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hckilgour's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
It’s a dog book, you know how this ends.
I never met Trixie, so I can’t actually account for her intelligence, but I’ve met dog smarter than people. This definitely seemed like one of them.
As always, I’m moved by how much dogs can impact a person. They really do change our lives for the better.
I’m still trying to work out how a dog “wrote” a few books, but I’ll be checking those out.
I never met Trixie, so I can’t actually account for her intelligence, but I’ve met dog smarter than people. This definitely seemed like one of them.
As always, I’m moved by how much dogs can impact a person. They really do change our lives for the better.
I’m still trying to work out how a dog “wrote” a few books, but I’ll be checking those out.
thejustinwestra's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I have a neighbor who gave me a copy of this book because she loves my dog, Millie, and said it’s a must-read for dog owners. A Big Little Life is a memoir about Dean and Gerda’s golden retriever, Trixie, and the impact she had on those who were lucky enough to know her.
This was a cute book! It’s full of humorous and heartwarming anecdotes from different points in Trixie’s life, from her time at Canine Companions for Independence to her time with Dean and Gerda. Some of the stories seemed to be a little exaggerated but I didn’t mind because they usually led to an observation about dog ownership or just life in general. I found the observations to be really touching and relatable as someone with two pets. There is beauty in loving a dog and living in the moment with them despite knowing they have such short lives.
Structurally this book was a little disjointed, mostly chronological but some of the stories could have been moved around. Apparently Koontz doesn’t use outlines (this is mentioned in the book) and that seemed somewhat evident while reading. With that being said, I think this book would have resonated with me more if I was more familiar with Dean Koontz’ work and how his writing has changed over time.
Overall, this was a cute memoir full of humor, emotional moments, and life lessons. I don’t know if it’s a must-read for dog owners but I’m glad I read it. I would give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
This was a cute book! It’s full of humorous and heartwarming anecdotes from different points in Trixie’s life, from her time at Canine Companions for Independence to her time with Dean and Gerda. Some of the stories seemed to be a little exaggerated but I didn’t mind because they usually led to an observation about dog ownership or just life in general. I found the observations to be really touching and relatable as someone with two pets. There is beauty in loving a dog and living in the moment with them despite knowing they have such short lives.
Structurally this book was a little disjointed, mostly chronological but some of the stories could have been moved around. Apparently Koontz doesn’t use outlines (this is mentioned in the book) and that seemed somewhat evident while reading. With that being said, I think this book would have resonated with me more if I was more familiar with Dean Koontz’ work and how his writing has changed over time.
Overall, this was a cute memoir full of humor, emotional moments, and life lessons. I don’t know if it’s a must-read for dog owners but I’m glad I read it. I would give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
littleminniemiss's review against another edition
3.0
While beautifully written, I struggled to read this at times because of how disconnected Koontz felt to me from other dog owners. He describes getting the perfect dog, already trained, allowing her to run through his mansion and befriend the staff, and I simply cannot relate to this experience, which diminished my enjoyment of the book.
Again, Koontz is an incredible writer, and his description of trixie’s last days and his and his wife’s reactions to it were raw and beautiful. While I, myself, am not religious, I even enjoyed some of his musings on his dog being angelic. Overall, however, this book simply wasn’t for me.
Again, Koontz is an incredible writer, and his description of trixie’s last days and his and his wife’s reactions to it were raw and beautiful. While I, myself, am not religious, I even enjoyed some of his musings on his dog being angelic. Overall, however, this book simply wasn’t for me.
kraftymama's review against another edition
5.0
Super cute book. I’m a long time fan of Dean Koontz but didn’t know about his love for Golden Retrievers. I also have a Golden Girl so this book was a treat to read for me. He usually writes thrillers but this was a soft side to his books. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Laughed and cried.
codeliusthe2nd's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing! It was very interesting to get a glimpse into what Dean Koontz's life is really like, but what the life of Trixie was like. At many points, I literally burst out laughing, and I cried. This book was amazing, and any Dean Koontz fan, or dog lover, should read it!
aparsons's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this more than I did. It was cute and at times really heartfelt. I do appreciate the authors perspective and how much he loves his dog. However I really could have done without all the extra bits about how rich and famous he is. Sigh. 3.5/5
leighmowzer's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not going to finish this but I wanted to review it anyway. Dean Koontz is a wizard with words. I wish he would step away from the horror genre from time to time, oh wait, this is him doing that.
It reads like a journal of someone who's entire life revolves around their pet... before you judge me because that sounds kind of amazing to me too... it is entirely boring. I'm sorry but there it is. Page after page of peeing on the carpet stories (it wasn't her fault, obvi), pooing in the neighbors yard, having meaningful eye contact... dog to human... I couldn't. It sounds magical to have that kind of connection with your pup but reads like some kind of play by play mommy blog. Wittle puppy pooped on the grass again!?! Hooray!!! Not that I don't say that to my own furry darlings (they need the encouragement)...but I have no delusions of that nonsense being good book material. It just isn't.
Sorry Dean! Maybe you should have stayed in horror-ville.
It reads like a journal of someone who's entire life revolves around their pet... before you judge me because that sounds kind of amazing to me too... it is entirely boring. I'm sorry but there it is. Page after page of peeing on the carpet stories (it wasn't her fault, obvi), pooing in the neighbors yard, having meaningful eye contact... dog to human... I couldn't. It sounds magical to have that kind of connection with your pup but reads like some kind of play by play mommy blog. Wittle puppy pooped on the grass again!?! Hooray!!! Not that I don't say that to my own furry darlings (they need the encouragement)...but I have no delusions of that nonsense being good book material. It just isn't.
Sorry Dean! Maybe you should have stayed in horror-ville.