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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
is this the original heartbreaking dog story?
A fun audiobook for the fam on a road trip as it gives a good glimpse into Texas farm life a century and a half ago.
Trigger Warning: I'm about to use profanity.
Fuck this book and those of its ilk. That is all.
Fuck this book and those of its ilk. That is all.
4.5- 5 stars. When is a dog book not a dog book? This is a dog book and kinda isn't too. Yes, the dog dies (not really a spoiler since that's announced on the first page), but this is less about that than it is a boy's journey to that place. Old Yeller is a thief, something of a coward, and yet the bravest of companions when it's necessary. One could wish it was less necessary that it is during the summer he is Travis's companion. This is Travis story, not Old Yeller's. It's the late 1860s and Travis has been left to be the "man" at the homestead, i.e. he's to look after his mother and little brother Arliss, tend the cornfield, mark the hogs, and supply meat and firewood while his father is off on a cattle drive. There's a saying about writing that if the author mentions a sword above the mantle, you know that it'll be used. Travis's father warns him that there is a rumor of hydrophobia (rabies) in the area and then heads off.It comes up in passing twice more, just in case you forgot the first time. And so the stage is set. Yes, the story has a dog, but that's not as important as this lesson: "And a man can't afford to waste all the good part, worrying about the bad parts. That makes it all bad.” As for being sad, I don't think it's as sad as "Bambi", "Black Beauty", "Watership Down", or "Charlotte's Web". I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (PopSugar "4/5 rating on Goodreads) and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1959).
I remember reading this as a class in the third grade. It was an emotional read (we were children after all,) and few were pleased with the ending. Looking back, though, Old Yeller was a book I'm glad we read. It's one of those books that all children should be exposed to. It is a fine piece of children's literature.
Kinda glad I didn't read this as a kid. It would have crushed me more than Charlotte's Web did
Such a simple yet powerful little book. You can't help but fall in love with Old Yeller, which makes the ending all the more heart breaking.
Really didn't care for this book at all. I'd never read it before and this fit my 2018 Popsugar reading challenge (a childhood book I'd never read). As part of another challenge, I re-read Where the Red Fern Grows. I feel very differently about the two books although they are similar in so many ways.
My biggest problem with this book, is that I never really got the feeling of love that was supposed to be there. At least I'm guessing it was supposed to be. Instead, I felt like the kid brother loved the dog and the older brother thought of him as a tool to use. I get that back in the day, animals were often used in that way, but then why do I feel no more sadness about the dog than the damn cow. It too provides a service.
My biggest problem with this book, is that I never really got the feeling of love that was supposed to be there. At least I'm guessing it was supposed to be. Instead, I felt like the kid brother loved the dog and the older brother thought of him as a tool to use. I get that back in the day, animals were often used in that way, but then why do I feel no more sadness about the dog than the damn cow. It too provides a service.
Bawling my eyes out. Dogs are the greatest creatures, I want 50 more of them.