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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
This was a very sweet book about a brave and intelligent little dog, but it didn't really grab my attention. I enjoyed it for what it was, but the focus wasn't really on Sirius, which seems to be the trend with books about dogs anyway :/
I thought it would be sadder than it was
Quite a quick, light read.
If you're a dog lover you'll love this book.
Quite a quick, light read.
If you're a dog lover you'll love this book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book, I was even sure I'd enjoy it. But when you're 30% in and you're tempted to give up because it has taken weeks to get to that point, something is off. Maybe my expectations were too high after reading a book like [b:The Art of Racing in the Rain|3153910|The Art of Racing in the Rain|Garth Stein|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377206302s/3153910.jpg|3175590], but I simply couldn't get into Sirius. Here's why:
One of the reasons I wanted to read Sirius was because its central character is a dog. I'm always curious to see how an author shows the world through non-human eyes and while a bit of that was achieved in this book, it fell short of its full potential. I've read books with many non-human characters and I always find it fascinating when they share their beliefs and philosophies from the perspective of their species. That was one thing I didn't get from Sirius. Our little fox terrier felt like a human in a dog's body and while there can certainly be similarities between human and non-human thought, Crown overdid it in this book.
Another thing I didn't like about Sirius was how well everything worked out for him. Somehow, he was always at the right place with the right people, doing the right thing at the right time. There were small peaks of struggle from time to time but the dog is always well received by everyone. Nobody questions how he could be so smart or how he understands every human conversation and responds appropriately. I think that was one thing that irked me - nobody questioned it and simply accepted it as is. He was a dog and he was adorable, why question anything?
If Sirius was too perfect, the other characters were too flat. I sympathized with what they went through but none of them felt real enough for me to care about.
My experience with Sirius may have been more positive if I picked it up expecting an MG depiction of WWII through the eyes of a dog. There were moments when the book tried to be comedic and I can see children appreciating its humour. There were even nuggets of wisdom to pick up here and there. I enjoyed the latter 5-10% of the book but I don't think it was worth the struggle it took for me to get there. Other readers may have a completely different experience. If the synopsis makes you curious enough to read it, do so. If you have other books that are more interesting, you won't miss much by bypassing this one.
I wanted to like this book, I was even sure I'd enjoy it. But when you're 30% in and you're tempted to give up because it has taken weeks to get to that point, something is off. Maybe my expectations were too high after reading a book like [b:The Art of Racing in the Rain|3153910|The Art of Racing in the Rain|Garth Stein|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377206302s/3153910.jpg|3175590], but I simply couldn't get into Sirius. Here's why:
One of the reasons I wanted to read Sirius was because its central character is a dog. I'm always curious to see how an author shows the world through non-human eyes and while a bit of that was achieved in this book, it fell short of its full potential. I've read books with many non-human characters and I always find it fascinating when they share their beliefs and philosophies from the perspective of their species. That was one thing I didn't get from Sirius. Our little fox terrier felt like a human in a dog's body and while there can certainly be similarities between human and non-human thought, Crown overdid it in this book.
Another thing I didn't like about Sirius was how well everything worked out for him. Somehow, he was always at the right place with the right people, doing the right thing at the right time. There were small peaks of struggle from time to time but the dog is always well received by everyone. Nobody questions how he could be so smart or how he understands every human conversation and responds appropriately. I think that was one thing that irked me - nobody questioned it and simply accepted it as is. He was a dog and he was adorable, why question anything?
If Sirius was too perfect, the other characters were too flat. I sympathized with what they went through but none of them felt real enough for me to care about.
My experience with Sirius may have been more positive if I picked it up expecting an MG depiction of WWII through the eyes of a dog. There were moments when the book tried to be comedic and I can see children appreciating its humour. There were even nuggets of wisdom to pick up here and there. I enjoyed the latter 5-10% of the book but I don't think it was worth the struggle it took for me to get there. Other readers may have a completely different experience. If the synopsis makes you curious enough to read it, do so. If you have other books that are more interesting, you won't miss much by bypassing this one.
I absolutely loved this book!!! Sirius, the Liliencrons and their many friends really captured my heart and made me cry - I truly swelled with happiness at the end. I adored Sirius and how he stayed the same despite his many different personas. The brilliant writing of Jonathan Crown really helped me to fully empathise with the little dog and see the world from his perspective. With such a dark background, Sirius and his family (and the Circle) provided a bright light through Crown's light, heartwarming story. I will highly recommend this book to all of my friends and family, and I really cannot emphasise how excited I am to read it again!
3.5 stars from me for this book. an interesting and easy read about a dog and his journey from war Germany to America and back.
Would like to come back to this story, just bad timing & this was library checkout (wells branch).
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
I belong to a Jack Russell Terrier (not sure about the idea of owning her, I think we have a mutually beneficial relationship, anyway...)and so reading a book where the protagonist is a Fox Terrier was always going to go down well. I enjoyed it. I found it charming. It made me smile. But it also made me stop and think a little more about the discrimination and dangers Jews, and their friends, faced during the war - although this was skimmed past it was there lurking.
Glad I read it.
Glad I read it.
In Berlin, he was named Levi – a good Jewish name for a good Jewish dog. Whe he fled with his owners to America he became Hercules, Hollywood’s famous acting dog. Then he caught the eye of Hitler he was renamed Hansi. But to the Resistance he was known as Sirius, the dog on the inside who could bring peace to a world at war. No matter the name, he’s a little dog who almost changed history.
Sirius is a historical novel that’s mostly told from the point of view of the titular dog. He is the focal point of much of the action, it’s through his eyes the reader see’s major events like Kristallnacht, so there’s often this distance between the action and what it really means as while Sirius is smart, he’s still just a dog who doesn’t understand what’s happening. The story also follows Sirius’s human family, the Liliencron’s, so the more emotive stuff comes from them as they flee Germany and make new lives from themselves amongst famous face of Hollywood’s golden age.
Sirius is written in a simple language style and is a very quick and easy book to read that’s got some humour in it. Having a dog being the main character makes this book have an unusual take on historical events. It’s one of those stories where you wonder where the fiction ends and the fact begins due to Sirius meeting so many real people from Hollywood executive Jack L. Warner to Adolf Hitler. There’s some things I know cannot be true and Sirius and his human family have been dropped into a real moment in time, where there’s other parts that seem almost plausible.
The main problem I had with Sirius is that I didn’t really connect with characters. Maybe it was because of the writing style but there was this distance between the characters and myself as the reader. I was interested in Sirius’s adventures but it wasn’t really a book I felt compelled to keep reading.
If you’re a dog lover (I am and that’s the main reason I picked up this book in the first place) and someone interested in a different kind of story set during World War Two then give Sirius a go.
Sirius is a historical novel that’s mostly told from the point of view of the titular dog. He is the focal point of much of the action, it’s through his eyes the reader see’s major events like Kristallnacht, so there’s often this distance between the action and what it really means as while Sirius is smart, he’s still just a dog who doesn’t understand what’s happening. The story also follows Sirius’s human family, the Liliencron’s, so the more emotive stuff comes from them as they flee Germany and make new lives from themselves amongst famous face of Hollywood’s golden age.
Sirius is written in a simple language style and is a very quick and easy book to read that’s got some humour in it. Having a dog being the main character makes this book have an unusual take on historical events. It’s one of those stories where you wonder where the fiction ends and the fact begins due to Sirius meeting so many real people from Hollywood executive Jack L. Warner to Adolf Hitler. There’s some things I know cannot be true and Sirius and his human family have been dropped into a real moment in time, where there’s other parts that seem almost plausible.
The main problem I had with Sirius is that I didn’t really connect with characters. Maybe it was because of the writing style but there was this distance between the characters and myself as the reader. I was interested in Sirius’s adventures but it wasn’t really a book I felt compelled to keep reading.
If you’re a dog lover (I am and that’s the main reason I picked up this book in the first place) and someone interested in a different kind of story set during World War Two then give Sirius a go.