Official Review: The Dog Thief and Other Stories

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any fiction books or series that do not fit into one of the other categories. If the fiction book fits into one the other categories, please use that category instead.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
e-tasana-williams
Posts: 358
Joined: 13 May 2016, 18:50
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 141
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-e-tasana-williams.html
Latest Review: Monkey Mind Madness by Sharon Dorival
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Official Review: The Dog Thief and Other Stories

Post by e-tasana-williams »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Dog Thief and Other Stories" by Jill Kearney.]
Book Cover
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


In the "About the Author" section of her book The Dog Thief and Other Stories, Jill Kearney writes that she is "interested in the lives of people who feel like they don't matter to anyone". In this collection of a novella and 11 short stories, she conveys her interest in depth. Some of the pieces are set in the fictitious peninsula of Musquamish County off the coast of Oregon. It is composed of a high-priced resort coastline surrounding a poverty-stricken, fenced off interior. Some of the characters live on a reservation or just on the fringe of one, in an environment of poverty, drugs, alcohol and apathy. Other stories are set in rural Iowa and Wyoming.

"The Dog Thief" is a novella about down and out people caring for down and out animals. Ms. Kearney paints a picture of a segment of society that has little to give aside from the love they show local abused and neglected pets. The heavily tattooed, constantly high Blacksnake is the last person one would expect to welcome stray cats. The usually mean one-eyed woman has a soft spot for a stray mother dog. The Animal Control officer appears ambiguous about unacceptable conditions to which he is alerted by Elizabeth. Ms. Kearney weaves all of these characters into a story with a surprise ending.

One of my favorite stories in the collection is "Beer Money", about the dog left behind as fallout of a failed marriage. "Circles" is another touching account. It is a series of vignettes in a woman's life, first as a young girl fishing with her father, then as a newlywed hiking with her groom and finally as an older woman appreciating the beauty of the outdoors.

Readers who enjoy animal tales will appreciate this collection. Some of the pieces involve animal rescues while others explore the human-animal connection in other ways. Most of the tales involve dogs but cats, rats and fish are also featured. Ms. Kearney's approach to the shorts included in The Dog Thief and Other Stories is to focus on relationships. She draws back the curtain on how people interact with each other and with the animals around them. Many of the characters in the compilation are eccentric but relatable. Readers can appreciate them. Ms. Kearney's perspective has a melancholy hope, if there is such a thing.

I rate The Dog Thief and Other Stories 3 out of 4 stars. It is an enjoyable, quick read that explores the human condition as it relates to the animals in our lives. What keeps me from scoring it higher is the need of further editing due to several small errors. These are mostly typos. "Thorough" is used instead of "through", "too" instead of "to", and "pored" instead of "poured", for example. While the grammatical errors in the work are not glaring, they are distracting. I look forward to more writing from Ms. Kearney. Her voice is authentic, her characters are realistic and her love of animals shines through each piece.

******
The Dog Thief and Other Stories
View: on Bookshelves

Like e-tasana-williams's review? Post a comment saying so!
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free ~ Frederick Douglas
User avatar
raven1210
Posts: 1
Joined: 07 Mar 2017, 02:41
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by raven1210 »

this story is good this really happens around the globe not only in america this is for real thats my undrstanding of this story we human act like animals.....
User avatar
CHEPKORIR COLLET
Posts: 3
Joined: 08 Mar 2017, 02:18
Currently Reading: Erase the Problem of Bullying
Bookshelf Size: 11
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chepkorir-collet.html

Post by CHEPKORIR COLLET »

this is all about love to others and commitment,our characters as human being is more likely same as tha of animals that is why this story 'the dog thief and other stories' clearly expose the human character
User avatar
joelink
Posts: 2
Joined: 08 Mar 2017, 06:15
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by joelink »

this book is really rich its all happening across the globe.
User avatar
Michael kamau
Posts: 1
Joined: 09 Mar 2017, 02:08
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Michael kamau »

The book is good and full of teachng on how we relate
User avatar
MarcoGarcia06
Posts: 1
Joined: 09 Mar 2017, 02:35
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by MarcoGarcia06 »

love it! its like true to life
User avatar
shish_by_design
Posts: 327
Joined: 07 Mar 2017, 02:44
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 66">Strong Heart</a>
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 54
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-shish-by-design.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by shish_by_design »

I'm a fan of animal stories and this book's storyline is so great that I'm willing to ignore any typo's or poor gramma used
Post Reply

Return to “Other Fiction Forum”