This book was a fascinating read . It combines the story of a family and their passion for raising magnificent dogs with a mystery. It delves into not only the variety of characteristics of dogs but also the people they live and learn with. Young Edgar learns some hard facts of life. He loses his father in a mysterious way, then must deal with Claude, his father’s unloving brother. His mother , Trudy, tries to keep things as they were but… He eventually finds that it’s only the dogs he can trust and humans have a lot to learn from them, especially his other half-Almondine.

The author, without question is immensely talented and remarkably intelligent in his writing style and in building his characters as well as planning and executing his plot yet he has a tendency to get caught up in segueing in and out of character memories during alternate events that aren’t always easily recognizable as having any context in the events yet eventually after a long drawn and extended explanation he will reveal the connections or the trigger to his present day reality. It wasn’t a favorite of mine and I’ve already bought the sequel to this book so I’m hoping with great anticipation it is a bit more enjoyable and relatable than the first.

This book might’ve been one of the best I’ve read in a long while if it wasn’t so sad and eventually so depressing with possibly one of the worst conclusions I have ever read! It will stay with me for sometime, (and perhaps that is what this author is hoping for, ) but not for the right reasons. Well written but not satisfying in the end. To bad! It could’ve been great!

Engaging throughout. Sad. Well written.

Interesting story, quite unique. Good character development and a good plot.

A very uneven book. Parts of the book are beautifully written, so this write has promise. But this feels like a couple of different books (at best) with an ending that's so abrupt it feels like it was written by someone else.

Great book!

Beautifully written at times. However storytelling skills are tragically missing. I’m left confused, disheartened, and completely disappointed. Seriously, was this book actually written by a dog?

Stunning. Heart-wrenching. Superbly descriptive. Throughout compassionate. I am in awe of this achievement.

humbling, magnificent, generous.