Marley & Me CD: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

原作をペーパーバックで読み、映画を封切り日に見ました。実家に12歳ともうすぐ1歳のラブを飼っていることもあって、大好きな一冊です。CD版のオーディオブックは、著者本人が朗読しています。マーリーが安楽死の処置を受ける直前やその後の部分では、筆者の声は涙に咽んでいます。Tuesdays with Morie の朗読版もグッと来ましたが、こちらの方が胸に迫ります。プロの朗読者に比べると、ホンワカとした（しまりがない？）英語を聞くことが出来ることも魅力です。新聞のコラムのコレクションを時系列にしたがって語られる印象も持ちました。映画☆☆☆、原作☆☆☆☆。

I must say taking care of impulsive dogs like Marley demands patience and hard work. So I can appreciate the Grogan's dedicated care of this hyperactive dog, Marley, who had the typical traits of ADHD. Of course, dealing with ADHD people is so hard. When it comes to dogs with ADHD, that's even more difficult. He wasn't able to do as the owner told him to, made a lot of mischief, and so on - nothing was so annoying as these for most of dog owners. I might have flown off the handle if I had found his frequent misbehaviors. - "Next time you do this, you are going to the slaughterhouse! Get it?" I just wonder whether it meant animal abuse...

However, I felt Marley was John's vivid reminder when I found he received lots of e-mails after Marley's death. I guess that was mainly because most of those who e-mailed him said encouragingly that they had the same or worse experience with their misbehaved dogs. Perhaps John Grogan saw through Marley's pros as well as cons of the dog's rambunctiousness.

Anyway, without unconditional love with Marley, the hyperactive and rambunctious dog, John Grogan would never have written Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog, I'd say.

著者がジャーナリストなので、非常に読みやすい英語です。
内容も犬好きに限らず、心が温まる一冊だと思います。とてもかわいい、愛らしいMarleyが目に浮かびます。和訳版も出版されていますが、原文のほうがこの本の良さが伝わりやすいと思います。英語の表現も参考になりますのでぜひ。

Filled with energy and excitement, Marley lights up the life of the author, and through this book, will light up the readers' lives as well.

Reading this book has made my day SO much brighter, and I can understand the love the owners have for this energetic and dumb at the same time, but so full of loyalty and love dog. Marley teaches us to live life to the fullest and enjoy every second.

The author did a brilliant job capturing Marley's energy, and used perfectly chosen words to describe every scene (read: mess) Marley has created. But no matter how crazy this dog is, the author made it impossible to be angry with good ol Marley.

The ending of book (and of course the end of Marley's life) was also excellently written. I almost couldn't bring myself to continue reading, I was so not looking forward to the inevitable. I read it, anyway, and ended up eye-sored the next morning, with used tissue, all over the floor.

Common words used in this book were "ebullient, transgressed, gusto, brawn, rambunctious, exuberance", you get the scene?

クスクスと笑いながら読んだマーリーの犬生。そして、最後は涙が止まらなかった・・・。自分の愛犬をなでながら、この子と出会え、暮らせる事の幸運さをつくづく感じた。著者のジョン・グローガンとその家族のマーリーに対する愛情が痛いほど感じられ、心が洗われるようでした。
翻訳される予定があるのか分からないけれど、英語が読める方には是非読んでもらいたい一冊。私のお気に入りの一冊です。