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Beautiful Joe
This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1893
245 people are currently reading
1687 people want to read
About the author
Marshall Saunders
83 books25 followersMargaret Marshall Saunders CBE was a Canadian author.
Saunders was born in the village of Milton, Queens County, Nova Scotia. She spent most of her childhood in Berwick, Nova Scotia where her father served as Baptist minister. Saunders is most famous for her novel Beautiful Joe. Originally published under the pseudonym Marshall Saunders, it is a story narrated by a dog who has had a difficult puppyhood with many obstacles including a cruel owner. When the book was published in 1894, both it and its subject received worldwide attention. It was the first Canadian book to sell over a million copies, and by the late 1930s had sold over seven million copies worldwide.
In 1934, Saunders was made a Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.), at the time her country's highest civilian honor. Together with fellow Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Saunders co-founded the Maritime branch of the Canadian Women's Press Club.
Following the success of Beautiful Joe, Saunders wrote more than twenty other stories, a number of which provided social commentary on such things as the abolition of child labor, slum clearance, and the improvement of playground facilities.
Saunders died in 1947 in Toronto, Ontario where she had lived for a number of years.
Saunders was born in the village of Milton, Queens County, Nova Scotia. She spent most of her childhood in Berwick, Nova Scotia where her father served as Baptist minister. Saunders is most famous for her novel Beautiful Joe. Originally published under the pseudonym Marshall Saunders, it is a story narrated by a dog who has had a difficult puppyhood with many obstacles including a cruel owner. When the book was published in 1894, both it and its subject received worldwide attention. It was the first Canadian book to sell over a million copies, and by the late 1930s had sold over seven million copies worldwide.
In 1934, Saunders was made a Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.), at the time her country's highest civilian honor. Together with fellow Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Saunders co-founded the Maritime branch of the Canadian Women's Press Club.
Following the success of Beautiful Joe, Saunders wrote more than twenty other stories, a number of which provided social commentary on such things as the abolition of child labor, slum clearance, and the improvement of playground facilities.
Saunders died in 1947 in Toronto, Ontario where she had lived for a number of years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
May 26, 2011
My mom introduced me this story when I was only about 8 years old, as I was an animal empath all of my life. Keeping with the tradition of Black Beauty, one has to understamd that this book was written more for simple people who didn't understand in the late 1800's and early 1900's that animals had souls and could feel pain. Marshall Saunders does an excellent job of teaching that it isn't easy living at the mercy of cruel humans in the same way as Black Beauty and I love books that are told from the animals perspective.
A wonderful tale of Joe on his journey from birth to a cold, cruel world on to a comfy life with a kind mistress. The print book I have has a brindle pit bull looking dog with cropped ears that I believe was published in the 1930's. I have read this book numerous times in my life and I am glad to have a digital copy, as well.
A wonderful tale of Joe on his journey from birth to a cold, cruel world on to a comfy life with a kind mistress. The print book I have has a brindle pit bull looking dog with cropped ears that I believe was published in the 1930's. I have read this book numerous times in my life and I am glad to have a digital copy, as well.
June 13, 2012
This is an old favorite. From "Beautiful Joes" point of view. It was an amazing book! Inspiring, simple, touching.The rough start at life for Joe really makes you think. How your life is, how his was.How it would be like for an animal.What they possibly think, would feel.I am quite fond with all the characters.Each one reaches out to you.You truly feel like you know them.The care in the book is amazing.Like I said, the book was touching.And it was a true story! It made me eager to read Beautiful Joes Paradise. The second book. Where Beautiful Joe now rules an animal haven/heaven. But when his master dies, he is bound by loyalty and must give up his "throne" (position) to return to his masters side once more.I loved the book and never tire of reading it.Loved it, and no better words for me to describe it.I have read the book over 5 times and cannot stop reading the last words.I love how Saunders tells the story of the dog.Just...fantastic.
June 9, 2024
Read this as a child, loved it and then again when our children were growing up. I have never forgotten it was a favorite, although my memory of the details was dim. I knew Joe stole my heart and have wanted to reread it for a long time. This time it struck me more as a lesson in animal husbandry dressed up as an animal story. Given how abominably animals are treated by so many humans—then and now—I did not mind the gentle lecturing, but some readers might be put off by it. I was most saddened to learn how fashions drove such horrendous waste and destruction of animal populations.
On the bright side, I learned a few things which if I were in farming or worked more closely with animals would be invaluable. It still rates 5 solid stars. We owe so much to our four-legged angels. They give us unswerving devotion and we owe them at least decent care.
On the bright side, I learned a few things which if I were in farming or worked more closely with animals would be invaluable. It still rates 5 solid stars. We owe so much to our four-legged angels. They give us unswerving devotion and we owe them at least decent care.
December 29, 2023
I can best describe this book, published in 1893, as the canine version of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. The big clue is the following passage, as spoken by Beautiful Joe the dog:
Beautiful Joe - An Autobiography is narrated by Joe – Beautiful Joe – a part fox-terrier and part bull-terrier; and through his observations of people and other animals, he relates his first-hand accounts about the kindness and cruelty of people and the quirkiness of other dogs and animals. Moreover, Joe has conversations with other dogs, and those are sometimes quite funny and entertaining.
Joe relates his puppy days, where he and Billy, another dog, went through basic training:
I laughed at the train excursion Joe took with his family, particularly his observation of a passenger:
While on that train trip, Joe’s mistress kindly refuted a disparaging comment the funny “poodle man” made about the United States. She responded,
One of the best – well, one of the passages that made me chuckle – was when Dandy the dog was lecturing Joe about life:
Throughout this book, there are many good lessons put forth for readers, particularly children. I see it promoting kindness towards every creature, citizenship, and responsibility. It further shows the reader to be aware of the bad in our world, including bad people and animals, irresponsibility, and death. Yes, there are some death scenes, and some are pretty darn horrific. But that is the reality of life, and the way this book presents it, it is honest for young readers. In fact, this entire book is a good learning tool for the young readers of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
While the beginning few chapters are exciting and the storyline moves along at a good pace, the middle became sluggish for me. It just seemed to drone on and on. Then came the last couple of chapters, and I was again quite entertained by the stories and quicker pace.
I plan to hang on to this book and re-read it one day, with more logical schedule of reading one full chapter at a time with pauses in reading between them. Then perhaps the book will not seem to drag in the middle.
Overall, this was a good dog book, and I am glad I finally read it. (It was gathering dust on my Kindle shelf for five years.)
A message from Joe: “Now, I must really close my story. Good-bye to the boys and girls who may read it; and if it is not wrong for a dog to say it, I should like to add, "God bless you all."
🟣Kindle version.
"I have seen my mistress laughing and crying over a little book that she says is a story of a horse's life, and sometimes she puts the book down close to my nose to let me see the pictures."
Beautiful Joe - An Autobiography is narrated by Joe – Beautiful Joe – a part fox-terrier and part bull-terrier; and through his observations of people and other animals, he relates his first-hand accounts about the kindness and cruelty of people and the quirkiness of other dogs and animals. Moreover, Joe has conversations with other dogs, and those are sometimes quite funny and entertaining.
Joe relates his puppy days, where he and Billy, another dog, went through basic training:
“After a time we began to know the names of different articles, and where they were kept, and could get them ourselves.”
I laughed at the train excursion Joe took with his family, particularly his observation of a passenger:
“While I sat by her, I noticed an old gentleman staring at us. He was such a queer-looking old gentleman. He looked like a poodle.”
While on that train trip, Joe’s mistress kindly refuted a disparaging comment the funny “poodle man” made about the United States. She responded,
"I do not think we are a wicked nation," she said, softly. "We are a younger nation than many of the nations of the earth, and I think that many of our sins arise from ignorance and thoughtlessness."
One of the best – well, one of the passages that made me chuckle – was when Dandy the dog was lecturing Joe about life:
“’Look out for number one, my boy,’ said Dandy, with a yawn; ‘for if you don't, no one else will,’ and he shut his eyes and was fast asleep in a few minutes.”
Throughout this book, there are many good lessons put forth for readers, particularly children. I see it promoting kindness towards every creature, citizenship, and responsibility. It further shows the reader to be aware of the bad in our world, including bad people and animals, irresponsibility, and death. Yes, there are some death scenes, and some are pretty darn horrific. But that is the reality of life, and the way this book presents it, it is honest for young readers. In fact, this entire book is a good learning tool for the young readers of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
While the beginning few chapters are exciting and the storyline moves along at a good pace, the middle became sluggish for me. It just seemed to drone on and on. Then came the last couple of chapters, and I was again quite entertained by the stories and quicker pace.
I plan to hang on to this book and re-read it one day, with more logical schedule of reading one full chapter at a time with pauses in reading between them. Then perhaps the book will not seem to drag in the middle.
Overall, this was a good dog book, and I am glad I finally read it. (It was gathering dust on my Kindle shelf for five years.)
A message from Joe: “Now, I must really close my story. Good-bye to the boys and girls who may read it; and if it is not wrong for a dog to say it, I should like to add, "God bless you all."
🟣Kindle version.
October 14, 2016
This is one of my favorite books. . .I love it!! :) I want to read this one again sometime. I would highly recommend this book to any and everyone. What makes this book so special is because it focuses on taking care of all kinds of animals, and making sure that none of them are abused or mistreated even in the slightest way. This book has made me love animals all the more, and make me all the more determined not to abuse any animals. So glad I read this book!
May 26, 2013
I can't believe this book had no readers on Goodreads. This is a book written in the same manner as Black Beauty to raise awareness of animal cruelty. An influential book in my life.
October 30, 2008
"My name is Beautiful Joe, and I am a brown dog of medium size."
Beautiful Joe: The Autobiography of a Dog was written in 1893 by Margaret Marshall Saunders. The author used a male pen name because she feared she would not be taken seriously as a woman writer. I picked up a copy at a used book sale on a strength of a recommendation of a friend, and while I enjoyed the story of a loyal dog who comes to a loving family after having been savagely mistreated, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it when I was a child. It is written in the voice of the dog. Comparisons could certainly be made to Black Beauty. It's my understanding that the story itself is true, that there really was a Beautiful Joe who was saved from a cruel owner, and that the book was written to encourage children to treat animals with kindness. The book is interesting for a view of people's attitudes toward and uses of animals over a hundred years ago. The author is clearly disturbed for example by how some cart horses were worked to death in cities. It would be interesting to see what animal causes the author would choose to champion if the book were written today.
Beautiful Joe: The Autobiography of a Dog was written in 1893 by Margaret Marshall Saunders. The author used a male pen name because she feared she would not be taken seriously as a woman writer. I picked up a copy at a used book sale on a strength of a recommendation of a friend, and while I enjoyed the story of a loyal dog who comes to a loving family after having been savagely mistreated, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it when I was a child. It is written in the voice of the dog. Comparisons could certainly be made to Black Beauty. It's my understanding that the story itself is true, that there really was a Beautiful Joe who was saved from a cruel owner, and that the book was written to encourage children to treat animals with kindness. The book is interesting for a view of people's attitudes toward and uses of animals over a hundred years ago. The author is clearly disturbed for example by how some cart horses were worked to death in cities. It would be interesting to see what animal causes the author would choose to champion if the book were written today.
October 23, 2023
At the age of one, Beautiful Joe lost his mother who died of heartache after their owner killed his siblings by smashing their heads against a wall. For some reason, Joe was spared. For months, his mother's health declined. After she died, his owner punished him by lopping off both ears and tail. Luckily, a passerby heard his screams. The passerby was Jack who beat up the owner and rushed Joe to Louise Moore who nursed him lovingly back to health. Joe lived happily with Louise's family who believed all creatures should be treated kindly so there were dogs, cats, birds and a rat. Mr Morris was a minister and Mrs Morris was a loving mother who instilled kindness to each of their children, each of whom was required to have a pet to learn compassion. The book is in Joe's point of view about his life with the Morris and their friends. After Joe saved Louise from a thief who was intending to burn the house down, Mr and Mrs Morris made sure that Joe accompanied Louise wherever she went.
Touching story about humane treatment of animals. References show the age of the story and the beliefs of the author. The lessons the author give are still relevant today. As the story was submitted to an American contest, actual locations in Nova Scotia were required to be renamed as American areas. Once started, this book is difficult to put down. Glad to have found a used copy in Port Moody library. Definitely recommended.
Touching story about humane treatment of animals. References show the age of the story and the beliefs of the author. The lessons the author give are still relevant today. As the story was submitted to an American contest, actual locations in Nova Scotia were required to be renamed as American areas. Once started, this book is difficult to put down. Glad to have found a used copy in Port Moody library. Definitely recommended.
October 21, 2015
Depicts the story of a dog from his perspective. From abused to kindly cared for, this book is quite remarkable and inspirational. I had to stop and ponder: do I treat mice, snakes, and other creatures that cannot communicate understandably to humans with kindness? I do fail and fall short. May God forgive me!
Outstanding book to read and read again! Worth trying to find this book if you have pets of any sort or love animals. This book reminds me again of the following passage from the Bible: The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
Outstanding book to read and read again! Worth trying to find this book if you have pets of any sort or love animals. This book reminds me again of the following passage from the Bible: The righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
August 27, 2019
This was one of my favorite books when I was a youngster. It tells the story of a dog who is owned by a cruel master (he cuts his ears and tail off) before being rescued by a kind family. Told from the dog's perspective, it is a compelling and poignant read that is both joyful and tear producing depending. Highly recommended to all children ten and up.
January 14, 2022
I read BEAUTIFUL JOE as a child. I wept through the beginning until Joe escapes his cruel first master. My uncle was never able to get past page 20 or so. Old family story about that.
April 3, 2018
Back in September I ended up in Meaford, ON due to a series of unplanned events. While I was there I discovered a wonderful park, it was called "Beautful Joe Park". There was a memorial for a mongrel of a dog with an incredible story. The park itself serves as a memorial not just for Beautiful Joe but also all dogs that have served as faithful companions. I found the book Beautiful Joe at the museum the next day and couldn't wait to read all about this dog that inspired so many. I was not disappointed, but I was also not emotionally prepared for the roller coaster of emotion that would come at me from this story. It is the story of Beautiful Joe, as told by himself. There were many stories of animal abuse and how the Morris family helped the abused animals and how their friends helped as well. The story is old and there are parts that really show how old it is, but the message from the book, to respect all creatures, is still relevant today. A good read that I would recommend to others.
December 20, 2016
If I had rated this when I was first given a copy in the 60s it would have gotten a solid five. I downloaded it from Gutenberg not long ago to revisit a childhood friend and got a surprise--the book I read from about age 8 had obviously been abridged. What I got from Gutenberg must have been the original text. I have to say, for once the "abridgers" got it right. The original is too long and preachy, with too much sentimentality in the expression and too much "tell." Instead of showing us the cases of people interacting with animals, for good or bad, Miss Saunders has people sit around talking in the dog's presence. Joe says he followed his people everywhere, she could have worked it differently. But no, we have talktalktalk, people reading aloud from letters and newspapers to a dog because "he'll be interested!" When the talk breaks down she throws in a robbery or a fire--but even then usually related secondhand and after the fact.
Some of the "wonderful" animal tales don't ring terribly true; among them, how Bella the parrot can hold conversations, instead of repeating phrases she is taught as Loridae do. But then the book was written in the 1890s, riding the wave of popularity of someone else's book, Black Beauty--kind of like fanfics and follow-on novels of today. Saunders wanted to encourage the Band of Mercy movement, an organisation teaching kids to be kind to animals and to foment change in animal husbandry. Unfortunately the Band is long gone, replaced by the SPCA and other groups, so young readers wouldn't get much out of it; and though as a child I had no trouble with the vocabulary, kids today would be lost.
One of the things that got cut from the edition my brother gave me in about 1968 was Mr Wood's rant against "hydrophobia" (ie rabies) in which he says that in his (obviously misinformed) opinion, it's all hysteria. "If you think you have it then you get it!" according to him; also, he spouts that there are only 2-4 cases a year! Yeah, that's why the rabies vaccination is now mandatory for pet mammals from dogs and cats to ferrets and rats, because it's all in our heads. Another cut is where Wood states that allowing animal cruelty is what causes America to "produce more criminals than any other civilized country" (by which he means Europe)..."except Spain and Italy!" Really, dear? (Having lived in Spain for most of my life, I took umbrage. I suppose, though, she was thinking about how they treated bulls, and there I agree with her. It's on the way out, but not gone. Maybe in a generation or two. Take heart, the young aren't fond of it.) Even the "kind" owners who keep their farm animals in clean, well-lighted houses think that beating a dog to discipline it is okay and if it's a large dog with a temperament problem, even necessary!! No one ever told them that striking a dog for misbehaving just knocks the problem firmly in.
I can't shelve this as a children's book anymore. Modern kids probably would be bored by it, unable to relate to checkreins and blinders and draught horses. The full edition kind of lost steam about 2/3 of the way through, in among all the sentimental turning-pale on the part of the ladies and the hunting stories of the guys who claim to have given it up because it's cruel, and yet still enjoy telling the tales of "excellent sport." I recognised the animal circus story toward the end, but even that peters out into sentimentality. Time and place; people ate that stuff up back in the day. At one time I had 2 copies of the old cardboard hardback I was given in the sixties; sure wish I could find that edition today.
Some of the "wonderful" animal tales don't ring terribly true; among them, how Bella the parrot can hold conversations, instead of repeating phrases she is taught as Loridae do. But then the book was written in the 1890s, riding the wave of popularity of someone else's book, Black Beauty--kind of like fanfics and follow-on novels of today. Saunders wanted to encourage the Band of Mercy movement, an organisation teaching kids to be kind to animals and to foment change in animal husbandry. Unfortunately the Band is long gone, replaced by the SPCA and other groups, so young readers wouldn't get much out of it; and though as a child I had no trouble with the vocabulary, kids today would be lost.
One of the things that got cut from the edition my brother gave me in about 1968 was Mr Wood's rant against "hydrophobia" (ie rabies) in which he says that in his (obviously misinformed) opinion, it's all hysteria. "If you think you have it then you get it!" according to him; also, he spouts that there are only 2-4 cases a year! Yeah, that's why the rabies vaccination is now mandatory for pet mammals from dogs and cats to ferrets and rats, because it's all in our heads. Another cut is where Wood states that allowing animal cruelty is what causes America to "produce more criminals than any other civilized country" (by which he means Europe)..."except Spain and Italy!" Really, dear? (Having lived in Spain for most of my life, I took umbrage. I suppose, though, she was thinking about how they treated bulls, and there I agree with her. It's on the way out, but not gone. Maybe in a generation or two. Take heart, the young aren't fond of it.) Even the "kind" owners who keep their farm animals in clean, well-lighted houses think that beating a dog to discipline it is okay and if it's a large dog with a temperament problem, even necessary!! No one ever told them that striking a dog for misbehaving just knocks the problem firmly in.
I can't shelve this as a children's book anymore. Modern kids probably would be bored by it, unable to relate to checkreins and blinders and draught horses. The full edition kind of lost steam about 2/3 of the way through, in among all the sentimental turning-pale on the part of the ladies and the hunting stories of the guys who claim to have given it up because it's cruel, and yet still enjoy telling the tales of "excellent sport." I recognised the animal circus story toward the end, but even that peters out into sentimentality. Time and place; people ate that stuff up back in the day. At one time I had 2 copies of the old cardboard hardback I was given in the sixties; sure wish I could find that edition today.
April 15, 2010
I can't believe I made it 32 years without knowing about Beautiful Joe. I so wish I had been introduced to this book as a child - I can only imagine how many times I'd have read it between then and now. I won't make that same mistake with my daughter. I'm going to buy a copy of this for us and always keep it around. I'll read it to her in a few years and then hopefully a few years later she'll be reading it herself.
I would have liked this book to be five times as long as it is. It's rare to find a book that good. So many things ran through my mind - how, on the surface, this book is about pretty much nothing and yet, underneath, it's about so, so much. How I wish I was Miss Laura! How I wish I had a Dingley Farm!
I don't know that there is an animal lover on planet earth, no matter the animal, that could find a bad word to say about Beautiful Joe. This is a keeper if there ever was one!
I would have liked this book to be five times as long as it is. It's rare to find a book that good. So many things ran through my mind - how, on the surface, this book is about pretty much nothing and yet, underneath, it's about so, so much. How I wish I was Miss Laura! How I wish I had a Dingley Farm!
I don't know that there is an animal lover on planet earth, no matter the animal, that could find a bad word to say about Beautiful Joe. This is a keeper if there ever was one!
February 25, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised to find a book written in a dog's voice in 1893, and I absolutely loved it. And the voice - Beautiful Joe's - is indeed a beautiful voice. His voice is genuine and loveable, and his perspective is believable. The book also gives an historical account of the way animals were treated in America at that time. I found it sad that so little has changed since then in respect to the abuse, neglect, and abandonment of animals and the lack of laws to protect them. Beautiful Joe has made me look at our three beloved dogs in a new way. When I look into their faces I remember Joe's voice, and I believe I have a much better idea what my dogs are thinking or what they might be wishing they could say to me. Many thanks to the author for writing this book.
August 22, 2018
This is such an amazing book! 😱 If more people read books like this when they were young I bet there'd be a lot less cruelty in the world. It is very old fashioned, but that's expected from a book first published in the 1800's. I think it would be a little better if it was a little bit shorter. It focuses too long on some things, and there are some parts that are kind of just randomly thrown in. But overall I love this book and recommend it to anybody and everybody!
April 19, 2011
This was my dad's favorite book and he let me read it when I was maybe 8 yrs old. I still have that hardback copy. It is a very moving story of an abused and then rescued dog told from his point of view. Very hard hitting book for a child to read and it has deeply influenced the way I look at and will treat animals for the rest of my life.
September 16, 2025
Read this as a child, and can honestly say that it’s affected my life (to this day) in positive ways.
May 14, 2023
3.5 stars
Beautiful Joe was a dog (apparently a real dog) who was abused by his owner (along with his mother and siblings, who were all killed), but was rescued by some local kids after Joe’s owner cut off his ears and tail. Joe hit the jackpot with his new family, especially soft-hearted Miss Laura who took good care of Joe and all the other animals the family had. When Miss Laura went off to a relative’s farm for a summer, Joe went with her and learned about the farm animals, as well.
The book was told from Beautiful Joe’s point of view. I enjoyed this (mostly), but it did get preachy at times. I completely agree with it all, but even so, it still felt a bit preachy to me. Many of the characters in the story were almost too good to be true, but at the same time, I think the book (originally published in 1893) was trying to teach kids not to be cruel to animals – they have feelings and feel pain, too. Interesting that it is actually a woman who wrote this: Margaret Marshall Saunders.
Beautiful Joe was a dog (apparently a real dog) who was abused by his owner (along with his mother and siblings, who were all killed), but was rescued by some local kids after Joe’s owner cut off his ears and tail. Joe hit the jackpot with his new family, especially soft-hearted Miss Laura who took good care of Joe and all the other animals the family had. When Miss Laura went off to a relative’s farm for a summer, Joe went with her and learned about the farm animals, as well.
The book was told from Beautiful Joe’s point of view. I enjoyed this (mostly), but it did get preachy at times. I completely agree with it all, but even so, it still felt a bit preachy to me. Many of the characters in the story were almost too good to be true, but at the same time, I think the book (originally published in 1893) was trying to teach kids not to be cruel to animals – they have feelings and feel pain, too. Interesting that it is actually a woman who wrote this: Margaret Marshall Saunders.
June 20, 2025
After visiting the Margaret Marshall Saunders Monument in Tupper Park in Milton, Nova Scotia, and hearing so much about her book "Beautiful Joe", I thought I should read a copy. For a middle-grade book, it was a lot longer than I thought it would be. At 37 chapters, it is about the life of a rescue dog that had been abused by his first owner, who had chopped off his ears and tail in a fit of rage. Joe was rescued by Jack, a young man who was passing by and heard his cries. Jack brought him to the Morris family to heal. With the love of the entire family, especially that of Miss Laura, Joe healed and flourished and had many adventures during his lifetime. The story is unique as it is told from the point of view of Joe, and he relates many first-hand accounts about the kindness and cruelty of people to animals. Originally published in 1894, it does show its age, but if read with this context in mind, it is a wonderful story about the humane treatment of all animals. Inspired by the true story of a dog in Meaford, Ontario, I have since learned that there is a “Beautiful Joe Park” located there.
March 16, 2018
The concerns for animal welfare raised in this book are like the Victorian era version of the documentary, Earthlings. Lots of information that was undoubtedly shocking and eye-opening for the people who read it in its time. As a contemporary reader I have to admit the story structure was not very engaging. Despite inspiration drawn from Sewell's Black Beauty, Saunders couldn't quite match her emotional engagement. Despite that, however, this is a very important book that did a lot of good in both its time and ours.
February 26, 2023
Re-reading this book that was given to me when I was in the 3rd grade. Since it was so many years ago, I really didn't remember the whole story. What a beautiful trip down memory lane in this heartwarming story of a dog that starts out under terrible conditions and is lucky enough to be rescued by a kind and loving family. This book was perfect I imagine in the third grade, and it was perfect all these decades later.
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June 14, 2021I was going to rate this book four stars. Then I started thinking about it and thought three was better. And now I'm considering two. Yeah...
December 7, 2024
A sweet and simple book set in America during the Victorian era. The universal message of kindness is timeless though and I think this book is a classic in its own right.
September 8, 2016
Beautiful Joe has been compared to the groundbreaking Black Beauty since its publication in 1893. This first person story of an abused dog runs many parallels to Black Beauty and Margaret Marshall Saunders made no secret of having been inspired and greatly influenced by the horse novel. The two even met comparable success. Black Beauty was already famous and Beautiful Joe soon became the best-selling Canadian novel ever. (Though the true story it is loosely based on took place in Canada, the novel is set in Maine.)
Like so many modern day successes in books, these two are divided by a great chasm that is rarely acknowledged: One author was a superb writer: One was not.
Beautiful Joe follows a narrative so heavy-handed and explanatory that preaching is too soft a word. It's like being hit in the face with a sandbag over and over again while someone shouts at you, "Do you get it now?!"
Yet, even with Ms. Saunders' ham-fisted, long-winded, ranting at her reader, by the end of the book, I'm not sure I did get her message. (Clearly, I'm just as slow and ignorant as she imagined her audience to be.)
Beautiful Joe is a mind-numbing sermon on how human beings must stop being so cruel to animals and all God's creatures deserve kindness and compassion. Got it so far. Then, there is also the dated nature of the text to be considered. Yes, the book is very old and this should be taken into account for any modern review. Got that too. What I fail to understand is how Beautiful Joe ever struck such a cord, ever reached such animal-loving masses, ever got anyone to take it seriously, when nearly every animal kindness preaching human character (and all the characters in the book preach just as much as the author) are abusive to animals themselves.
The examples are rampant but here are a few. Main characters, the good guys: shoot their own dogs because they were "bad tempered" and growled at them, poison cats by prying open their mouths and pouring potassium cyanide on their tongues, whip dogs and ponies as part of their "training," hunt, trap, and set packs of dogs on wild animals, and all the time preach kindness to the animal kingdom, wild and domestic.
Miss Laura, the heroine of the story and Beautiful Joe's teenage mistress, beats her six-week-old Fox Terrier puppy with a bootlace when she finds him chewing her father's hat. This is followed by a quick reassurance to the reader in case you thought the angelic Miss Laura was mean to dogs:
"She never struck a little dog with her hand or a stick. She said clubs were for big dogs and switches for little dogs, if one had to use them."
Ohhh. . . . Now I get it. Of course. Nice girl. She would never beat him with a stick. Heavens no. Only big dogs should be beaten with clubs.
But, you protest, dated book? That was the way it was then? Everyone thought you had to hit a dog if you wanted to train it?
I'm a dog trainer myself and have been for many years. I've spent over fifteen years studying new, established, and antiquated methods—from whip and club to bridge signals and the No Change Response System. I've researched historical training and working dogs going back well before 1893. Beating a dog to "train" it was not a universally accepted technique at the time and positive training methods did exist.
These were the best methods to Ms. Saunders, however, and—since all the good guys in Beautiful Joe share her views and preach her sermon—that's how dogs were trained by kindly owners in her book.
Despite the painful writing (worse than the brutal events it portrays), endless sermons, and shocking contradictions, Beautiful Joe did make changes for the better in the way people treated and related to animals and animal welfare around the turn of the century. For that alone it deserves to still be on our shelves. Though perhaps not the same one as Black Beauty, which rises hooves and paws above the rest as the pioneering, and outstanding, first person animal story that started well organized animal welfare campaigns in the first place.
Like so many modern day successes in books, these two are divided by a great chasm that is rarely acknowledged: One author was a superb writer: One was not.
Beautiful Joe follows a narrative so heavy-handed and explanatory that preaching is too soft a word. It's like being hit in the face with a sandbag over and over again while someone shouts at you, "Do you get it now?!"
Yet, even with Ms. Saunders' ham-fisted, long-winded, ranting at her reader, by the end of the book, I'm not sure I did get her message. (Clearly, I'm just as slow and ignorant as she imagined her audience to be.)
Beautiful Joe is a mind-numbing sermon on how human beings must stop being so cruel to animals and all God's creatures deserve kindness and compassion. Got it so far. Then, there is also the dated nature of the text to be considered. Yes, the book is very old and this should be taken into account for any modern review. Got that too. What I fail to understand is how Beautiful Joe ever struck such a cord, ever reached such animal-loving masses, ever got anyone to take it seriously, when nearly every animal kindness preaching human character (and all the characters in the book preach just as much as the author) are abusive to animals themselves.
The examples are rampant but here are a few. Main characters, the good guys: shoot their own dogs because they were "bad tempered" and growled at them, poison cats by prying open their mouths and pouring potassium cyanide on their tongues, whip dogs and ponies as part of their "training," hunt, trap, and set packs of dogs on wild animals, and all the time preach kindness to the animal kingdom, wild and domestic.
Miss Laura, the heroine of the story and Beautiful Joe's teenage mistress, beats her six-week-old Fox Terrier puppy with a bootlace when she finds him chewing her father's hat. This is followed by a quick reassurance to the reader in case you thought the angelic Miss Laura was mean to dogs:
"She never struck a little dog with her hand or a stick. She said clubs were for big dogs and switches for little dogs, if one had to use them."
Ohhh. . . . Now I get it. Of course. Nice girl. She would never beat him with a stick. Heavens no. Only big dogs should be beaten with clubs.
But, you protest, dated book? That was the way it was then? Everyone thought you had to hit a dog if you wanted to train it?
I'm a dog trainer myself and have been for many years. I've spent over fifteen years studying new, established, and antiquated methods—from whip and club to bridge signals and the No Change Response System. I've researched historical training and working dogs going back well before 1893. Beating a dog to "train" it was not a universally accepted technique at the time and positive training methods did exist.
These were the best methods to Ms. Saunders, however, and—since all the good guys in Beautiful Joe share her views and preach her sermon—that's how dogs were trained by kindly owners in her book.
Despite the painful writing (worse than the brutal events it portrays), endless sermons, and shocking contradictions, Beautiful Joe did make changes for the better in the way people treated and related to animals and animal welfare around the turn of the century. For that alone it deserves to still be on our shelves. Though perhaps not the same one as Black Beauty, which rises hooves and paws above the rest as the pioneering, and outstanding, first person animal story that started well organized animal welfare campaigns in the first place.
June 1, 2024
In this book, Margaret Marshall Saunders does for dogs (and other animals) what Anna Sewell did for horses in Black Beauty. Saunders uses the voice of Beautiful Joe, a dog who was needlessly abused as a pup. to makes a passionate case for the humane treatment of animals. I found the novel rather preachy at times, with characters brought forward specifically for debate and endorsing opposing points of view. But then, the author was the daughter of a clergyman.
The book surprised me by discussing concepts and issues that are still debated today, such as vegetarianism and whether animals go to Heaven.
The book surprised me by discussing concepts and issues that are still debated today, such as vegetarianism and whether animals go to Heaven.
November 9, 2010
This is one of the few books I read as a child that made it to my "read" list. Being a "dog person" even as a child, this book was one of the first real books I remember reading, and was given to me by my mother for a collection of books she had as a child. I was given this book as a gift a few years ago, after mentioning how it was one of my favorite childhood books, and made the mistake of trying to re-read it. I got through the first 5 pages and realized the book would never be the same, and would probably not only not revere it, but wouldn't like it any more if I continued to read. I stopped on page 5 and haven't picked it up since.
Being around the age of 6 when I read this book, my memories of the plot are somewhat fuzzy, and the 5 pages I reread tell me they are definitely viewed through the eyes of a child. To me this book was a story of triumph. The story is told primarily through the eyes of Joe, the dog who is everything but beautiful. He was not wanted as a puppy and his crook of an owner was also violent. In a rage he cropped Joe's ears so close to his head the metal scraped his head, and his tale and way to communicate his opinion was also taken. A passer-by heard him scream and begged the milkman to give him the puppy, which he reluctantly did. This book is how a good family taught this dog that not all people are evil and out to do him harm and also how our our misdeeds in life eventually come back to haunt us.
Being around the age of 6 when I read this book, my memories of the plot are somewhat fuzzy, and the 5 pages I reread tell me they are definitely viewed through the eyes of a child. To me this book was a story of triumph. The story is told primarily through the eyes of Joe, the dog who is everything but beautiful. He was not wanted as a puppy and his crook of an owner was also violent. In a rage he cropped Joe's ears so close to his head the metal scraped his head, and his tale and way to communicate his opinion was also taken. A passer-by heard him scream and begged the milkman to give him the puppy, which he reluctantly did. This book is how a good family taught this dog that not all people are evil and out to do him harm and also how our our misdeeds in life eventually come back to haunt us.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2023
This book really stays with you! It was probably one of the first “big” books I read at around
age eight, and it left a strong impression on me. I loved it then, and I loved it 60-plus years
later when I read it again today. Yes, it may seem a bit old fashioned, as it was written in 1893,
but the story and its lessons are timeless. It’s told in the voice of Joe, a cruelly mistreated dog,
that eventually got away to a good home. It’s based on a true story, written to raise
awareness for humane treatment of animals. Marshall Saunders is the pen
name of author Margaret Marshall Saunders. She dropped her first name, suspecting that a book
written by a woman wouldn’t be taken seriously. As it turned out, this was the first
Canadian book to sell over a million copies. In My Reading Life, by Pat Conroy, he says he was
profoundly affected by Beautiful Joe. It’s hard to imagine any reader wouldn’t be. Five stars.
age eight, and it left a strong impression on me. I loved it then, and I loved it 60-plus years
later when I read it again today. Yes, it may seem a bit old fashioned, as it was written in 1893,
but the story and its lessons are timeless. It’s told in the voice of Joe, a cruelly mistreated dog,
that eventually got away to a good home. It’s based on a true story, written to raise
awareness for humane treatment of animals. Marshall Saunders is the pen
name of author Margaret Marshall Saunders. She dropped her first name, suspecting that a book
written by a woman wouldn’t be taken seriously. As it turned out, this was the first
Canadian book to sell over a million copies. In My Reading Life, by Pat Conroy, he says he was
profoundly affected by Beautiful Joe. It’s hard to imagine any reader wouldn’t be. Five stars.
June 10, 2016
My aunt gave this book to us this summer and said that she had read and loved it when she was about 8 years old. It is about a dog who was born on a farm with a very abusive owner. The dog is soon rescued and taken in by a loving family. Kaitlyn loved it and always begged me to read more. We were instructed that the book is to share with all our cousins but Kaitlyn doesn't want to give it up. She is now starting to read it a second time on her own. My aunt tells me that there is a cemetery in Ontario where the real Beautiful Joe is buried. She says many other animal lovers have buried their pets there too. Anyway, thank you Auntie Donna. We loved Beautiful Joe.
March 11, 2016
I didn't enjoy this book very much and I usually just love dog stories. For that reason I can't recommend it for anyone. It does reflect the old thinking of that time which was for the most part very boring for instance they wanted to put a stop to young people moving to cities and all sorts of ridiculous ideas were put forth which would have made no difference at all. Many young people would have left just to get away from some of these ideas but the ideas about really caring for animals are good.
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