So I thought if anything I would find "Marley and Me" to be a sweet book about a man and his dog. Especially now that it appears to have been made into a zany family romp.
You guys, this book is hard to handle. At one point I thought I might have to stop reading. The first 250 pages are fine, clever, adorable, sufficiently zany although surprisingly legitimately funny and often tender. But, it's the last 30 pages that will get you right in the gut.
Marley gets old and dies. (Oh please, I didn't ruin anything. If you're surprised by this you must have been blown away when the boat sank in "Titanic") And for anyone who has ever put a pet down...it's a rough 30 pages. Fiercely proud of ot being a weepy sentimentalist I found myself reacting like this:
- I'm getting teary
- Whoa, the tears are falling out of my eyes.
- Mayday Mayday, it's not just teariness, I'm full out crying.
- Red Alert...I'm weeping.
- I need to put this book down for a minute.
- I need to call Daren and yell at him for lending me this book.
- Ok, everything is back in check. That was a surprise crying jag. Please finish this book now.
- Whoa man...here it comes again...
It really was intense. It will take you straight back into the grief you felt putting down your most favorite family pet. For me it was Jasper the cat who was with me from 3rd grade through age 24. Whoa...mayday, mayday...
Anyway, read this book, it's not the mushy slapped together sacchrine moneymaker it appears to be. (No offense author, it just kinda seems that way to jaded people). It's actually very funny and sweet and poignant.
Just remember that around page 250...make sure you have the Puffs handy for the duration.
2 comments:
um, i'm upset and disheartened that olympia wasn't on your list of dogs that you tolerate. especially cause i'm gonna ask if you can dog-sit at the end of december/beginning of january...
Yeah, I think anyone who can make it through this book without at least tearing up a little has no heart and should be removed from the gene pool. But, you know, in a totally humane way.
Wow, Jasper sounds like a trooper. My friend's childhood cat just died (he's 35 (my friend, not the cat)); and he's pretty sure that it would have lasted longer had it not had a four-pack-a-day second-hand-smoke habit.
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