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martcacio's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked It, the fact that the author mix real historical elements with our hero Hércules was very interesting for me
geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'Sirius: A Novel About the Little Dog Who Almost Changed History' by Jonathan Crown is about a little dog and about how we can find themselves in strange new places.
A fox terrier named Levi at the beginning of the novel lives in Munich with his Jewish family, but this is not a good place for this family while Hitler is in power. The dog gets renamed Sirius in order to protect him and the family that owns him. The family finds themselves in Hollywood during the Golden Age and Sirius finds a career in film, this time with the name Hercules. When Hercules is kidnapped and shipped back to Germany, he gets taken in by none other than Adolph Hitler and renamed Hansi. Will this little dog be powerful enough to help take down this dictator? Will he ever be reunited with his family?
The story is told through the eyes of this little dog, and the little dog is able to understand and communicate with people in a way that is more magical than realistic. This bothered me at first because the subject is less than magical at times, but it grew on me. The story has heart and feelings. Real events and people are interwoven in a way that sometimes feels like name dropping, but mostly just adds to the charm of this book.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Scribner and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
A fox terrier named Levi at the beginning of the novel lives in Munich with his Jewish family, but this is not a good place for this family while Hitler is in power. The dog gets renamed Sirius in order to protect him and the family that owns him. The family finds themselves in Hollywood during the Golden Age and Sirius finds a career in film, this time with the name Hercules. When Hercules is kidnapped and shipped back to Germany, he gets taken in by none other than Adolph Hitler and renamed Hansi. Will this little dog be powerful enough to help take down this dictator? Will he ever be reunited with his family?
The story is told through the eyes of this little dog, and the little dog is able to understand and communicate with people in a way that is more magical than realistic. This bothered me at first because the subject is less than magical at times, but it grew on me. The story has heart and feelings. Real events and people are interwoven in a way that sometimes feels like name dropping, but mostly just adds to the charm of this book.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Scribner and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
siriusly_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
annalisenak97's review against another edition
3.0
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 :/
paperbackmo's review against another edition
3.0
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.
jhouses's review against another edition
3.0
Muy agradable esta visita a los últimos años treinta y la guerra mundial de la mano de un simple perro. Al modo de Gabriel de Araceli en los Episodios Nacionales o Flashman de los Flashman Papers, Sirius se las arregla para visitar o conocer alguno de los momentos y lugares más importantes de la época. Pero donde uno es romanticismo folletinesco y otro es sátira cínica, el perro es una mirada inocente y sin doblez. Lenguaje casi infantil pero lleno de significados.
Spoiler
que contribuye a mostrarnos con efectividad el Berlín prebélico, el Hollywood de la Época Dorada, el atentado de Stauffenberg o los últimos días en el Bunkerperfectcupoftea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
colourmeread's review against another edition
2.0
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.
loloallen127's review against another edition
5.0
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!
afterhours's review against another edition
3.0
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.