This small book evokes so many different emotions for me. At first, I thought it would be too painful to read, too raw. However, it captured my heart and I wanted to read it. It is lyrical in its prose and I so very much enjoyed the phrases and words that this author chose to describe her life. It is utterly heartbreaking at times and yet so life-affirming, powerful and so true. I loved this book. I am so sorry the author had to experience this painful, horrifying, life-changing event but it has most certainly brought forth a beautiful book. I cannot recommend this book enough. It may be small but it is gloriously mighty in emotion and thought.

This book will tear your heart out. If you have had anyone in your life with dementia, psychosis or a brain disorder, you may find yourself saying, "I didn't know anyone else felt this way". Brutally honest this book reminded me of the Joan Didion memoir about the death of her husband, but with hope.

Slow, and sweet, and heartbreaking. Age and loss both are examined sidelong, but mostly love, the kind that gives you little in return for expressing it, but makes you stronger anyway.

From the Publisher: When Abigail Thomas’s husband, Rich, was hit by a car, his skull was shattered, his brain severely damaged. Subject to rages, terrors, and hallucinations, he was sent to live in a nursing facility that specializes in treating traumatic brain injuries. He had no memory of what he did the hour, the day, the year before. This tragedy is the ground on which Abigail had to build a new life. How she built that life is a story of great courage and change, of moving to a small country town, of a new family composed of three dogs, knitting, and friendship, of facing down guilt and discovering gratitude.

Life is not perfect. Tragedy can strike at any minute. How do you handle it when it happens to you? Thomas faces her tragedy with grace and poise. After her husband is injured in a horrific accident, Thomas begins the seemingly unending cycle of hospitals, doctors, and emergency calls. Eventually, Thomas realizes that, while Rich’s life may remain in a state of limbo, her life must go on. She manages to find a balance between the wife she continues to be, and the woman who must now find meaning in her life -- on her own terms. She finds comfort with friends, family, and above all else her dogs. This is truly a story of love, loss, and ultimately – healing.

I applaud Thomas for her ability to stand by her husband under such devastating circumstances. Her memoir is honest and thought provoking -- sharing her feelings of fear, self-reproach, and even happiness. Her love for Rich is evident in her writing. "A Three Dog Life" is a true love story and a joy to read.

As a dog-parent, and the best friend of my life partner whom I've known for 2/3 of my life, I loved this book. I want to be like her if something ever happens to my husband; napping during the day with my three dogs snuggled closely to me.

Great book! Well written and touching.

Her dog helps the author hang in there as she deals with her husband's Traumatic Brain Injury in what has suddenly become not a three-dog night but an entire three-dog life for the couple.

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Great book. Easy read.

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