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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was fine. Better than many memoirs, but a lot of “I can’t tell you how many times” style of writing, which tends to feel a little lazy to me. I love hearing about dogs, and our love for them, and I wish I could have met Reuben and Archer. I remain a little unconvinced about The Frost, but I think that’s just because I don’t love petting wiry fur.
After spending 5.5 hours listening to him talk about his dogs, I’m not convinced the author is someone I’d enjoy speaking to, and I don’t think I’ll seek out his fiction works. But still, 3 stars, and worth a quick listen/read if you are a dog lover.
After spending 5.5 hours listening to him talk about his dogs, I’m not convinced the author is someone I’d enjoy speaking to, and I don’t think I’ll seek out his fiction works. But still, 3 stars, and worth a quick listen/read if you are a dog lover.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Markus Zusak, best known for The Book Thief, turns his storytelling skills toward real life in Three Wild Dogs, a memoir about the joy and chaos of adopting three unruly rescue pups. From biting piano teachers to breaking bones to—yes—killing the family cat, Reuben, Archer, and Frosty bring love, destruction, and plenty of trouble into the Zusak household.
This book had me laughing out loud one moment and near tears the next. Zusak’s writing is, as expected, top-notch—he can make training disasters feel poetic and losing a pet feel like the end of the world. But while his storytelling is strong, the book felt too long for its 240 pages, bogged down by excessive detail.
I read the eBook and listened to the audiobook, and while Zusak’s narration added authenticity, his thick Australian accent was distracting. Ultimately, I wanted to love this memoir more than I did. If you’re a dog lover, it’s worth a read, but be warned—it’s not all tail wags and belly rubs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
** Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy of the book. The opinions are my own.
This book had me laughing out loud one moment and near tears the next. Zusak’s writing is, as expected, top-notch—he can make training disasters feel poetic and losing a pet feel like the end of the world. But while his storytelling is strong, the book felt too long for its 240 pages, bogged down by excessive detail.
I read the eBook and listened to the audiobook, and while Zusak’s narration added authenticity, his thick Australian accent was distracting. Ultimately, I wanted to love this memoir more than I did. If you’re a dog lover, it’s worth a read, but be warned—it’s not all tail wags and belly rubs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
** Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a review copy of the book. The opinions are my own.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Honest, funny, devastating. A heartfelt narration by the author.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
Excellent memoir exploring how our animals bring joy and challenges, but most of all help define our lives
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This is the true story of Markus' dogs and them being in his life. I listened to the audio and it was great. I loved the stories of his dogs and some of them were so relatable. You can tell how much he loves his dogs and how much they mean to him.
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Honestly Zusak is just a really shitty dog owner. He continuously puts his dogs in situations where they'll attack other animals and humans and never even thinks about training them or treat it like a serious issue. To him, his dogs are lovable if not a little ill behaved. And the cat they murdered had it coming. Yikes.
Also i find it hard to swallow that his daughter left him a voicemail in which he said she was "hysterical" and he never called her back. Yikes.
Also i find it hard to swallow that his daughter left him a voicemail in which he said she was "hysterical" and he never called her back. Yikes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood
Moderate: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail