Marley and Me
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Heading to Lexington
On Thursday, Feb. 9, I'll be in Lexington, Kentucky, to discuss Marley & Me at a special event jointly sponsored by the Lexington Herald-Leader and Joseph-Beth Booksellers. As I understand it, the Herald-Leader newspaper hosts a sort of citywide book club, and it selected Marley & Me as its February pick.
A few days ago, Herald-Leader book critic Cheryl Truman wrote a great review of the book in advance of the event. Of all the media coverage I've received, this is one of my very favorite pieces, I suppose because Truman seems to get so completely what is going on in this book, and that it is "more than a dog book." From Day 1, I've had a hard time describing Marley & Me in just a few sentences. Truman gets to the heart of the matter in a very few words. I should have hired her to write my press release!
Here's her review:
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/living/people/13714015.htm
Turns out the world is full of Marleys
By Cheryl Truman
HERALD-LEADER BOOKS EDITOR
Here's the trick about the appeal of Marley & Me: It's not about the dog.
Instead, John Grogan, author of the surprise best-seller and Herald Readers Book Club selection, says it's about commitment and learning to be a family. Of course, it doesn't hurt that what Grogan calls "the world's worst dog" is the magnetic presence at the heart of that family. Whether climbing out of a car window on his way to be neutered or eating a valuable gold necklace (and yes, in one of the book's funniest sequences, Grogan and his wife, Jenny, do get it back ... eventually), Marley is the dog everybody wishes for, and one hordes of Americans have told Grogan they already own.
Marley & Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog is No. 2 on the New York Times' best-seller list. Says its author: "No one's more surprised by it than I am."
Who would have thought a tear-jerking history of a young couple who adopt a raffish yellow Labrador puppy would become a publishing phenomenon? Not Grogan. He started the book a few weeks after Marley died (no, that's not a spoiler, for those of you who have yet to read the book), intending only to write "a small story about my family."
Grogan, now a Philadelphia newspaper columnist, had featured Marley's antics periodically in his work. When he wrote a column after Marley's death, reader response was overwhelming. It turns out that although not everybody will admit to being an old softie for four-legged furballs, a great number of readers view their pets with an overwhelming but seldom-acknowledged affection.
Grogan says he anticipated his book being picked up by a minor publishing house, with modest sales to follow. But Marley & Me is a rare bird in the overstuffed world of book publishing: literate and sweet, but not cloying. It's a book that makes you cry -- when your sides aren't splitting with laughter. (I misted up three times re-reading the book while preparing to interview Grogan.)
Why does Marley & Me carry such cathartic emotional resonance? Because it takes dead aim at the anguished soul of the baby boomer: coupling, marriage, career, fertility, child-raising, home maintenance -- and what it means to share it all with a pet who's as imperfect as you are.
Grogan writes that Marley ate everything he didn't chew or slash, and "chased his tail till the day he died."
Even so, Marley sometimes rises to doggie greatness. Seeing Grogan's wife, Jenny, after she suffers a miscarriage, the usually hyperactive Marley intuitively responds to her grief; Grogan comes upon the two of them to find Marley resting his chin on Jenny's knees, and the little family of three grieves its loss together. While Marley might be a force of destruction whenever foul weather approaches, he also bonds with the three Grogan children as they arrive and grow -- so much that when Marley dies, middle child Conor writes a note to go into the grave: "Through life or death, I will always love you. Your brother, Conor Richard Grogan."
Grogan says Marley's last gift was giving the children "a gentle introduction" to death.
Grogan is working on another book, this one starting pre-Marley, with Grogan's relationship with his parents -- "first separating, then coming back."
But don't worry about a Marley sequel. Grogan says his family's current Labrador is a calm, sedate canine, "the anti-Marley." In fact, he already has told her: "There's no book in you, Gracie."
posted by John Grogan at 8:12 AM
 
4 Comments:
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This review is the most accurate one I have read. We are a newly married couple, struggling with getting pregnant, who have been blessed with 3, yes 3, labs who have each been accurately portrayed in your book at one point or another. The joy and the sorrow, through hip replacements and unbelievably exasperating antics we have in our life is due to these wonderful creatures we call our "children". Your book is the only book I have ever read that has brought me to tears countless times - whether by joy or sorrow. It reminds me to cherish each moment with them, good and bad, and that family is what you make of it. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story with the world and reminding us all that love takes so many forms.
Hi John...i have to tell you your book was funny, heart-wrenching and reminding. my boyfriend and i drove home from San Jose and i was on the last 5 chapters and was balling. Not all of it was sad; but, it all reminded me of Bear's last days.
I loved that you were surprised & confused at the depth of your feelings for Marley. I hide nothing - but others were confused by my grief (and still to this day 5 years later!!). Now they might understand!
So thank you!
and I was excited to read the little piece about Organic farming. I have to remember the website so i can check it out and start my own self-sustaining city back yard!
Cheers to you and your family!
John,
I prommise I'm not stalking you. LOL. I so enjoy your blogs and am so happy for all your successes. I wonder how the Inquirer is dealing with its celebrity?! Always wishing a fellow Lab lover the best.
John, I just wanted to let you know how deeply your book has impacted me! Although I am not yet married, I am a loving and proud owner of a chocolate lab, Mocha. I adore him like no other and as I read your story, I cracked up while relating to similar situations! The bond that we share with our dogs is immense and so strong- it is amazing how they quickly become such a PART of our lives. Thank you for introducing us to your family and to your wonderful Marley!! I plan on going to your book signing at Barnes and Noble in Clifton in March- I can't wait!!