"Marley & me" -Highly recommend reading if you are pregnant & a dog lover!

I just finished reading one of the best books I have ever read! I managed to read it in 2 days! I struggled to put it down,

It is called 'Marley and me' and is written by John Grogan.

It is about a young couple and their journey through life with their lovable, goofy and destructive labrador retriever.

It is based on a true story and I will warn you it is a tear jerker in parts, it will have you laughing in hysterics in others, it will have you sympathizing with Marley and his owners at different parts and it will have you thinking about your own family pet whose love and loyalty are boundless.

I dont want to give away too much but the back of the book explains that how "the day that John and Jenny bought Marley home their lives changed forever...he shared the couple's joy at their first pregnancy and their heartbreak over the miscarriage..When the babies finally arrived, he was there too-winning hearts and making a mess of things...A model of devotion when his family was at its wits ends!...."

It is one of those books that you can really relate your life to. I highly recommend reading it and would love to hear from you if you have read it or are planning on reading it.

I read it quite a while ago, but I absolutely loved it. Was a bit sad at the end though. Another great dog book I have recently read is "A Friend Like Henry" (I'm pretty sure that's what it's called), it's the journey of a young autistic boy whose parents get him a puppy, I think it's a lab as well, and details a sort of recovery process for the both the child and his family, was a very touching story, and if you liked Marley, I'm pretty sure you would like this one too.

Thanks SS_storm. I might have to check it out.

I was in tears alot with Marley and me. DP walked into the bedroom one afternoon when I was reading and crying wondering what was wrong with me!

Ali - this is my favourite book of all time. I don't really enjoy reading and will rarely actually read a book but I read this one in 4 days. My sister actually bought it for me 3 years ago when DH bought me a golden retriever for Christmas and I was having trouble coping with her behaviour - I'm sure you can imagine why (especially if you are familiar with the breed). She's now settled down and like the book DH and I have experienced loss as they did. Sometimes i feel like it's spooky how much of the book we can actually relate to. Can't wait to see the movie, I don't expect it will be as good as the book but I'm sure I'll have a good laugh....and cry.

I am not a big reader either. The book was lent to me by a friend at work as she knows how much I love dogs. Are they making it into a movie??? Fantastic. It is amazing how much we can relate to certain books. I know I gave my 2 dogs the biggest cuddles while I was reading this book. It also made me think of my childhood dog laddie who was a lab cross shepherd and was just as goofey as Marley.
Thanks for your reply.

Ali - yes the movie will be released on Jan 1. The trailer is available on youtube, the movie stars Owen Wilson & Jennifer Aniston. I wasn't sure about Jennifer Aniston being in it as I don't usually enjoy her movies (although I think she's great in friends). Looks good though. I think I'll have to take a whole box of kleenex into the cinema with me though, and a pair of dark glasses to wear afterwards. I cry when I watch the movie trailer and it just shows the goofy funny bits.

Oh wow!! Just checked out the trailers on youtube...I am so seeing that! Thanks for the heads up AJC!

I just checked out the trailers as well. I cant wait to wastch it as well. I am going to get my mum the book for Christmas as she will love it as well and then maybe in January I might go and see it with her at the movies. Thanks AJC!

I loved this book too! I don't ever cry when reading a book or even watching a movie but I cried so much reading this that I couldn't see the words on the page.

I think it would have to be my favourite book of all time and I recommend it to everyone!

Has anyone read the kids version? Apparently the author wrote a version especially for kids, I'd love to hear if anyone has read it.

That sounds great Ali - enjoy.

storm - you enjoy too!!!

I have to say, didnt really like the movie. It didnt do the book justice. Mis_tree I woul dread the book first. It is fabulous. It reallyreinforves how important these animals are in our lives and how much more they bring to life when they are around.

I just watched the movie.. I loved it..

Just waiting for it to come out on DVD, missed it when it was the movies! I'm not expecting it to be much like the book, considering it has Owen Wilson in it, so will be more of a comedy than the I suppose "drama" that the book is. Has anyone read John Grogan's second book? I've read the back cover but it wasn't really anything that made me want to buy it immediately...

I held off reading this book for various reasons despite being a hardcore reader but then DP managed to secure a copy of the movie and I couldn't resist watching it although I'm definitely more of a 'read the book before seeing the movie' type.

Needless to say I've watched it 3 times and have ended up in progressively worse bawling fits each time.

Three weeks ago, DP returned home on a Sunday "after running errands" with a 8 week old female version of Marley: Eva - my 34th bday present. And now I'm thinking I need to read the book as I can't imagine life without her already.

Which leads me to thinking - does BB have a book swap club going? I'm off to search for one now as I have a ton of books just sitting here waiting to be enjoyed by someone else. If not, maybe that's something we can start if there are enough people interested as not everyone makes it to the library or wishes to shell out for a full-priced book. Just a thought! :D

Gawd, I bawled my eyes out when I read that.. I dunno how I would have gone if I was hocked up with ranging preg hormones ;)
Good book though, Jenny's experience and her kidletts gave me a bit of hope ^^;

MissTree, Memoirs of a Geisha was excellent, the movie does it no justice. I don't think it flowed very well personally?

Same with Harry Potter *is feeling like a nerd*

I started reading it when i was admitted in November but never got around to finishing it looks like I'm gonna have to start again!

Oh Teagz - I never even put my hysterical crying down to preg hormones. :doh:

At least now I can rest assured I'm not a COMPLETE nutter. ;)