| Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog | 
 enlarge | Creator: John Grogan
Publisher: HarperAudio
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $8.38
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1373 reviews
Sales Rank: 30402
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 5
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.9 x 5.7 x 0.8
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7527092
ASIN: B000Z4LVD6
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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 1368 more reviews...
 Be sure to check narrator of audio book! December 5, 2008
I absolutely loved "Marley and Me," and bought the audio book narrated by John Grogan, the author, for a road trip for my son and daughter-in-law and her parents. After much prodding, they confessed that they loved the text, but could not listen to the audio book because John Grogan's voice was so annoying. They did stop at a bookstore and bought a hard copy so that they could read it aloud and it made their trip a treat.
I now see that apparently there is another version with a different narrator, which I wish I had noticed at the time of my purchase. Everyone has a talent, and not everyone is born with a voice for broadcasting.
 Great Gift for Any Dog Lover December 4, 2008
A friend gave this to me on the one year anniversary of our standard poodle's death (at the ripe old age of 14). I'm glad I didn't read it sooner, but it was just right, right now. Touching, funny, warm and wonderful. I loved this lovely tribute to dogs everywhere - and their owners.
Laugh and Cry! December 3, 2008
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
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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
3 out of 3 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!
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