Reviews

War Dog: The no-man's-land puppy who took to the skies by Damien Lewis

kathleenguthriewoods's review against another edition

5.0

(Listened to the audio, narrated by Derek Perkins)

I picked this up to have something to listen to at the gym (because watching the morning news was too depressing). The upside is that I frequently stayed on the treadmill or elliptical machine longer than intended to find out what happened next. The not-too-bad downside is I frequently gasped or laughed out loud and fought back tears--in public.

A fantastic true story that fans of WWII history will love. A must for dog lovers.

damreader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

reasonabee's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

jlasch's review against another edition

4.0

The first 3/4 quarters of this book was a 5-star worthy jaw-dropping adventure. I was amazed and awestruck at the life threatening challenges Robert and his dog Ant shared and survived. Their bond was heartwarming and unbreakable, and I must confess I shed a few tears while listening to their plights. After Robert was commissioned to training detail, followed by Ant being grounded due to injury, the book dragged a bit which is why I dropped my rating to 4 stars. The ending did get better, although not as thrilling as the beginning of the story. Based on the epilogue, I think a second book could be written detailing Robert and Ant's continued exploits after World War II ended!

liberrydude's review against another edition

3.0

If you can get past the excessive anthropomorphism that is also part of this book's charm you will find a compelling tale of bravery and camaraderie of man and beast. Just an incredible story that leaves you with that adage- you can't make this stuff up. Part Lassie, part Greyfriar's Bobby, the dog in this story, Ant, absolutely eclipses those other canine icons in his exploits. And he could be a bad dog too-Lewis tells it all. His owner, Robert Bozdech, a Czech airman, found Ant after he was shot down while flying for the French Air Force during the Phoney War. They escape to the UK and immediately are in the Czech squadron in the RAF flying Wellington bombers. We hear of all the exploits of Ant. He sounds like a liberty risk. Couldn't be without his master. Would run after trains trailing his master. Would stay on the flight line waiting for the sound of the engines of the particular bomber Robert flew. This vigil would almost kill Ant when they deployed to Scotland with its arctic climate in the winter. And he could detect German aircraft when radar failed. Only small grainy pics appear at the beginning of each chapter. Would have liked more pictures not only of Ant but of Robert and his mates. Some great moments in this book of military martinets being crushed by the power of dog lovers higher in the chain of command. Both Robert and Ant are real heroes.

jennfgarcia's review against another edition

5.0

Loved this true story of man and dog!!

sally1's review against another edition

5.0

This book had me captivated from the first page of the preface. It's one of those books that I hated to put down, and didn't want to finish. Their story is simply amazing!

ficsandflix's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

benfast's review against another edition

3.0

An interesting story, another classic war dog hero story that at times sounds too good to be true. Dog who acts as radar? Yep. Dog who survives multiple near-fatal experiences with no veterinary medicine (just an army doctor?!)? Yeah. Dog who seems to understand complex English instructions at all times (even though he was rescued by a Czech guy who can hardly speak English) from almost everybody except when it could save his life or when it leads to a good prank on his owner's date who he doesn't like? Sure, that too... So yah, interesting story but at times hard to believe it's a real one!

bevan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0