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    Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel
    Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel
    Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel

    Written by Merrill Markoe

    Narrated by Renee Raudman

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Dawn Tarnauer's life isn't exactly a success story. Already twice divorced, the young Californian is too busy job-hopping to start a career, her current boyfriend insists on living "off the grid," her life coach sister perpetually interferes with incomprehensible affirmations, her eccentric mother is busy promoting the culmination of her life's work-the Every Holiday Tree-and her father is ending his brief third marriage while scheduling two dates for the same night.

    Dawn's only source of security and comfort, it seems, is Chuck, a pit-bull mix from the pound. So, when her boyfriend announces that he's leaving her for another woman, a despairing Dawn turns to Chuck for solace.
    "I should have said something sooner," Chuck confides, as he tries to console her. "Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" Dawn is stunned. It's one thing to talk to your pets, but what do you do when they start talking back? It's not just Chuck, either; she can hear all dogs-and man's best friend has a lot to say. The ever-enthusiastic Chuck offers his tried-and-true advice on the merits of knocking over garbage and strewing it everywhere, auxiliary competitive peeing etiquette, and the curative powers of tossing a ball. Doubtful of her own sanity, Dawn considers that, in the ways of life and love, it might be better to trust Chuck's doggie instincts instead of her own.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 2, 2009
    ISBN9781400181469
    Walking in Circles Before Lying Down: A Novel

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    Reviews for Walking in Circles Before Lying Down

    3.5/5

    196 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Walking in Circles Before Lying Downby Merrill MarkoeClever story about Dawn Tarnauer, a twice-divorced Californian who can't seem to catch a break, either in life or love. She has terrible instincts and judgment about people, stemming from being surrounded by narcissists her whole life. Her sister, Halley, is the same in that she has a strange history of picking the wrong men, including an infamous killer, whom she is sure is being framed. To know Halley for any length of time was to know that she had a sociopath tracking device where her heart was supposed to be. Dawn is surrounded by users, including those she should be able to rely on the most. It is full of so many examples of selfish and insensitive behavior by her parents and her sister, among others, that you start to feel the craziness she goes through. There is no dealing with people like this. Resistance is futile.In the midst of her despair after yet another relationship has ended, she finds herself having one-sided conversations with her dog, Chuck. He is the only being she feels comfortable with. She talks to him and vents her frustrations about life until one day he talks back and tries to convince her to let him help her make better decisions by using the years of instinctive skill he can provide. She's sure she's losing her mind but over time just goes with it as she realizes she can hear other dogs as well and can communicate with all of them. The author's imagination about their thought processes and her vision of their voices and personalities is pretty funny. There is a running joke throughout the book about how aspiring writers should follow certain rules, including using visual statements that grab the readers' attention. The joke is well-done as it pops up at perfect moments. That being said, the author followed that rule in a stupendous fashion, as there are certain moments that are so well written--the comic timing and/or imagery produced is really excellent.It was in the middle of an acid rain of unsolicited advice from Halley that I met my second husband, Jake.Right behind her was a guy who looked like one of the tousle-haired "Alive with Pleasure" people from the Newport cigarette billboards. He was tall, square-jawed, ready to put on a pair of Dockers and laugh heartily at the innocent pleasures of a sprinkler in summer with his shirtless buds from Abercrombie & Fitch.(Dad:) "I thought things were going good." (Dawn:) "That's the kiss of death," I said. "The only way to make love last is to want it over."Relationship advice from her Peter Pan rockabilly dad:"But as you get older, come to find out the best things in life are quick. It took a few decades, but I finally achieved my life's goal of combining marital bliss with a one-night stand."And finally, thoughts from someone she'll discover is actually good to know and shows promise. (Dawn:) "Does anybody have a family that functions like a family?" (Friend:) "I think so, but my theory is that the 'good family people' hang out with other 'good family people'. Those of us born into the nutcase class seek representatives of our caste to make us feel normal." Truth.My thoughts are that this is a story that is cute but not cutesy. It is lighthearted and humorous but also has heavier undertones. It links the fictional characters with celebrities famous or infamous that we actually know about in real life in a funny way (even when referencing real-life tragedies). It also covers heavier matters of dealing with toxic people, struggling with depression, and with the unease of being temporarily jobless or homeless. Those darker moments are lightened up with the humor of the conversations with the dogs and hearing them explain why they do some of the things they do, being reminded of the silly antics of puppies and the boundless joy of happy dogs, and the eventual hope that Dawn is finally getting her life on track.
    • 4/5
      I’m a dog person, so it’s really no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Walking In Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe. I was admittedly surprised by how well the premise – a woman who has been dumped by her boyfriend is suddenly able to understand what her dog is thinking – worked out.After Dawn’s boyfriend leaves her to pursue a job in another city, she’s stunned to hear her pit bull, Chuck, consoling her. While at first she thinks she may be crazy, she comes to accept the voice she’s hearing -– which also makes her job a little more interesting, because Dawn works at a dog day care facility, and she can understand all of those dogs, too. Chuck offers his sometimes questionable -– he is a dog, after all -- guidance as Dawn attempts to survive her over-helpful sister, her ridiculous mother, the loss of her job, and the return of her sketchy ex-boyfriend.As someone who talks to my dog on a regular basis -– and, okay, as someone who has been known to ‘speak’ for her dog more than I’d like to admit -– I got such a kick out of this book. Dawn’s story is told in a stream-of-consciousness, rambly, tangential fashion that could easily have been the most annoying aspect of the book, but Markoe pulled it off wonderfully. (It’s also possibly that I loved this style so much because I tend to tell stories in the same rambly-type fashion.) And Chuck is one fantastic little canine character. Highly recommended if you're a dog lover or just looking for a fun little read. I'll certainly be looking for more of Merrill Markoe's work.
    • 5/5
      I can't recommend this book enough because if you love dogs then you have lived this book, with your own experiences as the background of course. :)
    • 3/5
      This book was a quick, fun read but I was disappointed by it. I had heard an excerpt read on the radio and it was hilarious. It's about a young woman who is going through a lot of trials and tribulations: with her family, her job at a dog daycare center, her boyfriend, and the place where she lives. At some point during all the trauma she realizes she can hear what dogs are thinking -- not just her own but the ones at the day care center, too. And she can communicate back to them. The author's ideas about what dog think were very amusing and insightful. Unfortunately I didn't think the characters or the action in the rest of the book matched the high standard of her dog projections.
    • 1/5
      I read this right after Speaker For The Dead by Orson Scott Card, so I was definitely up for something lighter, and for a short while my mood and the humor of the book carried me along quite nicely.

      Then the characters started to get on my nerves. The protagonist is a whiny doormat. If she ever fully came to her senses she'd leave her self-deluded, pushy sister; her ego-centric mother; and on and off opportunistic boyfriend in a second. Instead we have to suffer through waiting for the boyfriend to leave her, her mother's get rich scheme to bear fruit, and her sister to become famous enough to lose interest. Yes, this book is just a tad short on character development.

      In a nutshell, it's a sitcom put to paper, so one shouldn't expect much character development. Still, it's one thing to half-watch 20 minutes (taking out the commercials) of something as insipid as Friends, but quite another to have to devote my attention to a 270 page book of the same.

      Still, it was rather funny in places, and that earns it two stars instead of one.
    • 3/5
      amusing little book about a woman with horrible taste in men learning to cope with life from the mouth of her dog, Chuck. Dawn Tarnauerhas two short marriages under her belt and is trying to find and keep #3. Her mother is trying out her new get-rich-quick-scheme with a not too honest new man in her life and her flighty sister,Halley, has become a Life Coach simply because she can't do anything else.Chuck is her new dog who has neuroses of his own,especially his belief that Dawn loved her first dead dog more than him. The difference is Chuck doesn't suffer in silence. he tells Dawn exactly what he thinks and seems utterlt bewildered by human ways.A touching portrait of the bond between man and dog filled with humor and zany characters. A thoroughly enjoyable quick read. You will delight in this author's writing.
    • 5/5
      My favorite of Markoe's books. As the "parent" to two dogs, it's wonderful to hear what dogs are thinking about us and what we do. I've always known they have more sense than I do--Merrill Markoe just proved it to me. A very funny book. I read a lot of it aloud to friends and family.
    • 2/5
      Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, by Merrill Markoe, is best characterized as chick lit with talking dogs. Dawn Tarnauer has a dog, Chuck, and a boyfriend, Paxton. When Paxton dumps Dawn, Chuck the dog starts talking to her. Dawn's family is a mess and drives her crazy, but Chuck starts telling Dawn to trust her instincts - and to throw the ball - whenever she's not sure what to do. In the end, everything turns out great for everyone.Sort of a throw-away read - very quick, somewhat humorous, but not all that good. I would've liked a lot more talking dogs and a lot less "romance." I must be getting too old to enjoy this type of book. Geez, I sound like a cranky old lady, but this was really not up my alley. However, in it's defense, Walking in Circles Before Lying Down was well-written and had it's humorous moments.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite book to date from the ~70 books our book club has read. As a lover of animals of all kinds, I found the talking dogs premise to be a lot of fun, and the dialogue Markoe writes for them is hilarious. The relationship between the protaganist and her dog is great. Other more serious members of my book club found it a bit too light for them but I'd be happy to read books like this every month. I have added another Markoe book, "It's my F***ing Birthday" to my to-read list. If you like dogs, cats, pets of any stripe, and humor, and are not offended by strong language, consider reading this book.
    • 3/5
      I found this book very hard to get into. I stuck it out until Chuck started to talk. The best part of this book was the dogs' dialogue. It was endearing and humorous. I hardly at all for any of the characters, finding Dawn to be excruciatingly dense. Paxton was dull and boring. The dog's were the best part of this book. Could care less about the actual plot.
    • 4/5
      I’m a dog person, so it’s really no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Walking In Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe. I was admittedly surprised by how well the premise – a woman who has been dumped by her boyfriend is suddenly able to understand what her dog is thinking – worked out.After Dawn’s boyfriend leaves her to pursue a job in another city, she’s stunned to hear her pit bull, Chuck, consoling her. While at first she thinks she may be crazy, she comes to accept the voice she’s hearing -– which also makes her job a little more interesting, because Dawn works at a dog day care facility, and she can understand all of those dogs, too. Chuck offers his sometimes questionable -– he is a dog, after all -- guidance as Dawn attempts to survive her over-helpful sister, her ridiculous mother, the loss of her job, and the return of her sketchy ex-boyfriend.As someone who talks to my dog on a regular basis -– and, okay, as someone who has been known to ‘speak’ for her dog more than I’d like to admit -– I got such a kick out of this book. Dawn’s story is told in a stream-of-consciousness, rambly, tangential fashion that could easily have been the most annoying aspect of the book, but Markoe pulled it off wonderfully. (It’s also possibly that I loved this style so much because I tend to tell stories in the same rambly-type fashion.) And Chuck is one fantastic little canine character. Highly recommended if you're a dog lover or just looking for a fun little read. I'll certainly be looking for more of Merrill Markoe's work.
    • 3/5
      Cute story about a young woman who begin to hear what her dog is thinking. It you laugh and still hits home as it talks about the dysfunctional characters that populate the book. Enjoyable quick read for dog lovers.
    • 3/5
      I was entertained enough with this book to read it in one sitting, but I found myself wishing she would just dump the boyfriend already and hook up with the right guy. Still, a good book for those of use who ever wished that our dogs could talk - and that our families would shut up!
    • 4/5
      adorable story about relationship and life counseling by a dog ...
    • 3/5
      This could've been so much better. And Markoe is probably somebody to watch. But this book goes out of its way to overload the reader with every silly chick lit cliche, and is only partly redeemed with the talking to dogs schtick. The absolute best part of the book is a three or four paragraph outtake of life from a dog's perspective. But I complain about these books and then keep on reading them. So something about them must hold me.
    • 3/5
      I love dogs, so a book about a lady whose dogs talk to her sounded like a pretty good read - and it pretty much was. Not an awesome one, mind you, but an entertaining story with a twist - talking dogs. It is mostly about relationships - family and sexual - and how her dogs help her realize things about the people around her.