Marley & Me by John Grogan

Subject:  Marley and Me is about the relationship between Marley and his new family.  Just beginning their lives together, John and Jenny bring home the adorable yellow lab, Marley.  Marley turns out to be a rambunctious, loud, and troublesome.  He gets into the messiest situation anyone could imagine.  From slobbering everywhere, to shutting down a beach, to eating jewelry, to getting kicked out of obedience school, Marley seems like the worst mistake the Grogans could have made.  However, once their family begins to grow, Marley proves to be worth all the hardships he has put Jenny and John through.  He comes to the rescue of a seventeen year old stabbing victim and protects his family better than they could have expected.  The kids love having him around and John and Jenny are grateful they stuck with the little (big) rascal throughout everything.

Occasion:  Throughout most of his life, Marley spends his time in Palm Beach, FL.  Joining his new family around the 1990's.  John talks about his struggle with taming the fluffy beast, and even in the beast's old age, he was hardly tamed.  Marley and his family eventually move down to coast to Fort Lauderdale where Marley spends the last eventful years of his life :(

Audience:  This book is definitely one that can be read to the whole family.  It has a humorous tone with a syntax that is easy to read.  This book is meant for anyone who loves animals, loves to laugh, and wants a simple life story they can relate to.

Purpose:  The purpose of this book was to get the point across that even when times get hard, stick with those who love you because in the end, everything is worth it, and you make the best friend a man could ask for.  John Grogan was showing the world how even the most wild, boisterous, untamable dog can turn out to be a life saver, and truly mans best friend.

Style:  Grogan tells this story from his point of view, which in my opinion makes it much easier to relate to.  When a story is told in first person it is a breeze for me to be able to visualize the situation in which they are explaining with a more accurate description.

Tone:  The way John tells his story has a hint of sarcasm and a lot of comedic language.  He describes every situation as if he is genuinely amused behind the fact that he is furious with Marley for the mess he just made.  There are times when things get serious and you have to take a step back from all the fun and reassess what is really happening.  John Grogan was very good at switching from emotion to emotion and making you feel what he is feeling.

This was an incredible read, and I think anyone would enjoy it! Beware; you may regret picking the cutest, funniest, fluffiest dog out of the liter.  He might even eat your pretty necklace!  But he would sure look after your kids like they were royalty.