Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

Book Review by Carson Wells Marley & Me by John Grogan is a heartwarming story that will surely tug at your heartstrings. Grogan tells a tale about one of the greatest friends some of us have ever had. A dog. A man’s best friend. A partner in crime. Grogan shares his personal experiences with Marley, the dog who changed Grogan’s life forever. He tells us about the bad times, the good times and all the memorable moments in between. This autobiographical story is about John Grogan and his hyperactive Labrador, Marley. Marley was adopted as a young puppy by the newlyweds Jenny and John Grogan. According to Jenny this is a test to see if she was ready for parenthood. The dog Jenny and John had in mind was a totally different dog than what they actually brought home. Marley ends up being a destructive and highly active dog. Grogan tells tales of how much of a handful Marley can be along with his troublesome and disobedient behavior. He describes the horror stories with a sense of humor and imagery. As a reader, I could imagine my Boston Terrier doing all of the things Marley did. Grogan also expresses Marley’s sensitive side and shows how Marley was there for all the most important things in the Grogan’s life. Grogan shares his life with Marley to the reader and one cannot help but fall in love. Grogan obviously wants the reader to put one’s self in his shoes and remember all the great times the reader has had with their own animals. Since it is told in first person, the reader can easily put themselves in the book. In a sense, it is almost like Grogan wrote the book to share his personal experience and to show that even the most annoying and destructive creature can be loved(this also appears to be the theme throughout the book). Grogan does such a good job of making the reader feel like a part of the story. For example, in this sentence he asks the reader a question: “It’s just the most amazing thing to love a dog, isn’t it?” He asks the reader a question to make it feel as if the reader is at the Grogan’s house watching everything happen. He did a great job of obtaining my attention and keeping it throughout the book. Grogan has an informal style of writing that uses a lot of imagery, sarcasm, and much more. Almost every page has figurative language that makes the dialogue so much more interesting and effective. He is very descriptive and uses many different types of figurative language in his dialogue. One example of his great descriptions is shown in this sentence: “Then, as if an invisible hand reached down from the heavens and jabbed Marley with a giant shot of adrenaline, he took off full throttle, racing around the yard in a series of giant, loping leaps interrupted every several feet by a random somersault or nosedive.” Can you just picture this massive dog leaping through the air at full force? Grogan also likes to use similes such as the one in this sentence: “It makes our relationship with people seem as boring as a bowl of oatmeal.” All the figurative language and word choice really made the book come alive. Marley & Me really is a truly amazing and inspirational book. There are so many life lessons you can learn in this book. It teaches us that you must find your way through life along with balancing a career, family, and marriage. This book is great if you are looking for a love story, an animal story, or just a good laugh. Overall I really enjoyed the book. I absolutely love Grogan’s writing style. Marley & Me was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I would recommend this book to just about any adult, young adult, and especially anyone who is thinking about becoming a dog owner. This heartwarming and entertaining book will surely make anyone who reads it smile.

The fact that the writer is a columnist and not a novelist shows. The narrative defiantly bounces around. But if you like peoples dogs stories you will find yourself finishing the last chapter without realizing you were hooked. I will also say this isn't just about the dog but also the author and his family so not every chapter is lovable antics. Read the free sample if you are still interested when you reach the end buy the book.

i love Marley & Me it was such a good book but the movie was better i loved them both we especially the movie it shows you how you bond with your first dog and what its like to lose after the bad past and good times you had him i been there its not but its an experience for all of us Marley was my favorite character because hes so irresistibly cute I'm hoping this book will get more reviews:)