Dog Years: A Memoir

( 22 )
NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.99
BN.com price

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

Overview

Why do dogs speak so profoundly to our inner lives? When Mark Doty decides to adopt a dog as a companion for his dying partner, he finds himself bringing home Beau, a large golden retriever, malnourished and in need of loving care. Beau joins Arden, the black retriever, to complete their family. As Beau bounds back into life, the two dogs become Mark Doty's intimate companions, his solace, and eventually the very life force that keeps him from abandoning all hope during the darkest days. Their tenacity, loyalty, and love inspire him when all else fails.

Dog Years is a remarkable work: a moving and intimate memoir interwoven with profound reflections on our feelings for animals and the ...

See more details below
Note: This is a bargain book and quantities are limited. Bargain books are new but may have slight markings from the publisher and/or stickers showing their discounted price. More about bargain books

Overview

Why do dogs speak so profoundly to our inner lives? When Mark Doty decides to adopt a dog as a companion for his dying partner, he finds himself bringing home Beau, a large golden retriever, malnourished and in need of loving care. Beau joins Arden, the black retriever, to complete their family. As Beau bounds back into life, the two dogs become Mark Doty's intimate companions, his solace, and eventually the very life force that keeps him from abandoning all hope during the darkest days. Their tenacity, loyalty, and love inspire him when all else fails.

Dog Years is a remarkable work: a moving and intimate memoir interwoven with profound reflections on our feelings for animals and the lessons they teach us about life, love, and loss. Mark Doty writes about the heart-wrenching vulnerability of dogs, the positive energy and joy they bring, and the gift they bear us of unconditional love. A book unlike any other, Mark Doty's surprising meditation is radiantly unsentimental yet profoundly affecting. Beautifully written, Dog Years is a classic in the making.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
In 1994, Mark Doty was standing at the worst sort of crossroads. His longtime lover was slowly dying of AIDS, and Mark was restlessly searching for some way to bring comfort to him in his waning days. The solution came with four paws and a wagging tail. Beau, a large golden retriever, arrived at the house malnourished and equally in need of emotional support. With the help of black lab housemate Arden and his two human companions, this lovably sloppy dog somehow brought peace and his own brand of surrealistic humor to this troubled home. A supremely touching memoir by a National Book Critics Circle Award winner.
Publishers Weekly

Doty brings a mellow, soft-spoken dignity to the narration of his memoir, which chronicles the lives of the distinguished poet and author's beloved retrievers, Arden and Beau. The narrative thread comes together in the form of essays evoking the joy, tenderness, pain and loss in the compressed canine life spans of the two dogs. The four-legged drama takes shape amid the backdrop of Doty's human journey of grief and resiliency, particularly in regard to the loss of his longtime partner to AIDS and his subsequent glide into a new romantic relationship. Given Doty's literary pedigree, it should come as no surprise that he takes a meandering path in the autobiographic story line, pausing frequently to offer philosophical insights. The thoughtful pace and tone of Doty's audio performance brings to mind the spoken-word journals of NPR's This American Life. Audiences eager to cut to the chase for a classic inspirational dog saga may lose patience, but discerning listeners will appreciate Doty's perspective. Simultaneous release with the HarperCollins hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 12). (Apr.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Library Journal
Poet Doty (Still Life with Oysters and Lemon) celebrates the 16 lovely years his two beloved 70-pound Labs, Beau and Arden, gave him, but there's an ill wind blowing through the memoir. It concerns the inevitable truth that most dog owners only dimly accept—that they will probably outlive their canine companions. Against a backdrop of devastating human loss, both personal (the death of his partner) and public (9/11), Doty bears witness to the inexorable decline of his beloved retrievers. He well understands the risks he takes in writing about his pets while human calamity unfolds. Even so, he notes, "someone was here, an intelligence and sensibility, a complex of desires and memories, habits and expectations…gone from the world forever." This sad, sad book represents a curious blend of memoir, journal, literary criticism, and prose elegy, and it borrows some structural elements from drama and poetry. Its tone is plangent, its complex formal structure is like memory itself, and its exquisite pace reminds one of nothing so much as a stroll in the park with Fido. Poignant, intelligent, and quite simply superb; highly recommended for most collections, although the Emily Dickinson criticism may make it too literary for the Marley & Mecrowd.
—Robert Eagan
Kirkus Reviews
"The fact that I know that stories of faithful dogs are kitsch does not in the least diminish their power," notes poet and memoirist Doty (Still Life with Oyster and Lemon, 2001, etc.), who goes on to write something rather amazing. With the idea of comforting his terminally ill lover, Wally Roberts, the author headed to an animal shelter to adopt a cuddly puppy as a playmate for their black lab, Arden. He ended up with a rambunctious golden lab named Beau, who became a "golden anchor" after the "reverberant, disordering loss" of Wally's death. Arden and Beau saw Doty through his terrible grief: Life went on, walks had to be taken and meals served. Time passed, and the dogs accepted Doty's new lover, first grudgingly and then enthusiastically, with Arden forming a particular bond with the now-familiar Paul. But then both dogs fell ill, Arden with Lyme disease and youthful Beau with a neurological infection that eerily echoed Wally's: difficulty walking, paralysis, followed by death. Arden lived to the ripe age of 16, his elderly presence a constant pleasure for Doty and Paul. A catalogue of the lab's late-life pleasures (the beach, biscuits and "demonstrating, through a nonstop, willful exertion . . . that he can still climb the three flights of stairs to our apartment") round out the tribute. While Doty is clearly fond of animals, his boundless affection is tempered by graceful observations. His warm commemoration of the lives of Beau and Arden makes a fitting companion to his previous chronicles, in prose and poetry, of Wally's illness and death. A profound reflection on hope, and a song of praise for the dead.
BookPage
“DOG YEARS points out what is...magical about life with animals…A...twinkling landscape of the human heart.”
Chicago Sun-Times
“I was charmed, moved, often fascinated…Doty manages to make inner lives just a little more knowable.”
Entertainment Weekly
“Doty pays loving tribute to two retrievers…DOG YEARS is a warm, thought-provoking discourse.”
Houston Chronicle
“A meditation on how we can live with hope…Dog Years wrestles with the Big Questions.”
Los Angeles Times
“This is Doty at his best....Doty does in fact make the unsayable sayable, bringing the ungraspable within our reach.”
Minneapolis Star Tribune
“No human has ever loved his animals as Mark Doty has…Doty possesses a particular brilliance...[A] stirring chronicle of love.”
New York magazine
“Doty is at his best…exploring the mirrorlike quality of a dog’s gaze or the inextricable duality of hope and despair..”
New York Times Book Review
“A dazzling, tactile grasp of the world... both arresting and touching.”
Out Magazine
“Doty writes unsentimentally but affectingly about the solace and companionship dogs provide...the hope...they bring into a home.”
Palm Beach Post
“A great poet can break your heart, sometimes with a single line. Mark Doty proves it twice over….Utterly unforgettable.”
People
“A tender reflection on love and loss, this is MARLEY & ME for the cerebral.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“Potent and expressive...The weight of Doty’s adoration for his pets is expressed with...eloquence throughout.”
The New Yorker
“Tender and amusing…Doty brilliantly captures the qualities that make dogs endearing.”
USA Today
“Lyrical and sensitive…Doty poetically expresses what many have felt but few can articulate.”
Washington Post Magazine
“A wounding yet arresting memoir about living with his dogs…Doty’s gorgeous prose and piercing meditations...are simply sublime.”

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781615541508
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 4/8/2008
  • Pages: 256
  • Product dimensions: 5.30 (w) x 7.90 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Mark Doty's books of poetry and nonfiction prose have been honored with numerous distinctions, including the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Martha Albrand Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and, in the United Kingdom, the T. S. Eliot Prize. In 2008, he won the National Book Award for Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems. He is a professor at the University of Houston, and he lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 22 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(9)

4 Star

(8)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(3)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 22 Customer Reviews
  • Posted August 26, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Those eyes just drew me in.

    I thought I was buying Marley and Me, maybe with a little more pathos, but this book is a work of literary non- fiction. My brain had to work to read it, not a bad thing, but unexpected. A well written account of a relationship between two dogs and two men... touching and rich and humorous. The first part was more objective, more distant, more rational. But once I got into the story I wanted to find out what happened. I grew to care about the dogs and the people. I could feel the love between them all in the words of the author. Though not what I expected when I bought it, I am glad I did buy it and read it. It enriched my life.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted July 25, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    It'll make you think

    This was a moving memoir. I've lost animals I've loved, I've felt depression and despair as well as love and hope. Mr. Doty's real-life experiences can bring you to a fuller understanding of the human condition and how we can find ourselves by being open to other people and other species.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted June 6, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    No wonder I love dogs

    What a beautiful and sad story. It is so nice to read a real story of loss and love. Not only for a furry friend, but love between people and their dogs.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted October 22, 2008

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Beautiful and poignant story of love and loss

    This book is definitely not for dog lovers only. It's about love, devotion, poetry, life and yes, loss. If you have never loved a dog, you may understand the bond that forms between dogs and their humans better. But the book is about so much more than that! It's simply beautiful- Mark Doty is my new favorite writer.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted October 19, 2007

    Beautiful, Heartwarming

    Anyone that has and loves dogs should read this book. It was so inspiring and hard to put down. I laughed, cried and it made me think about my Lab and Schnauzer in a different way. I love you Mark Doty for introducing me to this book.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted April 28, 2007

    For dog-lovers only!

    Fell in love with the cover of this book! I've had dogs in my life since I was a child, have wonderful memories & stories of each one. I can totally relate to this memoir. It's beautiful. If you think your pet is not a member of your family,you won't get it.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted August 7, 2011

    Should i

    Hmmmm sounds intresting should i get it

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted August 9, 2007

    A thought-provoking look at the relationship between dogs and humans

    While this book brought me to tears several times, I still enjoyed reading this memoir. Dog-lovers will be able to relate well to the feelings and memories described in the book. Doty does an exceptional job bringing out the emotion and describing the bonds that form between humans and dogs.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted July 16, 2007

    A WONDERFUL book for all pet lovers

    Dog Years made me laugh, made me cry and it made me think. Plus, the dogs were a rescued Golden and a rescued lab mix - my favorites! What more could you want from a book? Highly recommended! Mark Doty is a wonderful poet/writer and a downright nice human being.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 26, 2007

    Yes!

    If you love dogs -- and maybe even if you don't - you'll like this book! Love, humor and loss - you'll experience it all with this author. I highly recommend this book. I loved it.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted July 10, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 10, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 3, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 25, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 22, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 17, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 14, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 7, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 3, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 8, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 22 Customer Reviews

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit