Rating: 
Summary: Phenomenal
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read. And I'm VERY picky about books. It was a page turner; an emotionally gripping story that has stayed with me long after its last page. Very unique story. She's an excellent writer and I can't wait for her next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't let the premise throw you
Review: Beautifully written book. The love he had for his wife is apparent during the whole book.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read about the premise of this book and couldn't wait to read it. It dragged for me. It would have been so much better as a murder mystery where that is actually solved by something that results from Paul's effort with Lorelei. The character of the husband was sympathetic but the wife came off as a fruitcake. The writing itself is nice, just the plot needed some more twists and turns. You could see the kidnapping coming the minute the kidnapper excuses himself, it was so predictable.
Rating:
Summary: Just gross
Review: I somehow always end up reading books that leave me disturbed - and, while many people will disagree with me, that is not an emotion I particularly enjoy. ( I probably should read these reviews before I pick up the books!) Anyway, this book was no exception. While the premise sounds kind of interesting and mysterious, it really is a warped book. Unless you enjoy getting new, repulsive ideas (say, perhaps, you can't get enough from the newspaper)I'd suggest that you skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: great premise but
Review: The premise of this story is wonderful, and at times it comes close to pulling it off. But just when you think it might, Parkhurst gives us one more contrived situation or one more over-the-top-cute glimpse of the main characters' relationship and you're left disappointed and hopeful once again. The depiction of grief is dead-on, intense, emotional, painful to read at times it's so well-done. She should have trusted herself a bit more with it. We don't need their relationship made so precious so we feel the loss; we would have felt it anyway. Having the lost wife a mask-maker teetered on the edge of contrivance, slipped even closer when they became death masks. Had she stopped there it could have been tolerable if too noticeable. But she slips over the edge a few too many times with this particular aspect. The same is true with the underground dog society and the final message from his wife. I wanted to like this work so much, and she overcame herself so many times that I remained hopeful that by the end I would. But unfortunately it proved too hard to ignore the contrivances. Even so, I can't say the book isn't worth a read--there's much here to savor. Read it, and prepared to be saddened by the work as well as its failed promise.
Rating:
Summary: Very moving story
Review: Deeply mourning the recent death of his wife, a linguist attempts to teach his dog--the only witness to his wife's death--to talk, in the hopes of finding answers and closure. Very moving story about the lengths a person can go to when dealing with grief.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: I found it difficult to put this book down. It was so beautifully written..it was intruiging, sad, but hopeful. I'm actually disappointed now that I have finished, I'm missing the story now that it is over.
Rating:
Summary: Good ending to a rather sketchy project
Review: Unlike many other readers, I found most of this novel fairly boring- with its ridiculous characters, one-dimensional emotions, and pop culture sense of the world, it does indeed seem as if a high school student penned it. And yet, I stuck with, hoping to find the reason it has been hyped so much in the press and by readers here. For me, the ending, far from being gratuitous or as one animal fan put it, "cruel," is the only part of the book that is worthwhile, that does live up to the hype. Through the underground we at last confront something moving, living, and powerful.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful writing can't override discomfort with abused dogs
Review: This is an odd little book. Its selection by Anna Quindlen for the Today Show book club was enough to get me to read it, but this was no LOVELY BONES. Linguistics Professor Paul Iverson is devastated when his wife, Lexy, is found dead in their yard, apparently from a fall from their apple tree. The police rule it an accident but he can't help but wonder what really happened. The more he digs, the more he finds odd about the days leading up to her death. The only witness was their dog, Lorelei, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Paul gets obsessed with the idea of teaching her to talk so that she may tell him the truth of what happened to Lexy - was it an accident or suicide? I wasn't initially aware of, but was very put off by, the abuse of animals in this book, so I feel compelled to mention it here, but despite that, parts of the book were really beautifully written.
Rating:
Summary: SUPERB WRITING
Review: Unlike many of the other critiques I had no previous knowledge of this first novel. In my opinion those that dumped on the book did not understand what it was saying. If Parkhurst can continue being as imaginative and creative as in "Babel" she will be in the top rank of American authors.The dog metaphor was cleverly utilized, but is just that. The author is writing about human relationships in a very special way.It is one of the few books that I found hard to put down, and required some serious thought. I look forward to Ms. Parkhurst's next effort.
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