A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog Review
Caught in the stress and hopelessness of long-term unemployment with no prospects and running out of money, I needed something to take my mind off my situation lest I sink so low I could never rise up. I have been a fan of Dean Koontz's book since I first started reading them a year ago and his stories have never failed to enthrall me.
But I needed something more than just a mystery/thriller on this very down day. Browsing my local libraries "new books" section, I came across "A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog." I knew about Trixie from the backs of Dean's books, but that was as far as my knowledge of Trixie went. As I read this book, I remembered my own dog, Georgie, who, like Trixie, was love and joy incarnate, with a lot of intelligence and a knack for making one laugh mixed in. This book lifted me from my despair and gave me hope that life is more than just stress, worry, fear for the future. There is life always around us if we only look with Trixie's eyes. There is joy always around us if we trust, as Trixie did, that it is there - maybe sometimes hidden and needed to be searched for, but there, nonetheless. This is a beautiful, uplifting, joyful book that cannot fail to imbue the reader with beauty, joy, and a lifting of one's spirit. And maybe that is Trixie's legacy and her purpose of her short life here on Earth. I've always felt that animals serve as guides for us, showing us the key to those things we so desire: life, joy, wonder. Thank you Dean, and thank you Trixie, for what you have given me in this book. I can go on.
A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog Overview
"In each little life we can see great truth and beauty, and in each little life we glimpse the way of all things in the universe."
DEAN KOONTZ thought he had everything he needed. A successful novelist with more than twenty #1 New York Times bestsellers to his credit, Dean had forged a career out of industry and imagination. He had been married to his high school sweetheart, Gerda, since the age of twenty, and together they had made a happy life for themselves in their Southern California home. It was the picture of peace and contentment. Then along came Trixie.
Dean had always wanted a dog--had even written several books in which dogs were featured. But not until Trixie was he truly open to the change that such a beautiful creature could bring about in him. Trixie had intelligence, a lack of vanity, and an uncanny knack for living in the present. And because she was joyful and direct as all dogs are, she put her heart into everything--from chasing tennis balls, to playing practical jokes, to protecting those she loved.
A retired service dog with Canine Companions for Independence, Trixie became an assistance dog of another kind. She taught Dean to trust his instincts, persuaded him to cut down to a fifty-hour work week, and, perhaps most important, renewed in him a sense of wonder that will remain with him for the rest of his life. She mended him in many ways.
Trixie weighed only sixty-something pounds, Dean occasionally called her Short Stuff, and she lived less than twelve years. In this big world, she was a little thing, but in all the ways that mattered, including the effect she had on those who loved her, she lived a big life.
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
Related Products
- Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life
- I, Trixie, Who is Dog
- Christmas Is Good: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Holiday
- Life is Good!: Lessons in Joyful Living
- MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life: A Story of Love
Customer Reviews
Excellent, excellent book! - A. Gift For You - Clancy, MT United States
One of the best books I've ever read. Cried many times reading about Trixie and her need to communicate with her humans.
A Big Little Life - Thomas H. Knouf - Virginia Beach, VA
Great book. Warm and tear rendering. If you have a Golden read this book.
Loved by a dog - L. Torquato -
If you have ever been loved by a dog this book will bring it all back. All the memories of your dog and her wonder and sweetness. A must read for anyone who has ever loved or been loved by a special dog.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 23, 2010 19:51:04
No comments:
Post a Comment