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156 reviews for:
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship
Tom Ryan
3.95 AVERAGE
156 reviews for:
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship
Tom Ryan
3.95 AVERAGE
Actual rating - 3.5 stars.
There was potential for this to be a 5-star read. I love animal friendship stories, particularly those featuring dogs. Unfortunately, the writing style brought the rating down for me.
The author's use of overly descriptive language was overdone, particularly in the first half of the book. There were portions of the story that didn't seem pertinent to the overall novel, and the author frequently added details that didn't seem necessary. All of this resulted in a story that did not flow smoothly.
I will likely read the author's other book. I'm hoping that with experience, his writing style has improved.
There was potential for this to be a 5-star read. I love animal friendship stories, particularly those featuring dogs. Unfortunately, the writing style brought the rating down for me.
The author's use of overly descriptive language was overdone, particularly in the first half of the book. There were portions of the story that didn't seem pertinent to the overall novel, and the author frequently added details that didn't seem necessary. All of this resulted in a story that did not flow smoothly.
I will likely read the author's other book. I'm hoping that with experience, his writing style has improved.
I'm so happy that I was lucky enough to receive this ARC for free from Goodreads First Reads!
I couldn't put this down; Tom Ryan's descriptions of the White Mountains held me captivated.
Even at work, between customers, I was reading.
This book wasn't just about a hiking dog. Tom's telling of his relationship with Atticus, and their amazing adventures in the mountains, made me want to buy a miniature schnauzer and start hiking.
I laughed, I cried, I went, "awwwwwwww" - Therefor, I heartily recommend this one to animal lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone with a heart!
I couldn't put this down; Tom Ryan's descriptions of the White Mountains held me captivated.
Even at work, between customers, I was reading.
This book wasn't just about a hiking dog. Tom's telling of his relationship with Atticus, and their amazing adventures in the mountains, made me want to buy a miniature schnauzer and start hiking.
I laughed, I cried, I went, "awwwwwwww" - Therefor, I heartily recommend this one to animal lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone with a heart!
You would think his dog was Jesus reincarnate by the way he talked about him. Very self-indulgent and over dramatic.
This is the first review I have written for this site. This book was extraordinary. I read it in two days (I would have read it faster had I not had other stuff to do). The book seemed like it would be a typical "animal book," but it was so much more than that: reconnecting with family, the wilderness, unconventional spirituality, finding one's self, classic literature, and love for animals.
The writing was easy to read, filled with small excerpts from classic authors like Thoreau, Frost, etc. I think it's a book everyone should read - it made me laugh (out loud...on public transportation), and it made me cry. Now that's a darn good book.
The writing was easy to read, filled with small excerpts from classic authors like Thoreau, Frost, etc. I think it's a book everyone should read - it made me laugh (out loud...on public transportation), and it made me cry. Now that's a darn good book.
"in the mountains atticus became more of what he'd always been, and i became less - less frantic, less stressed, less worried, and less harried."
"by refusing to subject atticus to less-than-favorable conditions, i kept myself safe."
"i thought about how such weather can strip a man of hope and his good sense and make him feel lonely and empty. i thought about how easy it would be to just sit down and stop moving through the wind and gloom."
"limitations are something we put on ourselves" this quote made me mad. it belittles the work i've had to do in ACCEPTING and respecting my damn limitations instead of constantly railing and fighting against them. because all the fighting did was exhaust me more. pushing made me crash, it didnt make me succeed in passing by my limitations. and crashing put MORE limits on me. so no. limitations are NOT something *I* chose to put upon myself. they are not something i accepted blindly, and they could not be overcome by sheer willpower. yes. pissed me off.
"walt whitman wrote: 'after you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on - have found that none of them finally satisfy, or permanently wear - what remains? nature remains'. as is usually the case, my heart knew it before my head figured it out."
"the branches became clutching hands and swiping claws. it felt like we were walking through a sea of the dead and they were reaching out to make us one of them. it had been a long day, an din my weariness my imagination took over. no matter how much i tried to think of something to take my mind off the night and those clutching hungry hands, i failed. they were everywhere. i picked up the pace, but the faster i walked, the quicker those hands came at me: shadows darting, flailing, grasping, and closing in."
"courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not the absence of fear."
"so what religion are you?"
-"i dont have one."
"you have to have a religion if you believe in god. if you had to choose a religion, which one would it be?"
-"i wouldnt choose. who needs the middleman? i believe in god. isnt that enough?"
"but say god came to you and said, 'you have to choose a religion' which one would you choose?"
-"i dont think god would do that."
"but just say he did."
-"ok, if i had to classify myself as one thing, i'd say i was a pantheist."
the woman gave me a disgusted look and stalked away. a couple days later i ran into her boyfriend. he wanted to know why i'd been so rude to her.
-"hua?"
"when susan asked what religion you'd choose, you said you'd worship panties."
i had to explain that pantheism was a belief that god was in nature.
thats what the mountains were to me. they were my religion - the only one i wanted - and i found it in my struggles when i weas literally forced by my exhaustion to stop moving and look at my surroundings. you feel part of everything.
"'i didnt think you could do it.' he'd said. the words were not tinged with emotion; they were flat and matter-of-fact. but some arrows dont need to be dipped in poison to kill."
"he had faith when i didnt. faith had never been my strong point, but he was determined to help me with that."
"we sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains."- Li Po.
"god tells us we are supposed to have love in our life. he doesnt say it has to be between a man and a woman. seems to me atticus gave you the family you always wanted."
"he had accomplished what most people fail to do - change."
i'd always been curious about her first piece of advice on raising atticus: 'carry him everywhere you go, and dont let anyone else hold him that first month.' "that worked so well. i tell everyone who gets a puppy that they should do it. where does it come from paige?"
there was a pause on the other end of th ephone, as if she were wondering whether she really wanted to tell me, and then in a soft, vulnerable voice, she said, "thats the way i always wanted to be loved, tom."
"by refusing to subject atticus to less-than-favorable conditions, i kept myself safe."
"i thought about how such weather can strip a man of hope and his good sense and make him feel lonely and empty. i thought about how easy it would be to just sit down and stop moving through the wind and gloom."
"limitations are something we put on ourselves" this quote made me mad. it belittles the work i've had to do in ACCEPTING and respecting my damn limitations instead of constantly railing and fighting against them. because all the fighting did was exhaust me more. pushing made me crash, it didnt make me succeed in passing by my limitations. and crashing put MORE limits on me. so no. limitations are NOT something *I* chose to put upon myself. they are not something i accepted blindly, and they could not be overcome by sheer willpower. yes. pissed me off.
"walt whitman wrote: 'after you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on - have found that none of them finally satisfy, or permanently wear - what remains? nature remains'. as is usually the case, my heart knew it before my head figured it out."
"the branches became clutching hands and swiping claws. it felt like we were walking through a sea of the dead and they were reaching out to make us one of them. it had been a long day, an din my weariness my imagination took over. no matter how much i tried to think of something to take my mind off the night and those clutching hungry hands, i failed. they were everywhere. i picked up the pace, but the faster i walked, the quicker those hands came at me: shadows darting, flailing, grasping, and closing in."
"courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not the absence of fear."
"so what religion are you?"
-"i dont have one."
"you have to have a religion if you believe in god. if you had to choose a religion, which one would it be?"
-"i wouldnt choose. who needs the middleman? i believe in god. isnt that enough?"
"but say god came to you and said, 'you have to choose a religion' which one would you choose?"
-"i dont think god would do that."
"but just say he did."
-"ok, if i had to classify myself as one thing, i'd say i was a pantheist."
the woman gave me a disgusted look and stalked away. a couple days later i ran into her boyfriend. he wanted to know why i'd been so rude to her.
-"hua?"
"when susan asked what religion you'd choose, you said you'd worship panties."
i had to explain that pantheism was a belief that god was in nature.
thats what the mountains were to me. they were my religion - the only one i wanted - and i found it in my struggles when i weas literally forced by my exhaustion to stop moving and look at my surroundings. you feel part of everything.
"'i didnt think you could do it.' he'd said. the words were not tinged with emotion; they were flat and matter-of-fact. but some arrows dont need to be dipped in poison to kill."
"he had faith when i didnt. faith had never been my strong point, but he was determined to help me with that."
"we sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains."- Li Po.
"god tells us we are supposed to have love in our life. he doesnt say it has to be between a man and a woman. seems to me atticus gave you the family you always wanted."
"he had accomplished what most people fail to do - change."
i'd always been curious about her first piece of advice on raising atticus: 'carry him everywhere you go, and dont let anyone else hold him that first month.' "that worked so well. i tell everyone who gets a puppy that they should do it. where does it come from paige?"
there was a pause on the other end of th ephone, as if she were wondering whether she really wanted to tell me, and then in a soft, vulnerable voice, she said, "thats the way i always wanted to be loved, tom."
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
I started this book three times. it was really hard to get into at first. I'm glad I finally have it a chance. in the end, it ended up being a great book about the love and friendship between a man and his dog.
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
I really need to write reviews for many, er, most of the books I have on my "Read" shelf. Ah well, with the likely possibility of my wife and I relocating to NC (goodbye, antisocial, overtaxed NJ!) by summer's end, I will have more time to update the other reviews in the coming years. Yay! Okay, onto my review..
I feel I should preface my review, letting all know I am slightly biased in my overall loving of the book, as Atticus, the star of the book, is a mini schnauzer, one of my favorite dog breeds, as well as my wife's.
The book succeeds on several levels. One way, it was a moving tale of one man's bonding with a dog that he really was not ever looking to bring into his life. The relationship that develops between the author, Tom Ryan, and Atticus was interesting to witness, as it appears almost as if Atticus and Tom were destined to be together. The two seem to be good for each other, allowing each of them to grow in ways, both emotionally and spiritually, that neither may have grown without having me the the other.
Another way it succeeded was in that there was good advice for the soul and the spirit. It was almost like a roadmap of what your life could be like without clutter of internet drama, iPhones, etc. It truly showed what absolute bliss it is to have a dog in one's life and all that comes out of the relationship that develops between man and dog.
If you love dogs and have not read this book, you are doing yourself a great disservice. If you don't love dogs, you could still read this and walk a totally different person! Either way, you need to read this book - your life will be so much better for it!
In closing, I just want to thank Tom Ryan, and Atticus, for an amazing story, and that I can not wait for the follow-up, which deals with the life of Will, the other mini schnauzer that found his way into both Tom's and Atticus' lives!
I feel I should preface my review, letting all know I am slightly biased in my overall loving of the book, as Atticus, the star of the book, is a mini schnauzer, one of my favorite dog breeds, as well as my wife's.
The book succeeds on several levels. One way, it was a moving tale of one man's bonding with a dog that he really was not ever looking to bring into his life. The relationship that develops between the author, Tom Ryan, and Atticus was interesting to witness, as it appears almost as if Atticus and Tom were destined to be together. The two seem to be good for each other, allowing each of them to grow in ways, both emotionally and spiritually, that neither may have grown without having me the the other.
Another way it succeeded was in that there was good advice for the soul and the spirit. It was almost like a roadmap of what your life could be like without clutter of internet drama, iPhones, etc. It truly showed what absolute bliss it is to have a dog in one's life and all that comes out of the relationship that develops between man and dog.
If you love dogs and have not read this book, you are doing yourself a great disservice. If you don't love dogs, you could still read this and walk a totally different person! Either way, you need to read this book - your life will be so much better for it!
In closing, I just want to thank Tom Ryan, and Atticus, for an amazing story, and that I can not wait for the follow-up, which deals with the life of Will, the other mini schnauzer that found his way into both Tom's and Atticus' lives!