The Dog That Talked to God

I waited for a few days after finishing this book to decide how I would write a review for it. This was a book that I found entertaining, and yet there were things about it that I didn't like very much. I will detail what I did like first. I thought the author did a really good job of giving his female lead character life. She had a past that was described enough to make you understand her and feel sympathy for her without going into so much detail about her life up to the point of the story to make you lose interest. I thought the dog was great. Jim Kraus did an excellent job describing the temperament of the breed and I don't think he could have chosen a better breed to work with in general. When you look into the eyes of that kind of dog you almost believe they are thinking something important. The way the author portrayed the life of a widow seemed adequate to me and her reawakening into the world of dating and meeting people and moving on after tragedy all felt like it was natural and easy to follow. I thought the relationship she had with her dog, particularly at one point in the story where she suddenly realized that his company was truly enough to make her feel blessed, was done beautifully and was believable. I place great importance on my relationship with my dog and I'm sure many others do as well. The single thing that I love about this book more than anything else is that this author was so good at giving this woman a life as a writer that some of the other reviewers forgot entirely that it was written by a man and have actually tried to look up other books by this fictional character. I guess he fooled them; which says a lot for how good his character building is. Although there were many things I loved about this book, there were some things I didn't as well. For a book that is titled "The Dog That Talked To God," I felt there should have been a little more talking dog rather than whining grown woman. I understand her position, I truly do. She is struggling with her faith and trying to figure out what to make of her life after a horrific event changed the course. Still, there were times when I found this character downright unlikeable. She is obsessed with having the upper hand over her friends by having the better grammar and the best vocabulary and even picks on her best friend about it. I found that offensive and it made me feel distant from her plight within the story. I was kind of hoping that this non-biting breed would give her a good nip in the tush. The fact that she was ever satisfied with a husband who thought she was more or less "good enough," instead of absolutely beautiful made me gag. She apparently needed to do more than find her self a talking dog and reestablish a relationship with God to make her less self-conscious. I couldn't reconcile her high opinion of herself professionally with a woman who was content with a husband who simply thought she was "pretty." The two traits didn't fit in the same body. At times the story didn't seem to flow and especially at the end, I wondered how the author was content to describe every step of her move to a new place including the packing and the contents of her refrigerator, and yet suddenly at the end she is married but apparently the readers weren't invited to the wedding as it was a complete shock. I found that she sounded like she was bragging throughout the book about her accomplishments as a writer and yet at one point she is afraid to spend more than fifty bucks on a "dutch" date. Certain points in the book had me scratching my head. How easily she accepts that her dog is actually talking to her and the way she treats him like he is a dog/human/love interest/counselor...really? There were times when the dog appeared to be much smarter than she was. The effect was laughter on my part where I am sure there was no humor intended. Finally, the woman can't throw a punch worth dog poo. If I were going to punch out the guy who had been irresponsible with the life of my dog, I would have made contact with his nose. Overall this was a pretty good story and after much consideration, I think the dog deserved three stars and the author deserved one for coming up with him. The main character gets a big fat ZERO for being a parvenu (ooh vocabulary) of the literary world. I guess that means this book gets four stars. Really, read it and see what you think. The dog deserves the love.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a dog person! We currently own two adorable and precious Cocker Spaniels. I find them to be special creations from God, so when I heard about the blog tour for `The Dog That Talked to God'[...] by Jim Kraus, I knew I wanted to read that one!Here is the synopsis for this novel:Sometimes the least expected can be the most amazing.Recently widowed Mary Fassler buys a Miniature Schnauzer, Rufus, and her world is turned sideways in the midst of her grief. It seems that Rufus speaks. And not just to her. He also talks to God.When Rufus begins sharing advice that could result in major life changes, Mary gets the feeling the pooch might not be steering her in the right direction. Or is she just afraid to take a leap and discover something she desperately needs? Only Rufus - and God - knows.Here is the biography of the author:Jim Kraus is a longtime writer and editor who has authored or coauthored 20 books, both fiction and nonfiction. His best-selling humor book, Bloopers, Blunders, Jokes, Quips, and Quotes, [...] was published by Tyndale, sold more than 40,000 copies, and inspired several spin-off books. Jim and his wife, novelist Terri Kraus, have one son and live in the Chicago area.I loved Jim's writing style - especially the humorous sections. Here is an example; the main character, Mary Fassler, tells about her first month of dog ownership:Friends came over to visit that first month, after hearing I had acquired a dog. They oohed and aahhed over the puppy, picking him up, with some planting kisses on his head. I had determined not to be the sort of semi-crazy pet lady who would do that. I have to say that human-to-pet smooches simply look wrong. Weird. I am pretty sure that Rufus did not like the forced smooches either, but he had no forearm with which to wipe off an unwanted kiss after being bussed on his forehead. Worse yet was the occasional trace of lipstick that remained afterward in his white eyebrows that I had to clean off when the over-affectionate guest departed. (p. 30)I also loved Jim's descriptive writing style. Here's Mary describing the first time she saw her future husband:He [Jacob Fassler] worked in marketing - smooth-talking, glib, always with a ready smile. You know, one of those marketing types. And he was handsome, in a Bohemian sort of way. He stood a few inches taller than me - and in flats, I was an even five feet, five inches tall. He had an almost dark look about him, dark hair with waves that he sort of pushed back from his forehead with a calculated insouciance that made it look as though he had just stepped away from the beach. I would have wagered that he smelled of salt water. He had dark eyes - deep, expressive, more brown than any other color - in contrast with my Nordic-looking blue eyes, my blond hair in a limp bob. He had a dangerous look to himself, opposite from me and my gingham-and-lace apron aura. I could wear a leather jacket with leather chaps and studs in my nose and ears, and someone would ask me where the Sunday school social is being held. I have that sort of nice, nearly angelic face. I'm not that way, really. I can be bad. Seriously. I have done bad things.Sort of. (p. 40)I believe that dogs are wonderful creatures! Here, Mary asks Rufus if all dogs know God:"I think so. I think all dogs know God. But not all dogs are good dogs. If a dog is a good dog, that means they know who God is and do good things. Some dogs that do bad things do bad things because they have bad people around them. But, deep down, all dogs know what is good and bad. Good dogs do good things. Bad dogs...they do bad things, even if they know better. But all dogs know what they're doing. I'm pretty sure of that." (p. 274)I really LOVED this book! I was so touched that I cried at the end; they were happy tears for the ending! I would love to see a sequel! I thank Mr. Kraus for sharing the wonders of dogs and the privilege we have to have them as companions. I cannot imagine life without a furry canine creative in our home!This book was published by Abingdon Press and provided by the LitFuse Publicity Group for review purposes.

I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so that I'm going to get the audio book also.

I ordered this book shortly before our boy crossed the Rainbow Bridge. It was a great read, and helped me through my grief.

I’m not a religious person and that was always going to be a issue to me reading this book. I am a mad dog owner of two schnauzers, one talking, both characters! OK mine talks like a real dog and has lots to say to everyone but we have our moments. I connected with the bond between them and the characters. Probably too much emphasis on the amount of food described, as i kept imagining Mary more like Mrs Doubtfire! The loss of my family dog in a road accident and the schnauzer connection made me blub like crazy in the middle of the book. Even when I knew Rufus survived I couldn’t control myself, and yes, I felt that punch as if I had planted it.I gentle read which I enjoyed and a happy ending for all.

This was one of the first books I downloaded to my iPad and one of the reasons I chose it was that we have a Miniature Schnauzer in the family, who is a real personality and much loved, so the cover picture drew me to it.It's a story of rebuilding a life and restoring faith following a catastrophic tragedy. When Mary Fassler is trying to rebuild her life following a major trauma, she buys a dog (a miniature Schnauzer she calls Rufus) for company, but the dog provides much more than that when it displays some amazing powers and helps her to make some crucial decisions during her healing process.This is an unusual story, beautifully told, which really engrossed me. It's one I'll remember and recommend to others.

I have fallen in love with this book!!! Please get it! Please do! I LOVE it!!!!! It has an amazing story line, when you think one thing, it is actually another! I nearly cried at the end! Not of sadness, but of happiness. All that Rufus and Mary had been through, i just thought it was a brilliantly thought out book. In a way it has changed my views about God. I really did enjoy this book and i would recommend it to all schnauzer lovers and people who are interested. I am only thirteen and thought it was incredible. :)

A wonderful book, with a very moving ending. It came as quite a surprise that it was written by a man, given that the main character/narrator is a woman. Some beautifully descriptive passages and a fair bit of humour. I read it on kindle but am thinking of getting the paperback for my Mum, I enjoyed it so much!

For those of us who own a miniature Schnauzer, this is a must read. Everything about this book makes so much sense!