I don't read many books - I've never been a big reader, but this was brilliant and got me hooked straight away (which is vital for me when I do decide to read a book!).
My husband and I have a labrador, which we got at the age of 2½ as a rescue dog, we have now had him 4 years and we adore him! I think our dog helped me to appreciate Marley and Me all the more.
It is a very well written book, which I believe is suitable for most ages, as it's quite easy to read. It's hilariously funny too, and I laughed outloud at lots of parts. Whilst there are some clear differences between Marley and our dog - so much of the book seemed to be written about our dog! It took me about a week to read this book - which isn't bad for me - but I would have finished it a lot quicker if it wasn't for all the crying I did towards the end. It's rare for a book to make me cry, but towards the end as Marley becomes more frail and I thought he was going to die I couldn't help but cry (perhaps could I could imagine this being our dog in 5 years time), then he would bounce back and I'd put the book down to continue the next day when I'd find myself in tears again.
So despite making me cry for a few days - this was one of my favourite books ever. It was funny along the way, and being at a similar stage in our lives to the couple in the book, I think it was easy to relate to. Also I think it may have helped prepare me a little for the later years in our dogs life. I know I'll be devastated when he dies, but this highlighted to me that just watching him experience old age can also be upsetting. It also reminded me how precious our dog is in our lives - I don't really need reminding (I get a big wet lick each morning to remind me of that!) but it just reminded me to appreciate him.
Brilliant book that I would definitely recommend to any dog lovers, and perhaps non-dog lovers too.
I haven't watched the film yet - and although I know it will make me cry - I really want to see it (hope to review once I've seen it!)