Small Dogs Can Save Your Life

by mooney-bel

In a beautiful and powerful memoir which mixes honest, personal revelation with literature, history, and inspirational self-help, Bel Mooney tells the story of her rescue dog, Bonnie, who in turn rescued Bel when her world fell apart with the all-too public break-up of her 35-year marriage.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended by a fellow book lover. Not mu cup of tea. I felt there was a lot of bragging about who she knows or knew and although a lover of dogs found it all too sickly. On a positive her love for her first husband was immense and I believe never stopped.

Pop sugar challenge : about an interesting woman

[Katie Heron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Jonathan Dimbleby's painfully self obsessed "Russia", I was always going to love this. Charming, honest and full of small dogs. What's not to like?

[Adelyne · Rating 1 out of 5]

(+) Very candid, the author's feelings show through in the writing
(-) I loved the parts where she was talking about her pets, especially Bonnie the small dog, but there were too few of these

Overall: I dropped this book about halfway through, despite Mooney making a lot of effort in the introduction to qualify her feelings towards her ex-husband, I still felt that there were conflicted emotions throughout the book. Not enough emphasis was given to the dog (though maybe this happens later in the book), but I feel that the 150 pages or so that I gave it should have been enough to get onto the topic.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a British family that lives on a farm near Bath, U.K. They have a lot of dogs. One of them a small, white dog becomes very special to the writer when her husband leaves her for an opera singer. Moody writes well. She is somewhat of a media celebrity in the U.K.

[Shirley Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read with interesting notes about dogs in history, art, etc. It was also a frank account of the author's marriage breakup. I felt I was reading a private love letter to her ex-husband rather than a story of how a small dog saved someone's life.

[Margie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually finish any book I start, but after fifty pages, I'm done with this. Thought it would be better if I got into the story but it didn't happen for me. Guess it just isn't my type of book.

[Ronnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book I would never had read had it not been a book club choice. Was aware of Bel Mooney but not of the detail of her private life. A little over sentimental on the dog front and not one sentence about poop scooping!

[Shona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving it, reading with my own small dogs beside me!