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Marley & Me

[Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog]
Sep 27, 2017jandt_mcmurray rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Newlyweds John & Jenny Grogan are just getting settled into their new lives together. Since they were married a bit later in life (early 30s), they want to start trying for a family very soon. Jenny is concerned that she isn't yet fit to be a mother because she cannot keep a house plant alive. How would she be able to keep a baby alive? She pitches the idea to John of getting a dog as a test to see if they are fit to be parents. Enter Marley. Anything you can think of that a dog could destroy, he did it. But seeing how they were both able to calmly deal with Marley's destruction, they figured they were indeed prepared to be parents. 3 kids later & their family was complete. But, as with any complete story of a dog, an end is on the horizon. Yes, Marley begins to show signs of age, & one day, Marley's life is over. Of course there is a lot of description of all of Marley's antics from puppyhood to old age. Despite Marley's title as "worst dog ever", the Grogans can't help but LOVE their dog. He's a true member of the family. As a dog lover myself, of course I loved this story! I also couldn't help but draw parallels between Marley & our most recent addition to the family, a 6 month old male black lab named Coda. And I can't help but agree with the Grogans: no matter how much destruction, no matter how many messes, I can't help but love my sweet dogs! (We also have an 11 year old female yellow lab/beagle named Chesney.) And just like the Grogans, I don't think I'll ever be "ready" to let go. Age recommendation: 8 & up (There are a few scenes of child-making attempts that some parents may want to avoid. I don't remember them being explicit, but the author doesn't beat around the bush about their struggle with infertility & the many, many attempts at having a baby.) On a scale of 1-10 stars, I give it 8.