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{{short description|2005 book by John Grogan}} |
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{{For|the film based on the book|Marley & Me (film)}} |
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{{Refimprove|date=December 2008}} |
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| name = Marley & Me |
| name = Marley & Me |
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| image = |
| image = Marley & Me book cover.jpg <!--prefer 1st edition--> |
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| author = John Grogan |
| caption = |
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| author = [[John Grogan]] |
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| illustrator = |
| illustrator = |
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| cover_artist = |
| cover_artist = |
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| country = |
| country = United States |
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| language = |
| language = English |
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| genre = [[ |
| genre = [[Autobiographical novel]] |
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| publisher = [[HarperCollins]] |
| publisher = [[HarperCollins]] (US), [[Hodder & Stoughton]] (UK) |
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| release_date = |
| release_date = October 18, 2005 |
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| media_type = Print ([[hardcover]]), [[ |
| media_type = Print ([[hardcover]]), [[audiobook]],<br>[[e-book]] |
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| pages = 304 |
| pages = 304 pp |
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| isbn = |
| isbn = 0-06-081708-9 |
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| dewey= 636.752/7/092 B 22 |
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| congress= SF429.L3 G76 2005 |
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| oclc= 58431841 |
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}} |
}} |
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'''''Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog''''' is an autobiographical book by journalist [[John Grogan]], published in 2005, about the 13 years he and his family spent with their yellow [[Labrador Retriever]], Marley. The dog is poorly behaved and destructive, and the book covers the issues this causes in the family as they learn to accept him in addition to their grief following Marley's death. It was subsequently adapted by the author into three separate books, as well as into [[Marley & Me (film)|a comedy-drama film]] released in 2008. |
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| ⚫ | Told in [[first-person narrative]], the book portrays Grogan and his family's life during the 13 years that they lived with their dog Marley, and the relationships and lessons from this period. Marley, a yellow [[Labrador Retriever]], is described as a high-strung, boisterous, and somewhat uncontrolled dog. He is strong, powerful, endlessly hungry, eager to be active, and often destructive of their property (but completely without malice). Marley routinely fails to "get the idea" of what humans expect of him; at one point, mental illness is suggested as a plausible explanation for his behavior. His acts and behaviors are forgiven, however, since it is clear that he has a heart of gold and is merely living within his nature. |
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'''''Marley & Me''''' is a ''[[The New York Times]]'' best seller [[autobiographical novel|autobiographical book]] by the [[journalist]] [[John Grogan]]. It portrays his and his family's life during the thirteen years that they lived with their [[Labrador Retriever]], Marley, and the relationships and lessons from this period. |
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| ⚫ | The strong contrast between the problems and tensions caused by his neuroses and behavior, and the undying devotion, love and trust shown towards the human family as they themselves have children and grow up to accept him for what he is, and their grief when he finally dies from [[gastric dilatation volvulus]] (a stomach torsion condition) in old age, form the backdrop for the biographical material of the story. |
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In the autobiography, Grogan states that the eulogy he wrote in his [[The Philadelphia Inquirer|newspaper]] following the death of his dog received more responses than any other column he had written in his professional life up until that point.<ref>"Marley & Me" ch. 29 p. 281-282: ''A recorded warning I had never heard before. "Your mailbox is full" [...]. I logged onto my computer and opened my e-mail. Same story. [...] This morning there were hundreds, far more than anything I had received before.''</ref> In a discussion on his website devoted to the book, he looks back on his family's time with Marley, and the lessons learned, and concludes that: "[C]ommitment matters. That 'in good times and bad, in sickness and in health' really means something. We didn't give up on Marley when it would have been easy to, and in the end he came through and proved himself a great and memorable pet."<ref>{{cite web |last=Grogan |first=John |title=Marley & Me Q&A |url=http://www.johngroganbooks.com/marley/qanda.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112195214/https://johngroganbooks.com/marley/qanda.html |archive-date=12 November 2017 |accessdate=2009-06-11 |publisher=John Grogan's "Marley & Me" website}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | The strong contrast between the problems and tensions caused by his |
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== |
==Adaptations== |
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''Marley & Me'' has been rewritten into three different books: |
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Tag lines include: |
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* ''Marley: A Dog Like No Other'', for younger readers who would enjoy reading about Marley's story, without the sexual content in the original |
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* "Life and love with the world's worst dog." <ref>Cover of hardback edition</ref> |
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* ''Bad Dog, Marley!'', a picture book for readers learning to read in lower grade levels |
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* "Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a larger than life, bad-boy dog?" <ref>Back cover of hardback edition</ref> |
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* ''A Very Marley Christmas'' |
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In 2008, the novel was adapted into a family comedy-drama motion picture, also titled ''[[Marley & Me (film)|Marley & Me]]''. Released on December 25, 2008, the film stars [[Owen Wilson]] and [[Jennifer Aniston]] and is directed by [[David Frankel]]. A [[direct-to-video]] prequel followed in 2011, ''[[Marley & Me: The Puppy Years]]''. |
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{{spoiler}} |
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The heartwarming story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. |
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John and his wife Jenny were newly [[marriage|married]]. They both were [[animal love]]rs, and decided to buy a dog for their home, prior to having [[children]]. The dog they acquired as a puppy rapidly grew into a strong adult, but despite their efforts at [[dog training]], he mostly did not accept the authority and directions of his owners. At times Marley used his great strength and [[tenacity]] to chew through doors, strongly built [[dog crate]]s, and even basement walls and doors, especially when impelled by his lifelong [[phobia]] of [[thunderstorm]]s. At other times he dragged people and furniture around when he wished to [[socialising|socialize]] with other dogs or explore [[scent]]s. |
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{{reflist}} |
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Marley stayed with his family as they moved from their original home to [[Boca Raton]] and up to [[Pennsylvania]], and as they had their three children. On several occasions he showed deep [[empathy]] and a more serious side, comforting his mistress after a [[miscarriage]], and protecting the victim and his owner when a neighbor was [[assault]]ed. Nearly rehoused during [[post partum]] depression, he was allowed to stay and became a beloved companion of the children as they grew. |
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Eventually, Marley was unavoidably [[euthanized|put to sleep]] following a recurrance of [[bloat]] (a nearly fatal condition requiring major surgery with unpredictable results) at age 13, when he was already seriously weakened from old age. He was deeply mourned by the entire family, especially by the author and his wife, who saw in him a [[role model]] and [[mentor]] of [[unconditional love]], [[devotion]], and the art of enjoying and living life to the full. In the epilogue, the author describes how the following summer, his wife finds by chance an [[advert]] for a dog that "could have been his [[identical twin]]" in both looks and high energy behavior, and ends the book on a hanging note as the couple reflect on the gap in their lives and decide to go and see the new possible addition to their home. |
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==Author's description== |
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The author's description of Marley reads in part: |
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:"Marley quickly grew into a barreling, 97-pound streamroller of a Labrador Retriever, a dog like no other. He crashed through screen doors, gouged into drywall, flung drool on guests, stole women's undergarments, and ate nearly everything he could get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry. Obedience school did little good -- Marley was expelled his first time through. Marley even seemed impervious to tranquilizers the veterinarian prescribed for him with the admonishment, "Don't hesitate to use these." |
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:"And yet, his heart was pure. Just as Marley joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. He shared the couple's joy at first pregnancy, and their heartbreak over miscarriage. He was there when babies finally arrived and when the screams of a 17-year-old stabbing victim pierced the night. Marley played a role in shutting down a public beach and managed to land a role in a feature-length movie (though it went straight to video), always winning hearts as he made a mess of things. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at wits' end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms." |
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==Narrative style== |
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The story is told in the [[first person]], in an entertaining and engaging style that does not minimize the difficulties of living with Marley, but places them in a broader context looking back, where they can be seen as [[meaning]]ful. It includes many amusing [[anecdote]]s and warm memories that have made it a very popular book for other animal lovers, who wrote to the author that Marley reminded them of dogs they loved, and had lived with, too. |
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==Trivia== |
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* Marley was named by his owners after singer [[Bob Marley]], described as being "always in the background" in the South [[Florida]] culture of the time.<ref>"Marley & Me" ch.2 p.12-13</ref> |
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* The [[eulogy]] written by the author in his [[newspaper]] following the death of their dog, is described as receiving more responses than any other column he had written in his professional life up until that point. <ref>"Marley & Me" ch.29 p.281-282: ''A recorded warning I had never heard before. "Your mailbox is full" ... I logged onto my computer and opened my email. Same story. ... This morning there were hundreds, far more than anything I had received before.''</ref> |
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* A film based on the book is in the works supposedly directed by [[Shawn Levy]] (''[[The Pink Panther (2006 film)|The Pink Panther]]'', ''[[Night at the Museum]]''). |
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* The Grogan's new dog, Gracie, was featured on the show [[Dog Whisperer]] in the episode 'Bella & Big Boy, and Gracie'. She had been refusing to come into the house and had eaten a pet chicken. |
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==See also== |
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* [[Animal love]] |
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* [[Animal loss]] |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www. |
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090703143554/http://www.johngroganbooks.com/marley/index.html Official Site] |
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*[http://starlightfading.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=28 Starlight Fading review of ''Marley & Me'' by Ashley Jackson] |
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*[http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?link_code=ur2&tag=classicnickco-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&location=/gp/search%3F%26index=books%26keywords=Marley%20Me%26_encoding=UTF8 ''Marley & Me''] at [[Amazon.com]] |
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*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AszbF5jogdI Video clip of the movie 'The Last Home Run' showing scenes in which Marley had a role] hosted on [[YouTube.com]] |
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*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158719/ Information about the movie '[[The Last Home Run]]' - note Marley the Dog in credits] from [[imdb.com]] |
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<references /> |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marley and Me}} |
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[[Category:American novels]] |
[[Category:2005 American novels]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:American autobiographical novels]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Human–animal interaction]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:American novels adapted into films]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:American memoirs]] |
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Latest revision as of 21:33, 1 December 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008) |
 | |
| Author | John Grogan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autobiographical novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins (US), Hodder & Stoughton (UK) |
Publication date | October 18, 2005 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), audiobook, e-book |
| Pages | 304 pp |
| ISBN | 0-06-081708-9 |
| OCLC | 58431841 |
| 636.752/7/092 B 22 | |
| LC Class | SF429.L3 G76 2005 |
Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog is an autobiographical book by journalist John Grogan, published in 2005, about the 13 years he and his family spent with their yellow Labrador Retriever, Marley. The dog is poorly behaved and destructive, and the book covers the issues this causes in the family as they learn to accept him in addition to their grief following Marley's death. It was subsequently adapted by the author into three separate books, as well as into a comedy-drama film released in 2008.
Story
Told in first-person narrative, the book portrays Grogan and his family's life during the 13 years that they lived with their dog Marley, and the relationships and lessons from this period. Marley, a yellow Labrador Retriever, is described as a high-strung, boisterous, and somewhat uncontrolled dog. He is strong, powerful, endlessly hungry, eager to be active, and often destructive of their property (but completely without malice). Marley routinely fails to "get the idea" of what humans expect of him; at one point, mental illness is suggested as a plausible explanation for his behavior. His acts and behaviors are forgiven, however, since it is clear that he has a heart of gold and is merely living within his nature.
Marley was filmed for a two-minute credited appearance in the 1996 movie The Last Home Run.
The strong contrast between the problems and tensions caused by his neuroses and behavior, and the undying devotion, love and trust shown towards the human family as they themselves have children and grow up to accept him for what he is, and their grief when he finally dies from gastric dilatation volvulus (a stomach torsion condition) in old age, form the backdrop for the biographical material of the story.
In the autobiography, Grogan states that the eulogy he wrote in his newspaper following the death of his dog received more responses than any other column he had written in his professional life up until that point.[1] In a discussion on his website devoted to the book, he looks back on his family's time with Marley, and the lessons learned, and concludes that: "[C]ommitment matters. That 'in good times and bad, in sickness and in health' really means something. We didn't give up on Marley when it would have been easy to, and in the end he came through and proved himself a great and memorable pet."[2]
Adaptations
Marley & Me has been rewritten into three different books:
- Marley: A Dog Like No Other, for younger readers who would enjoy reading about Marley's story, without the sexual content in the original
- Bad Dog, Marley!, a picture book for readers learning to read in lower grade levels
- A Very Marley Christmas
In 2008, the novel was adapted into a family comedy-drama motion picture, also titled Marley & Me. Released on December 25, 2008, the film stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston and is directed by David Frankel. A direct-to-video prequel followed in 2011, Marley & Me: The Puppy Years.
References
- ^ "Marley & Me" ch. 29 p. 281-282: A recorded warning I had never heard before. "Your mailbox is full" [...]. I logged onto my computer and opened my e-mail. Same story. [...] This morning there were hundreds, far more than anything I had received before.
- ^ Grogan, John. "Marley & Me Q&A". John Grogan's "Marley & Me" website. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 2009-06-11.