As I neared the end of this memoir, I realized it was not as much about the author's dogs as I had thought it would be. It didn't matter. Abby's book pulls you into her life and its difficulties, and she doesn't flinch at writing about her own supposed shortcomings in coping. But it's a hopeful book, with much joy being taken in small and everyday achievements. Highly recommended.

Half-way through the memoir I flipped back to the beginning of the book to read the entry from Wikipedia which states: "Australian Aborigines slept with their dogs for warmth on cold nights, the coldest being a 'three dog night'." Then I understood the meaning of the title. It wasn't about the lives of Abigail's three dogs, it was the warmth, comfort, and security she gathered from them during the coldest season of her life. The journey her life took after her husband's accident was riddled with moments of depression, internal enlightenment, more depression, sadness, unanswered questions, and finally acceptance. But, through it all, her constants remained those warm, reassuring canine bodies that pressed themselves against her while she slept.

This memoir is of few words but is very touching. The first half of the book is extremely depressing, as the author tries to come to terms with what is essentially the loss of her husband (who because of a brain injury is essentially a different person.) With the help of her dogs, friends, and family, including her husband, she eventually overcomes her loneliness and finds small comforts and joy in her single life.

Although the title would imply otherwise, this is not a Marley and Me type pet memoir. The dogs are the focus of one or two chapters and make appearances in many of the others, but this is essentially a book about how one woman transforms her life in the face of grief.

A touching story of how a woman's 3 dogs helped her cope with loss.

I very much enjoyed this story. It is a true story of a woman who's husband suffers a brain injury. She grieved, and then writes as she slowly re-build a life for herself and her husband. She is a very brave woman, and does not permit herself to become engulfed in despair and depression. What a wonderful, strong, woman!

I have fallen so in love with this book that I am having a hard time reposting it. Abigail Thomas writes with her heart, about a life that some would find depressing. I didn't find this book depressing at all, but rather, a testament to what the human spirit can endure and overcome. She expresses her thoughts, feelings and emotions so vividly through her writing, that the reader has no choice but to come along for the ride and is left feeling all these things with her. An absolutely wonderful book!

Although this narrative was rich in fantastic imagry and symbolism which drew me into the emotion of a woman surviving the living grief whose husband suffered from a severe brain injury that totally changed his personality, the book altogether was almost like reading poetry written in prose format.

What I mean is that the narrative didn't really go anywhere. It was loosely told in small vigniettes which were sometimes no more than couple of paragraphs long that leaped between past and present, often without warning. There was no "plot" or progression through events or time that I could see.

I think that I would have better appreciated the book if I had read it just a little at a time. However, I did not have time for that.

The discuaaion questions included at the end of the book, for once, help me to understand some of the symbolism and also what the author intended to say. (Usually, discussion questions annoy me. They rememd me of assignment questions and reading quizes in literature courses in Junion High and High school. I keep thinking that I have to write an essay!)

One of the problems, though, is that I did not realize that the book was of memoires. I thought I was buying an ordinary general fiction novel.

But, despite my complaints, this book overall showed a fastinating and honest journey, sometimes warm, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, and sometimes even humorous, of one woman's pain, grief, and healing, with the help of her three dogs.

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For me, this book was so insignificant that I don't have anything to say about it. I guess anyone can write a memoir these days. I understand that the author had a tragedy in her life, but who hasn't? I feel like the time I spent reading this book was a waste. I also feel like this woman is totally self-absorbed. Her novel led me to believe that she lived primarily for her own pleasure. How about using your free time and resources to help others?

I got absolutely nothing out of this book.

I very much enjoyed this story of how a woman accepts the tragedy of her husband's sudden illness, and moves forward with her new lifestyle of living alone. The companionship of her pet dogs help her to ease into her new lifestyle.

I did like this book however I felt it drawn out and slow. But saying that, it did still grab my attention to what this gal is going through. She has a different way of writing. I would suggest it only to certain friends who I think may like it but not to everyone.

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