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Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish
Rescuing Sprite A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish
Author: Mark R. Levin
Although Mark Levin is known as a constitutional lawyer and a nationally syndicated broadcaster, he is, first and foremost, a dog lover. In 1998, he and his family welcomed a half-Border Collie/half-Cocker Spaniel they named Pepsi into their lives. Six years later, his wife and son persuaded him to adopt a dog from the local shelter, a Spaniel m...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781416559139
ISBN-10: 1416559132
Publication Date: 11/6/2007
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 125

3.5 stars, based on 125 ratings
Publisher: Pocket Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

ThreeCats avatar reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 34 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
I think this is not going to be a popular review. Also, it contains a ***spoiler***.

This book is not "Marley and Me." This book is poorly written and the only emotion it provoked in me was disgust at the author's self-centered attitude. His central theme is how the long final illness and death of the dog affected him, and he includes as evidence long quotes of emails and IMs from his friends, with considerable name-dropping and what seemed to be the promotion of his blog and radio program.

The writing is pedestrian. Short sentences. Paragraphs full of short, choppy sentences describing scenery or the furnishings of his house. The author never tells us what Sprite was like, what made this dog unique, only what his own reactions were to Sprite's horrific illness and finally, thank heaven and St. Francis for mercy, death.

If you think you must read this book, consider checking it out of the library.
reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on
Helpful Score: 5
Oh, boy, is this book a tear-jerker! But I am glad to have read it.
arnichols avatar reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 33 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is definately a must-read for animal lovers. It will pull at your heart strings. It is written very simply, so everyone can understand this man's emotions.

A++
Holly1970 avatar reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
i absolutely loved this book. for those of you who have and love dogs, you will understand and know what it means when you lose them. it is very well written and yes, i cried when i read it. (which means it was a good book) this book will touch your heart and soul.
reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Maybe, for some, the writing style isn't up to Mark's usual excellence, but the book came across to me as an emotional outlet for the grief he felt over his beloved pet's decline and subsequent death. His memories of the acquisition of this dog, and of the new dog are precious. The struggles of properly caring for a dog despite the schedules in a busy household was delightful. And most of all, Mark nails it on the head when he describes the anguish you feel and the steps you must take when you make the difficult decision to end the suffering in the life of an animal that you dearly love.
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ilovebooksanddogs avatar reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 356 more book reviews
The author poured his heart and soul into this book which I hoped helped him get through his grief. Short but sweet, I loved the simplicity of his writing, I think it made the book flow well. If you are an animal lover and/or share your heart with one then this is a must read.
reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 30 more book reviews
Well, if you want to cry through an entire book you better decide to do it in 1 day or over the course of 2 days. It was a great book as I had just lost my rescued Pug, Bailey and my yellow Lab, Jake. Both were adopted by us Jake, was 1 when we adopted him as his family couldn't take care of him properly and Bailey was a breeding Pug in the boon docks. Bailey was flea infested, had a urinary tract infection, had to have teeth extracted and her nose clipped and throat attended for better breathing all within a couple of months from adopting her. When my husband showed up to look at Jake he mistakenly left the van door open and as soon as Jake met my husband he ran and jumped into the van. The family was going to give Jake to someone else and my husband convinced them to sell him to us. Both dogs were loved as much as Sprite and Pepsi. Both dogs loved all of the new grandchildren. As each baby came into our lives each dog took care of the babies slept under their cribs, worried about them when they went into the pool, cleaned up under the high chairs and went on many stroller walks with us. Bailey sat underneath the stroller when she got to tired. It took us 3 years to find a new dog Buddy, a Labradoodle. This book was great but a tear jerker all the way through. Mark did a great job of reminiscing. It's nice to know so many people care about animals. Whew it is going to take me a day to recover. I still have both of my dogs in a ginger jar together on our mantle.
cef424 avatar reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 67 more book reviews
This was a wonderful book!
reviewed Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish on + 3 more book reviews
I ordered this book for a friend who lost her dog recently. My husband had heard Mark Levin on the radio, and knew many callers said the book really helped them with the grieving. He read the book as well and said it brought tears to his eyes. It is a simple read, but nice. My neighbor reported back that the book is very cathartic, and helped her be able to adopt a pet sooner than she would have been able to.


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