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Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog | 
 enlarge | Author: John Grogan
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
List Price: $27.25
Buy New: $14.31
You Save: $12.94 (47%)
Rating:  1371 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B000HDWVXY
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Product Description
The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the
wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same. Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did no good—Marley was expelled. Neither did the tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these." And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over the miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a seventeen-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley shut down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie, always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms. Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 495 more reviews...
 Laugh and Cry! December 3, 2008
Anne M. Garland
This book is a delight! Marley's antics make even my dog look like an angel and made me laugh out loud as he bulldozed his way through his life and his family's houses. Having lost two dogs to old age I could sympathize with his decline as he aged and with his family as they lost him. The book was too short. I understand there is a sequel and cannot imagine how it could be any better.
 If you truly love this book, don't get a dog! December 1, 2008
Birdie (Houston, TX)
The most disturbing information is why these clods picked a labrador retriever. I wonder if they did more research about having kids than they did in selecting a labrador retriever. It's true that labrador retrievers are the most popular dog in the United States. They are also the SECOND MOST EUTHANIZED dog due to idiots like this. So many labs show up at shelters that the sheer numbers cause them to be labeled "unadoptable", even for many no-kill shelters. People get labs only to "discover" that they don't have time or patience to take care of them. So they dump them at a shelter and wash their hands of the problem. Have a heart and do a little research before you adopt a pet to find out just how much "trouble" it will require. If you don't have the time, don't get the pet. Unfortunately, I fear this book will only encourage the popularity of labs and perpetuate the problem.
Wow that made me mad! November 30, 2008
Annie (Fort Belvoir, VA.)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was told several times that this was a good book but having suffered the loss of a childhood dog/best friend, I could not bring myself to read it. (Why bring up sad memories, right?) But after 2 years I caved and bought it as the movie is releasing soon, I decided I would prefer to read the book first.
I read the book in a day, laughing through the first half and thinking Mr. Grogan was a witty person. Marley's antic's had me doubled over in laughter, all the wile remembering all the silly things my beloved Freckles had done.
I did not agree with a lot of his training tactics or the garage lifestyle Marley suffered but no one is perfect and he seemed genuine when he referred to his fondness for the dog. Anyone who has ever had a dog knows that despite their silly or even destructive patterns dogs are just that, dogs. You can not scold them for doing something they did because no one was paying attention to them. Similar to children (you would not scold a child for a mistake if you were not watching them) dogs need supervision and if you cant give it then, why own a dog? But they were a young couple and I kept waiting for the chapter when he said he saw the error in his ways and stopped locking him up and choking him and actually took the time to train him properly, but that never happened.
I read in another review of this book that "it seemed the book was mostly about Mr. Grogan" and the further I got into the book the more I agreed with the statement. He kept rambling on about his life aspirations and Boca Rotan and I thought every time, I thought this was about Marley? He seemed to be wandering further and further from the subject as the book went on.
By the time he got in the last few chapters and Marley had reached old age, I was in tears. Dogs get old you don't just dump them at the glue factory over a few gray hairs, but with each sentence he described in great detail the suffering Marley was enduring and he seemed to be completely oblivious that Marley was ready to go! With NO treatment for his arthritis he just continued to worsen further. Grogan said several times that he could not compare a dog to a human, yet made many references to Marley teaching him as though he were a human and so on. With that said, I kept thinking obviously we don't "put down" our human elderly loved ones if they break a hip but they are suffering we help in some way don't we?
Marley had to endure this suffering for months and months and they did nothing! Except go on vacation and various trips. All the while they would leave him alone to suffer his aging body with out the only people he knew and loved. With no understanding of why.
Mr. Grogan himself said that the kennel was not enjoyable to Marley and yet he just left him. I kept saying over and over WHY would you leave AGAIN?
Another travesty in this book was that Mr. Grogan tried disregarding that the mere stress of being in the kennel caused Marley's stomach to turn. He excused away that it had been completely his fault. He said that a doctor told him that there was no connection. Yet when a doctor told him the flea chemicals had not caused the miscarriage he and his wife suffered they chose to believe that this could have been wrong. Why not now? I yelled at the book, whatever you have to tell yourself so you can sleep at night!
I cried for Marley's suffering while reading this book, not for his death. At least he could finally rest in peace after a horrible last year. He just kept doing what was natural to a dog, following his beloved masters around and they did nothing to help him so that he could not go up the stairs and then FALL down them, or push their vacation a few months and be with him for his final days.
I really wrote this review for my own sanity because after hearing such wonderful reviews about this book I was devastated and I cant believe I wasted my time and money so I could read of such torture!
Originally I had not want to read it because I knew ultimately that Marley would pass away in the end. But after reading it I truly don't have enough words to describe the pain I felt for Marley while he was alive. I thought very angry thoughts about Mr. Grogan at first, but now I just hope that they don't have to endure the suffering that Marley did in his end time. I will cross my fingers for you, Mr. Grogan that Karma does not come back to you!
I definitely wont be watching the movie either!
Should be subtitled "World's Worst Owners" November 30, 2008
J. Hoffman (United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am really saddened to see that the author is profiting over what amounts to me as neglect of poor Marley; and even more saddened that such a large segment of our society seems to think that this kind of treatment is ok. I have 2 Golden Retrievers, including one who is quite similar in personality to Marley based on my reading of the book, and I would never, never, never fathom locking them up in my garage, or leaving them alone for as long as Marley was left alone while they worked. It is our duty as pet owners to know what we are getting into when we get a dog, and Labs (Marley) and Goldens (my dogs) are the least likely kind of dog to adapt well to being left alone all day (and I don't know any other type of dog that would deal well with that); a brief walk and throwing some balls doesn't make up for it. And I am still sickened by his wife beating up Marley; there are no words for that. Poor Marley--it is terrible that the author even subtitled this "World's Worst Dog:" What the heck did he expect given the crappy job he did raising and taking care of him? My Golden who was similar in personality to Marley would be acting the exact same way. You don't have to be Cesar Milan to figure that one out, its just basic common sense, which far too many dog owners don't seem to have. Its sickening--this type of animal neglect is as bad in some ways as blatant animal abuse. Mr Grogan, you are fooling yourself if you think Marley was a part of your family...if you are indeed a decent human being (which I think you are), you wouldn't treat a family member like you treated Marley.
Just plain BORING!!! November 28, 2008
New York City (NY, NY USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Forgetting about what you think of the Grogans' pet care style, this is a bad book because it's poorly written and boring as hell after the first 50 pages. It's predictable, too long, and has essentially NO PLOT. Without spoiling what little thread there is, the book is more like a series of diary entries in the 13 years of Marley's life in the Grogan family. The fact that it is a book much more about the Grogans than Marley would be acceptable if it were interesting, but it's NOT.
And for heaven's sake, what happened to the editor? This book should have been shorter by a third, if not cut by half. The writing is so overly explicit as if the reader is seriously dumb and can't understand the slightest insinuation.
Bottom line: are people so stupid they like this kind of third gread level of writing? Otherwise, if you like good literature, evocative passages, a good plot, and/or complex characterizations, then don't buy this book--because it isn't happening here.
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