pam Houston, chronicles the bond between dog and owner and this is where the story gains its power and momentum. The touching moments between Rae and Dante make you want to reach down and stroke your dog between the ears a little bit longer. Houston describes Wolfhounds perfectly and really captures the essence of the breed. Despite all this, I still don’t recommend the book. It’s heartbreaking, and the human characters make it hard to like them, or care about them at all. If you’re going to read it, flip through and just try to get to the good parts. Houston can write, but the brief glimpses of her talents weren’t enought and left me ultimately unfulfilled.
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LibraryThing member mms
Good read, written in several voices, of the effects of a single animal on many beings.
LibraryThing member olgalijo
Just loved it, LOVED it. This is a book for dog lovers' introspective moments, well written and touching. You just have to read it.
LibraryThing member nancynova
abxc-Sherrisue76; Intriguing, excellent book. Dante, one of the narrators and the dying Irish wolfhound, says it's about Faith. And perhaps it is. It's also about love, trust and learning to really live. Told by 12 different narrators, and covering several years of his "human's" life, it tells the
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journey of Rae and Dante, their special bond and how Dante feels he set his human on the right path for after he's gone. Delightful and insightful. This book is now going out in the Wild Thing Book box. Show Less