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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN num: 9780316778503
ISBN number: 0316778508
Label: Back Bay Books
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 288
Printing Date: June 07, 2004
Publishing house: Back Bay Books
Sale Popularity Level: 63791
Studio: Back Bay Books
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The quirky premise of Carolyn Parkhurst's debut novel, The Dogs of Babel, is original enough: after his wife Lexy dies after falling from a tree, linguistics professor Paul Iverson becomes obsessed with teaching their dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Lorelei (the sole witness to the tragedy), to speak so he can find out the truth about Lexy's death--was it accidental or did Lexy commit suicide? In short, accelerating chapters Parkhurst alternates between Paul's strange and passionate efforts to get Lorelei to communicate and his heartfelt memories of his whirlwind relationship with Lexy. The very first 100 pages or so bring to mind another noteworthy debut, Alice Sebold's brilliant exploration of grief, The Lovely Bones. Unfortunately, the second half of The Dogs of Babel takes too many odd twists and turns--everything from a Ms. Cleo-like TV psychic to an underground sect of abusive canine linguists--to ever allow the reader to feel any real sympathy for the main characters. Parkhurst's Paul Iverson can certainly be appealing at times, and his heartbreak is often quite palpable ('...for every dark moment we shared between us, there was a moment of such brightness I almost could not bear to look at it head-on.').But his mask-maker wife Lexy--Paul's driving inspiration--is a character whose spur-of-the-moment outbursts, spontaneous fits of anger, and supposedly charming sense of whimsy (on their very first date, they drive from Virginia to Disney World, eating only appetizers and side dishes along the way), become so annoying and grating that it's hard to believe anyone could ever put up with her, let alone teach their dog to speak for her. Despite its cloying tone, The Dogs of Babel marks a notable debut. Parkhurst possesses a wealth of inspired ideas, and no doubt many readers will respond to the book, but one hopes that the author's future efforts will be packed with richer character development and less schmaltz. --Gisele Toueg
Amazon.com Review:
The quirky premise of Carolyn Parkhurst's debut novel, The Dogs of Babel, is original enough: after his wife Lexy dies after falling from a tree, linguistics professor Paul Iverson becomes obsessed with teaching their dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Lorelei (the sole witness to the tragedy), to speak so he can find out the truth about Lexy's death--was it accidental or did Lexy commit suicide?
In short, accelerating chapters Parkhurst alternates between Paul's strange and passionate efforts to get Lorelei to communicate and his heartfelt memories of his whirlwind relationship with Lexy. The very first 100 pages or so bring to mind another noteworthy debut, Alice Sebold's brilliant exploration of grief, The Lovely Bones. Unfortunately, the second half of The Dogs of Babel takes too many odd twists and turns--everything from a Ms. Cleo-like TV psychic to an underground sect of abusive canine linguists--to ever allow the reader to feel any real sympathy for the main characters. Parkhurst's Paul Iverson can certainly be appealing at times, and his heartbreak is often quite palpable ('...for every dark moment we shared between us, there was a moment of such brightness I almost could not bear to look at it head-on.'). But his mask-maker wife Lexy--Paul's driving inspiration--is a character whose spur-of-the-moment outbursts, spontaneous fits of anger, and supposedly charming sense of whimsy (on their very first date, they drive from Virginia to Disney World, eating only appetizers and side dishes along the way), become so annoying and grating that it's hard to believe anyone could ever put up with her, let alone teach their dog to speak for her.
Despite its cloying tone, The Dogs of Babel marks a notable debut. Parkhurst possesses a wealth of inspired ideas, and no doubt many readers will respond to the book, but one hopes that the author's future efforts will be packed with richer character development and less schmaltz. --Gisele Toueg
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I am actually the owner of the original book, i do not know how i ended up with the real manusript set and bound and autographed by the author. this is a wonderful book i believe everyone should read it, i will not give any details of the book away.
Rated by buyers -
There are a lot of ways I could describe this book but as I but it back into the bookshelf after I finished I think I muttered the word "incredible" to myself three times. Based on the topic (i do love to read about dogs) but (maybe not about some of the other stuff) i would not normally have chosen this book. It starts quickly, and then build the character background. I am in love with Paul, the character. I read a review that it was hard to believe the storyteller was man, and I can see that, but remember that this is a well educated linguist, and he is very in love. The marriage of Lexy and Paul is new. Carolyn Parkhurst is a beautiful writer and the deep emotion and feeling of this book, surrounded by an entertaining and interesting story is amazing. There are moment you might think you are about to begin hating the characters and then she keeps them perfectly imperfect. I finished this book a few days ago and have not stopped thinking about it. I want to read it again right now. It's amazing.
It's sad, but the language in which she writes is what I prefer, and the thoughts and feelings of the character Paul are relatable. It's a great read.
Rated by buyers 
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Started great. Professor Husband calls home one afternoon, a cop answers phone - wife is dead she fell out of a tall tree in the backyard only witness is the dog. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? What happened? Great - I was hooked. Then it went slowly downhill with all the flashbacks of their relationship, and fizzled out in the end without even a whimper. 2 stars because I did manage to finish it, just disappointing for this reader.
Rated by buyers 
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I'm not even sure where to start. This novel had all the makings for an extraordinary read, it just tried to cover too much territory to do any of the characters, or the plot development justice, within a mere 260 pages.
We have Paul, the rather boorish linguistics professor, who is madly in love with Lexy. Most likely because she brings some pizazz into his humdrum existence. His desire is for he and Lexy to enjoy their wildish relationship, but to ultimately settle down to family life, with children other than their surrogate one...Lorelei (the Rhodesian Ridgeback). Lexy is ambivalent about total commitment to others. They are personality opposites. Lexy helps Paul explore his free-child, while he helps keep her somewhat grounded. Just somewhat!
Lexy is an artist, creating decorative masks, often with a leaning toward the macabre, particularly when she begins doing death masks. She is obviously a woman with a mental disorder, exhibiting erratic, irrational behaviors and poor impulse control. She recognizes the instability within herself, but can't incorporate healthier coping strategies. Paul tries to shrug off her outbursts, she voices remorse---and they go on.
Lexy has an untimely death by falling from a backyard tree, with only Lorelei to witness the event. Paul, being into linguistics, attempts to teach Lorelei to talk so he can uncover the truth of Lexy's death---whether she accidentally fell, or if she committed suicide. Of course, this is a rather nonsensical course of action, but it leads him and Lorelei into a dangerous drama that is somewhat underplayed considering Lorelei's significance in the novel.
The conclusion was not unexpected. What was irritating, was that Paul had information that was integral to deciphering the mystery of Lexy's death, but instead went on unnecessary journeys, without applying what he already knew. I accepted this only with the knowledge that grief has many stages and that maybe he just wasn't ready to see what was before him---that he had to endure the process first, the anger, the denial and the guilt.
I think this book was very imaginative and I enjoyed some parts of it a great deal---particularly Lorelei. I wish she had been developed even further. I could never connect with Lexy and had little sympathy for her, which almost ruined the novel for me. Overall, the read lacked in continuity and likable characters. And, while the storyline was unusual, the writing was fairly generic. If I was applying a letter grade, I'd give it a C+ and I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.
Rated by buyers -
Wow. I wish I'd read this when it very first came out.
As a science fiction scholar and as a lay scholar of linguistics, I was pleased to start reading what I thought was a work of "soft science fiction" -- that is, I thought the novel would focus primarily on the supremely wonderful idea of a linguist's teaching a dog to communicate, for crushingly sad reasons. That misunderstanding was what made me start to read the book.
When I realized I was mistaken, I was too hooked, too emotionally involved, to stop reading.
Let me be clear: I adore every scene in which Paul Iverson tries to teach the Rhodesian Ridgeback, Lorelei, to communicate. These scenes fill me with joy. Iverson (that is to say, Carolyn Parkhurst) has brilliant ideas, which, alas, are more suited to teaching another primate or a deaf child to speak. Lorelei's wonderfully doggie inability to understand what Paul tries to communicate is always delightful and exactly right.
But the central, painful focus is the story of Paul's grief and guilt and search for redemption.
Parkhurst provides genuinely scary moments, and lovely moments of loving, and I wept over all of them. In her word-jokes, in her stories about the creation of masks, in Paul's grieving yet exalted memories of his dead wife, I felt the touch of the numinous sublime, again and again.
I wholeheartedly recommend it to ... well, to everyone. There truly is something for every reader in this marvellous novel.
Thank you, Carolyn, belatedly, for giving me a wonderful gift, one which I will share with my loved ones this holiday season. I'm going to start buying several copies now.
Fiona Kelleghan
Librarian, University of Miami
sometime Book Reviews Editor of the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts
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