A Dog's Journey (A Dog's Purpose, #2) By W. Bruce Cameron

Federico DN

Destroy my heart in tiny little pieces why don't you?

Bruce Cameron delivers an extremely powerful sequel in this lovely doggish series. In the first book we learn the story of Bailey and his infinite loyalty towards Ethan, through his multiple lives. In this excellent addition to the series we learn the story of Molly and her undying love for Clarity, Ethan's niece.

A dog's love is something precious and that is the part that I loved. But this fucking book hits you from all angles and so many times that I also grew to hate it. It burned me so much that many times I just had to drop it and gather all possible strength to read it at a later time. It's that messed up, but not because of that, less valuable.

A highly memorable read. A favorite place well earned. A book specially recommendable for the dog lover. Innumerable moments to remember. Indescribably beautiful, insufferably painful. After reading it you cannot but love even more your doggy companion. But I have to strongly warn beforehand that it has many, maaany extremely painful moments. Empathy is a beautiful and wicked gift. It can bring you as much happiness as can pain. And there's a very specific pain, when you feel that something happens to an animal.

**** The movie is a nice adaptation of the book. Many serious deviations from the main plot, some good, some not. Luckily, the many changes on the plot made the whole thing much less painful than it originally was, so it's is a much friendler version than the book. Easier to watch, easier to love.

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PERSONAL NOTE:
[2012] [336p] [Fiction] [Animal] [Highly Recommendable] [Painfully Beautiful] [Molly & Clarity] [Heartbreaking] [Heartwrenching] [WELP!]
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Haceme mierda el corazón, por qué no?/b>

Bruce Cameron entrega una fuertísima secuela en esta adorable saga perruna. En el primer libro conocemos la genial historia de Bailey y su infinita lealtad hacia Ethan, a través de sus múltiples vidas. En esta excelente adición a la saga conocemos la historia de Molly y su inmortal amor por Clarity, la nieta de Ethan.

El amor de un perro es algo hermoso y esa es la parte que amé. Pero este maldito libro te pega por todos lados y tantas veces que también llegamos a odiarlo. Me quemó tanto que varias veces tuve que soltarlo y juntar toda fuerza posible para poder continuarlo más tarde. Es así de jodido, pero no por eso, menos valioso.

Una lectura altamente memorable. Un lugar de favorito bien ganado. Un libro especialmente recomendable para el canino-aficionado. Innumerables momentos para el recuerdo. Indescriptiblemente hermoso, insufriblemente doloroso. Después de leerlo no podés mas que adorar más a tu compañero perruno. Pero no puedo dejar de advertir de antemano que tiene muchos, muuuchos golpes bajoneros. La empatía es un hermoso y perverso don. Puede traerte tanta felicidad como dolor. Y hay una especie de dolor muy específico, cuando sentís que le pasa algo a un animal.

**** La película es una linda adaptación del libro. Muchas serias desviaciones de la trama principal, algunas buenas, algunas no. Afortunadamente, los muchos cambios hechos en la trama hicieron toda la cosa mucho más potable que su original, así que termina siendo una versión mucho más amigable que el libro. Más fácil de ver, más fácil de amar.

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[2012] [336p] [Ficción] [Animal] [Altamente Recomendable] [Dolorosamente Hermoso] [Molly & Clarity] [Golpe al corazón] [Emocionalmente devastador] [AYUDA!]
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Miranda Reads

One dog, many lives.

This dog keeps coming back for his favorite human, Ethan, no matter what. He's been Toby, Bailey, Ellie and, at last, Buddy.

Once Ethan passes away at an old age, "Buddy" thinks his purpose is fulfilled. He loved Ethan with all his heart and now Buddy is ready to pass on.

Only...things don't go to plan.

Now what? Was I to be reborn over and over, forever? Could a dog have more than one purpose? How was that possible?”

In his last few years as Buddy, he meets Baby Clarity - the granddaughter of Ethan. Buddy saves Clarity - once from drowning and once from an anxious horse - and both times, Clarity was "under supervision" of her mother (Gloria)

And when Buddy finds himself reborn (yet again) - this time as a poodle mix named Molly - he also finds his way back into Baby Clarity's life.

Clarity - now a teenager called CJ - desperately needs love, affection, protection and just about everything only a dog can offer.

Gloria is ever the narcissistic, neglectful mother and CJ is coping in all the wrong ways - running off, dating the wrong sorts, and binging and purging. "Molly" doesn't know what to do to help CJ.

It cannot be a dog's purpose to understand what people want because it is impossible.

But no matter what, Molly will do his best to love his human. After his lifetime as Molly, he comes back again as Max (a Yorkie-Chihuahua mix) and again as Toby (a beagle mix). Each time, he is reunited with CJ when she needs him most.

She taught me that it was a good thing to love more than just my boy, Ethan, opening my eyes to the fact that I’d actually loved many people in my lives, that loving humans was my ultimate purpose.

This was an ah-mazing sequel. It really is an absolute delight when the sequel turns out to be better than the first.

The author did a fantastic job of blending a "dog-level" of comprehension along with enough clues to alert the human readers to trouble.

This book tugged all the right heartstrings - I desperately wanted this series to continue but I am in absolute love with the way this one ended.

You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.

Audiobook Comments
Narrated by George K. Wilson. The reader did a pretty good job but his voice sounded too...human. I kept forgetting that Molly/Max/Toby was a dog because the narrator was so good at his diction.

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Mary Lou

If you read "A Dog's Purpose" you'll feel the same way - good or bad - about this continuation of the story. Have your hankies ready and your dogs close at hand. Some reviewers of these books complain about the simple writing style. The story is supposed to be told by a dog, and part of the message is that dogs are simple creatures. It's part of the books' charms. Readers in search of Great Literature shouldn't expect to find it in books that depict dogs with thought bubbles on the covers, for heaven's sake. Cameron's books are for people who want a unique, engaging dog story.

My only gripe with this installment is that our main human character never seems to catch a break. There's always more calamity heading her way, and my stomach was in a knot throughout most of the book. The good news -- as much as I enjoyed these two books, I was pleased that "Journey" had a definitive ending. This shouldn't be a trilogy or series -- too much of a good thing can ruin it.

Now I'm going to go hug my dogs and tell them how good they are. There might even be a treat in it for them.

W. Cameron

When I was a child, I read Old Yeller and absolutely loved it--right up to the moment when they KILL OLD YELLER.

I am willingly spoiling the plot, the same way I would yell DON'T DRINK THE POISON at somebody. Why read a book where you fall in love with the dog and then, in the end, the dog dies?

I wrote A Dog's Purpose as a love poem to the relationship between people and their pets. And, since true love never dies, and no truer love comes from a source more treasured than the heart of a dog, I gave my readers a gift--the dog doesn't die in the end. That's not really a plot spoiler, that's the premise.

This means that at the end of A Dog's Purpose, the dog is still alive, leading me to wonder, what next? Could there be another purpose, or an extension of the same purpose?

A Dog's Journey picks up where A Dog's Purpose left off. If you loved the adventures of Buddy/Bailey, you'll want to know what happens next, because it turns out that Ethan has a grandchild, and there is no one better to look out for an adventuresome, accident-prone child than a loving dog--especially a dog as wise as Bailey.

Nik Markevicius

As a writer myself, I can't help but look at the mechanics of a piece when I read it. Not that I've lost the ability to enjoy a well-told tale. I'm like an auto mechanic at Cruise Night, admiring all the great work.

A Dog's Journey is a great story, a great sequel, and one of the best books written about dogs. The first book, A Dog's Purpose is the kind of emotional gut-wrench to a dog owner like me that makes you proud to care for a canine, and proud of the loyalty they show to us. ADJ does more of the same, but with a more unified focus, and it's here, in this sequel, that the narrative power of Cameron shines. Combined with his ability to portray a dog's point of view at a high level of detail and (in my experience with dogs), accuracy. Never did I stop to think, "Hmm, that doesn't sound like a dog." I was drawn in with this approach, and made to care deeply about the dogs, the people, and what happens to them. I can't always say I get this involved in the characters, but when I do, those are the books which are usually most memorable.

If you're not a dog lover, or at least a dog liker, steer clear. If you're like me, grab a copy of ADP Aand ADJ, settle in, and oh, yeah: be prepared to laugh, smile, yell at imaginary people, cry, and of course seek out a furry friend many, many times. I'm pretty sure you'll want some hugs and licks and cuddles.

Sheila

I loved
A Dog's Purpose. It is one of my 5-star books, and I am very, very stingy with giving out 5-stars. Unfortunately, for me at least,
A Dog's Journey suffers from "sequel syndrome", and just was not as good. This book continues to be told by the dog, in his/her continued reincarnations. This time the dog becomes attached to Ethan's granddaughter, Clarity. But most of this book was about Clarity (CJ), and the conversation and thoughts of the dog just became repetitive. I never really felt attached to Clarity either, and in fact her problems and issues were a bit annoying.

The best part of this book for me was the first two pages, and the final two pages. The remaining 327 pages were just filler. Easy to read, but still just a lot of filler. I don't think this sequel was necessary, other than for the final two pages.

A.D.

I usually don't read dog books because I can't handle the crying, but a few weeks ago I had to put my beloved 16 year old Shih Tzu to sleep and I was really struggling with my decision and my loss. Some random person I had to call at a call center told me about it and I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! It helped me a lot to realize I made the correct choice and was very healing for me. Especially because I got my dog as a suicidal teen and having her to love and love me back saved my life. So I really connected with the way this dog is taking care of his human because my little Puhka was that for me through my depression and then years of health problems from a horse riding accident that led to 5 years of constant vertigo and then another 5 years of hip problems. She waited until after my hip replacement last year at 32 years old was healed enough that she didn't need to take care of me anymore. Just like this sweet dog.

Though I've never cried so hard in a book before, and throughout pretty much the entire thing, I also laughed almost the whole time to look at the world from a dog's perspective and get an idea what they might be thinking and feeling. Definitely worth it if you're a dog lover!

Diana

It amuses me to read a book narrated by a dog:

"I knew we were supposed to bark because CJ was always angry when someone knocked, 'Hey! Stop! Quiet! Enough!' she would yell. I didn't understand the words, but the meaning was clear: she was upset with the knocking and we should keep barking."

A Dog's Journey picks up the storyline from A Dog's Purpose with the next generation in Ethan's family. I liked book one more than this second installment but this one was still very enjoyable for me to read.

If you loved A Dog's Purpose and didn't want it to end, you will likely enjoy A Dog's Journey as it is basically more of the same. However, if you loved A Dog's Purpose in the sense that is was wrapped up perfectly with good closure for you, then you may not enjoy this extension of the story.

Leon Enciso

Reto 1- 2019 Book Challenge: Un libro que se convierte en película en 2019.

;D

Belle Sabattin

Es un libro muy bonito, sobre todo si te gustan los perritos y entiendes que son lo mejor que pudo pisar la tierra ❤🐶❤(Soy muy fan de los perros).

Nuevamente, al igual que en su predecesor, nos encontramos con una historia contada al 100% desde la inocente perspectiva de un perro 🐕... o varios perros, que finalmente son solo uno, a través de él vemos y sentimos la vida de la niña a la cual debe cuidar. Es similar a lo que sucedió con Ethan pero con una protagonista femenina llamada Clarity y una historia un tanto diferente, sobre todo gracias a la madurez que ahora tiene nuestro protagonista de cuatro patas.

Entonces, si aparentemente solo tengo cosas buenas que decir... ¿Por qué solamente 3 estrellas? 🤔

Esto es principalmente por lo que les decía más arriba, no existe una gran diferencia ni nada novedoso respecto al libro anterior. Se utiliza exactamente la misma formula para encantar y atrapar al lector, sin embargo, esto no quita que no sea una historia maravillosa y entretenida que puede llegar a emocionar hasta las lágrimas, pero simplemente no hay nada nuevo 😐.

En resumen, es un libro entretenido, emocionante y hermoso, pero no tiene nada nuevo con respecto al primero. Aunque claramente si te encantó el primer libro, este también lo hará... Además lo mas probable es que lea el tercero porque mi hermana ama estos libros 😅 y me obliga a leerlos jajaja 😂

Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile

I'm so glad the author decided to write a second book! I can't even decide which book I liked better! These books are so amazing and flawless. The love of a dog (and cat!) is so pure and unconditional and this is perfectly expressed throughout both of these stories.

Sydney

This book was Amazing! I read it all in two days. It starts off years after the first book left off. Buddy is an old dog. His master, Ethan, had died and Buddy was convinced his purpose had been fullfilled and he would finally enter eternal rest at the end of his life. He spent the last of his days watchhing after a little toddler, Clarity, who was always getting into mischief around Buddy's farm. As he died, he knew that Clarity would need a dog of her own to look after her, but he never expected that he would be that dog. Yes, buddy ends up being reborn and he finds Clarity again, who is now a troubed teen suffering from an eating disorder. Now named Molly this loving dog devotes herself to Clarity, who now goes by CJ. Molly goes through more lives and in all of them she finds CJ again. As you read all of the dog's expieriences and thoughts, it really makes you think more about your dog(s) and how their true goal is only to please you. I would recommend this book and a dogs purpose to anyone who has a dog or loves dogs.

Shelby

5 Incredible Stars
I am so many emotions and thoughts about this book. This book had me in tears because it was so sad. I also love this book a little better than the first one because I thought that this book made a little more sense than the first book did. I loved the writing of both of the books. After reading this series I fell in love with it and I thought about things a little bit differently about animals and what happens when they die. I thought that was interesting in a way. I loved this series. I am really glad that I read this series because it was so good and so emotional. I would recommend this series to anyone that is a dog lover and that was a really good series to read.

Sally

Seriously love this book, and am now craving another dog. It makes you feel like there is hope for humanity when you read books like this.

This is a continuation of
A Dog's Purpose which I also adored. As other reviewers have stated, it is simply told, but is told from a dog's point of view...and dogs really aren't that complicated! They just love.

My favorite portion of the book (without giving away too many spoilers) was the caring and theraputic storyline. It is beyond touching and not only reaches at your heartstrings, but pulls them in completely.

Highly recommended to anyone with a love of animals, especially dogs. (And yes, for cat folks out there, there's a great cat in this story as well...)

Keru Faye

I loved the first book in this series, but this one kind of fell flat for me. I had to give it a day to get together my list on exactly why I feel that way. So here we go:

Let's start with the positives first:

-It was a quick, easy read. I got it on Christmas Eve and I finished it on Christmas morning. That's really rare for me.

-The author has certainly done his research because the narrator sounds like a dog versus a human trying to imitate a dog.

-I have to admit that the ending had me getting a little emotional even though I hated Gloria.

-That's another thing, I loved Gloria because I hated her so much.

Now here's why I didn't like this book as much as A Dog's Purpose:

-Clarity June AKA CJ. Now, with a mom like Gloria, I understood that the girl was going to have issues, but there were times where she seemed to be given every issue that a teenager/adult could have, and to me, that made her kind of hard to relate to.

-Maybe it's just me, but the humans' dialogue felt like I was reading a soap opera at times. In other words, it was over the top and unnatural. Especially in the adult!Clarity portion of the book.

-It got quite repetitive after a while. It's hard to describe, but I just didn't feel like there was a lot of variety to the dog's interactions with people, especially CJ. It's probably he/she was attached to one person the whole time, whereas in the previous book, he got to live with several different people.

Conclusion: If you've read A Dog's Purpose, then you should give this one a try too. I like how it tried to expand on the first book, even if it could have been executed more effectively.

Stephen Wallace

Another great book from Cameron. He has a great formula, take the wonderful qualities of a dogs, and have the dog in the book talk about doing the great things they do like it is normal. We as humans wish we could be that noble and could have the same great qualities as easy as breathing. He likes to also take one or more extra special things dogs have been known to do and work them into the dog in his book. Other reviewers may give you more of those details, but I will leave them out of my review so you can enjoy them as they come up.

It is a great book, but I am on a hunt for what I consider to be contenders for the top 100 best dog books. I thought his first book, A Dog's Purpose deserved to be in that category and I was hoping this one would be to. I considered my criteria. Great story is one. Memorable characters you really feel like you want to be with. And of course, a significant and amazing dog. Check on those counts.

One of my criteria for best ever dog books is that it is a book I would look forward to reading again. There was some difficult/mean people in this book that I wouldn't want to meet again. Means the author was effective at making good villain's. The main character in the book, not the dog of course, had some difficult challenges to overcome. Glad to ride along with her life as she overcame them. Between the difficult people and the difficult challenges it was just not one I would be in a hurry to read again. But damn Cameron writes a good story and captures wonderfully the thoughts of what you think a great dog would have. So will put it in my category of favorites.

Love to hear what other people's criteria would be on 'best dog books ever' and if they think this book would belong, and also what books they think should be in that category.

Leah K

A Dog's Journey: Another Novel for Humans by W. Bruce Cameron

★ ★ ★ ★ ½ + ♥

I read A Dog's Purpose (a story shown through a dogs point of view on his many reincarnations, trying to find his purpose) last year and it became a favorite. So when I found out that there was a sequel coming out this year, I could barely hide my excitement. This is also the author who wrote Eight Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter.

This second installment begins a few years after the end of the first book. Buddy, the dog, is sure his purpose is fulfilled but when he is once again reincarnated he begins to wonder. This book questions are humans there to take care of dogs or our dogs there to care for us?

I absolutely adored the first book and am happy to report I adored the second book just as much. I devoured this 330 page book within a day – a record for me. I was just unable to put it down. The writing is so well done and I loved the way it was written from a dog's point of view. Just like with the first book, I found myself welling up with tears in some parts and laughing in others. My emotional connection to the character is one I rarely encounter. And I am not afraid to admit that I bawled my eyes out at the end and then bawled my eyes out again when recounting it to my husband.

Some of it felt like a rehash from the list book and some of it seemed pretty predictable but this didn't make my love for the book wane. This, and the first book, deal with love, compassion, death, and life. If you love dogs, this is definitely a great book. Read the first one, then read this one. And bring the Kleenex.

Susy

4.5 stars
I was afraid it would just be more of the same thing but I’m happy to say that it’s not. The dog’s new owner also plays an important part in this book and I really liked her story. So if you like the first book (reading the reviews I see that it’s not for everyone, but then again which book is), I would definitely recommend the sequel!
There are also some lessons to learn from the dog, like noticing and enjoying the small joys of life:
“The small things that make a dog happy like the smell of falling leaves.” <3

This book had “a real ending” so I’m wondering what #3 will be about...

Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.)

I want to thank to Edicion Anticipada and Rocabolsillo, for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review

I have so many emotions inside me right now, this will probably be one of the hardest reviews I've ever written. This book is so significant and is a great conclusion to the first one, I've enjoyed it, but also I've suffered, so without further ado, let's begin!

description

4.5/5 Stars

You can find this one in SPANISH and more of my review on muy blog
A Book. A Thought.

A Dog's Journey, is much darker than the first book, plays very delicate subjects such as bulimia, suicide and cancer, so of course it's a book with a great emotional content, it was impossible for me not to cry like a thousand times, I feel that after reading this book I'm ready to read anything lol. In this one we continue the journey of Buddy, who now feels that his new purpose in life is to take care of Clarity, the granddaughter of Hanna and Ethan, who has quickly become a problematic teenager, and we'll can see how through his various reincarnations, fate always acts so that they'll meet again

I really like the Clarity's character, it's very obvious from the beginning that the mother is really the problem here and both, her rebellious attitudes, and her eating problems are largely due to the upbringing that this one has given her in the course of her life, and the lack of affection that she has received from her mother. We witness as Gloria (Clarity's mother), again and again denigrates her daughter to make her feel really miserable, Ive hate this woman, I really did, and the way she treats Buddy is horrible and so inconsiderate, this kind of people never deserve to have an animal as sweet as a dog, is very despicable.

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The way C.J (Which is like Clarity now calls herself) treats Buddy is very warm and sweet since they meet again, I've love this relationship as much as I've loves Buddy's with Ethan, it's so real, loyal and sincere, it was very beautiful to read how C.J cares about him and she'll do everything possible so that they can be together despite everything. There are many times when C.J endangers Molly (as Buddy is now called), but I've always felt that all her actions are desperate acts for wanting a better life and I really feel sorry for her and in some way, I understand her behaviors

C.J has neither had nor has an easy life, but something that is really good in her life besides Molly, is Trent. Trent is C.J's best friend, he's simply an angel and will always be there for her when she needs it, is considered, sweet and good person, is also the main reason C.J has met again with Molly and both Trent's relationship with C.J, like the one he has with Molly has been very nice to read. Although I feel that C.J didn't value him at firs,t I'm very satisfied with the development of their relationship.

I think the big difference between this book and the first one is that now Buddy really knows what his mission will be and he'll do it no matter what, I also feel that destiny plays a fundamental role and the way the stories intertwine is really good . Another differences is the seriousness of the book and I say again, because of the dark that this one is, with the whole issue of food problems, depression, diseases, abuse's attempt, there are really many serious issues in it, and although I confess that I had more sweet and happy moments in the first one, it's important to highlight the work and respect with which the themes have been touched, but it doesn't stop hurting or being hard, there are parts in which it was very hard to continue and I've had to leave the book for a while, even so I can't fail to highlight the brilliant work of creating a book that will really touch your heart regardless of whether you're a sensitive person or not, there is a theme for every person in the world in this book and that is why I recommend it . Although if you are an impressionable person or some of these topics can be very difficult for you, I recommend caution.

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I can't help thinking how much Buddy has helped people throughout this duology, not only its owners but has touched the heart of all who have had the pleasure of knowing, even literally saved lives during his journey. He has definitely touched mine. I love him so much guys, it's really incredible, I feel that he has made me value my dogs a lot and I can't stop telling them that I love them, again and again hahaha.

The end has made me cry and cry, was a great conclusion, I feel that it closes everything in a very beautiful way, but also it's heartbreaking. Loyalty and love are the two words I would use to describe Buddy. He's a pure and beautiful soul and I've enjoyed knowing him and I don't regret having decided to undertake this trip with him.

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I highly recommend this duology, whether you're animal lover or not, because I feel that probably something changes in you and will open your eyes to a lot of situations. It's a very valuable duology, but I probably will not read a book about dogs for a while now lol. They are too many emotions and I can't control them all, I'll carry this book in my heart forever, I LOVE it, and I feel that everyone should give it a shot regardless of age, because W. Bruce Cameron knows how to write a unique story that will be with you for a long time.

Jesica

You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.

One star less from the previous book,
A Dog's Purpose. It doesn’t mean that this book isn’t as good as the first, though.. the story is great and the plot more intriguing. It’s just because it’s the same dog, reborn again. The dog had been reborn three times already in the first book, for goodness sake! Some would think it’s more than enough. So I had been struggling with this book at the beginning with it’s repetitions on The dog’s life cycles. But as the story goes, it became much more interesting.

The story starts with The dog as Buddy, the black labs from the previous book. While Ethan was The dog’s boy, his purpose now was to be with its girl, CJ. So Ethan was married to Hannah, who had children from her previous marriage. One of them was Henry who had a daughter with an amateur singer called Gloria. That’s Clarity June, or CJ for short.

“I go by ‘CJ.’ Gloria calls me Clarity because that’s the one thing she’ll never have.”

Gloria was not a good mother. She’s selfish and had an expensive lifestyle she actually couldn’t afford. She only kept CJ for the child support money so whenever Gloria and baby Clarity visited The Farm, it was Hannah and Buddy who took after the child. One day though, Gloria and Hannah got into a fight and the last time Buddy saw Clarity was when Gloria took her away from a crying Hannah and never returned. So when he died, he wanted to go back so he can look after Clarity. Because it’s what Ethan and Hannah would have wanted.

The dog was reborn as a Poodle-Spaniel mix (a Spoodle) named Molly who ‘found’ teenage CJ. At this age, I honestly don’t like CJ much. She’s a rebellious, disrespectful teenager who often skipped her classes and was suffering from Bulimia. And Gloria was even worse and more irresponsible than ever. When an unfortunate accident during a ‘car ride’ killed Molly and leaving a distressed CJ, The dog wanted more than anything to go back to protect CJ so it’s reborn as a Chihuahua-Yorkie (Chorkie) mix named Max. He’s the over-protective tiny dog who bites and hates everyone except the two main characters, CJ and Trent. Again, during this life, there was not much contributions from The dog. It’s mostly about CJ and her never-ending problems. But still CJ’s life was quite intriguing and Max’s innocently adorable affections was endearing like when he destroyed ‘the sad shoes’ (when CJ went out with her boyfriend wearing the shoes, she always returned home sad so Max blamed the shoes)

I so wanted her to feel the happiness that I felt whenever we touched each other, but people are more complicated creatures than dogs. We always love them joyfully, but sometimes they’re mad at us, like when I chewed the sad shoes.

Max’s life took most of the book but eventually, he did died and reborn as a Beagle named Toby who worked in a hospice. His work here was a bit scary. He was to accompanied the patients and to notify the nuns when the patients were ‘passing’. Some even called him the death dog or the angel dog. In that hospice, he then found the elderly Gloria, suffering from Alzheimer and CJ who took care of her. Toby then knew his purpose to comfort CJ and helped her to forgive the mother who had caused a lot of miseries in her life.

Although CJ did love The dog, their bond was not as captivating as The dog’s bond with Ethan was. She’s not as adventurous as Ethan or as dedicated as Jacob or Maya. It’s mostly about CJ’s problems for the whole book and The dog was just like a spectator who don’t contribute much which kind of contradict the title that led me to expect more of a dog story. But the story was actually nice and heartwarming and I love it. It’s a must read for pet lovers, especially dog lovers. :D

Karen & Gerard

A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron is a must read for animal lovers. It is told very well by a dog. It is funny, sad, and very touching. What it isn't is boring, and that's a good thing! I loved this book from page 1 and it only grew as I read it! The ending left me with tears and a smile! I loved both books I read by this author, the other being A Dog's Purpose.
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review 6/5/12:
A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron is about the dedication of a dog to its owner. This story follows Clarity June (CJ) from toddler through her 70s when she dies in Hospice and how her dog(s) watched over her. CJ is neglected by her mother after her father died in a plane crash, struggled with anorexia, bad boyfriends, pursued an acting career, was a dog walker, attempted suicide, but found love with her best friend. It’s a cute story actually and although the dog dies several times in the book, he comes back as a different dog but keeps all his old memories and is re-united with CJ over and over again. He’s an “angel dog.” There's even a cat in it named Sneakers!

This is an emotional read. I was angry at the mother right from the beginning of the book but other parts were funny and touching. I loved that the dog was the narrator of the book and enjoyed his perspective on things. I’m glad I read this one and plan to read his first book, A Dog’s Purpose too! I recommend this to any dog lover.

Rebecca Holland

W.Bruce Cameron, known mostly for being a columnist, has done it again with his recently published, “A Dog’s Journey” (Tor-Forge Publishing, Hardcover, 0-7653-3054-9). Done what you ask? Stolen hearts, taught life-impacting lessons, and done it through the eyes, thoughts of a dog.

The sequel to his bestselling novel, ” A Dog’s Purpose,” “A Dog’s Journey,” is destined to capture even the hardest of hearts, the one who doesn’t care for dogs. So many dog books, so many sequels just aren’t worth reading for the stories are full of fluff and always have that “Hallmark” ending.

Not “A Dog’s Journey.” Cameron uses the dog, known by many names and in many lives in “A Dog’s Purpose,” but this time, calls the dog, ‘Buddy.’ The name choice could be purposeful or ironic or just a name, but it fits the story that Cameron pens. “A Dog’s Journey” takes the reader into the life of a dog named Buddy, and he is a normal dog, doing normal dog things.

But his companion this time is a girl, who he meets first as a baby, then as a teenager and then later on as an adult.

Each time, Buddy is there for the girl known as Clarity (another ironic choice of names) and CJ.

Life has several key factors that each of us, even our dogs, need. Two of which are centered out here- loyalty and unconditional love.

We may not get total ‘clarity’ until the last page, but it is there, right along with Buddy.

Gotta love that name. Gotta love this book.

Can’t wait to see what Cameron comes up with next.

Jen

I have a deep love for "Buddy," the dog reborn repeatedly in A Dog's Purpose and again in A Dog's Journey (and so I also love author W. Bruce Cameron). Reading two books from the perspective of such a "good dog" is a joy that had me alternately laughing and bawling. It also made me feel even more love for my own good dog, Rio (and terror that he will die before I will). A must for dog lovers!

"I've seen cats outside and they don't walk with people; they mostly just walk with themselves. Nearly always when a dog walks he walks next to a person. This is just one of many ways that dogs are better pets than cats."

"Some people just don't appreciate having a dog around. It's sad to think there are people like that. I knew Gloria was that way - maybe that's why she could never be truly happy."

Martha

This was a worthy follow up to A Dog’s Purpose - continuing Bailey’s lives and lessons as a dog who is reincarnated and knows s/he has a specific purpose for being born again. Many tender moments as the dog strives to serve his master, and lots of funny dog brain chatter.

Juli

ESTE ES UN LIBRO TAN HERMOSO !!!

Sin lugar a dudas un libro que debería leer TODO el mundo

ES PERFECTO

Morgan

This book is just as good as the first one; if not better. The ending is a definite tear jerker and there's a lot of humor in it being told in a dog's POV which makes it better then an usual average book. The only real sad part is that its over, but hopefully W. Bruce Cameron will keep writing books like these.

It basically begins were the first one left off and then he dies as Buddy so that he can become 'Molly' in his next life to now take care of CJ. CJ's mother isn't the best and she's a troubled teen who thinks no one understands and she suffers from anorexia.

What I liked:
-The relationship between owner and dog. I wish my dog was reincarnated but who know maybe she is :)

- CJ is like every other teen she wants to fit in and have a caring mother that doesn't blame her for the day she was born.

-The fact that CJ's talking huge things with Molly and then dog will be chewing a stick not a care in the world
"'I just need to keep you hidden one more night and then she's gone for a week. Can you go without barking tonight?'
I chewed a stick" (65).
Along with that sometimes I even forgot that it was in a dogs POV.

What I didn't like

It's not much and it obviously didn't affect the book considering I have it 5 stars :)

-CJ denying her feelings for Trent

- Gloria; but without her what would this story be?

-The fact that when Molly was reborn into another dog she couldn't talk and tell 'her girl' who she was ): but she did some things like Molly CJ noticed but thought Molly was just communicating with the dog...

Overall:
An amazing read and a book series that I'd recommend to any dog lover trust me the Journey's worth it!

Favorite quote:
"I think I had known it all along, but one day while I was squatting and smelled my urine it occurred to me that we weren't brothers but brother and sister. I was a female dog!" (47).

Mary BookHounds

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Continuing Buddy's story from A Dog's Purpose, we meet him again near the end of his current life where he meets Clarity, Ethan's granddaughter. As his last act of selflessness, he saves the toddler from certain death when she falls into the pond, where her mother, Gloria, is sunbathing nearby. Of course, she blames Buddy for pushing Clarity in the water. So when Buddy is reincarnated as Molly, her finds a new life's purpose in guarding her. Gloria is, in my opinion, one of the worst mothers ever. She causes Clarity no end of pain in her selfish lifestyle even causing an eating disorder in this poor child. The audio version really emphasizes the evil of Gloria, something that might be lost in the written word.

Of course, Molly doesn't last long but long enough to keep Clarity going and without harm for this part of her teen years and dies in a car accident in which she is thrown from the seat. After a quick respite, Max takes Molly's place where he learns he has a gift detecting cancer in humans when Clarity must do community service at a dog shelter. Max is reborn as Toby and he literally chases Charity down since he knows that she desperately needs saving again. Toby also retains the gift of cancer detection and saves her husband Trent from certain death as well.

I adored this book and it will really tug at your heartstrings if you are dog lover. I only cried twice during this one, I mean full on, tears when Clarity was really struggling with her life. The dogs always brought it around full circle. Dogs add such impact to your life in such a good way. Bruce Cameron really has a gift at capturing a dog's personality and making this type of story truly believable. These are special books.

Elizabeth Kennedy

I won’t do my usual thing of diving deep into plot synopsis and story breakdown here. Because all you really need to know is: you need to read this book.

While I’ve certainly shed at least a few tears over every W. Bruce Cameron book I've ever read -- some crying and some from laughing so hard -- this is the one that made me cry the hardest.

As I was reading the last page of the book, my niece (who is at my house this afternoon, playing with my daughter) came over to ask me if I was okay, because I wasn't just misty-eyed. It wasn't simply a matter of a few tears coursing down my cheeks. I was full-on sobbing, straight up bawling my eyes out.

If you liked A Dog's Purpose, then you will LOVE reading A Dog's Journey. Everything you enjoyed about the first installment is present in the second, but with an additional layer of depth and meaning and significance. There's greater complexity in this second book and also more of an exploration of the dark side of humanity. Cameron skillfully weaves his golden thread from start to finish in a manner that not only renders a satisfying stand-alone conclusion for this book, but also beautifully encompasses the storyline from the first.

This book is on par with Emory's Gift, which would be the other book I would classify as Cameron's most profoundly spiritual in nature. If there was a higher rating than 5 stars, this book would get it! A Dog's Journey is another treasure from my all-time favorite author (my beyond-the-grave apologies to Vladimir Nabokov, who used to occupy the number one spot).🙂

Title	:	A Dog's Journey (A Dog's Purpose, #2)
Author	:	W. Bruce Cameron
Rating	:
ISBN	:	0765330539
ISBN-10	:	9780765330536
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Hardcover
Number of Pages	:	336
Publication	:	First published September 19, 2012

A Dog's Journey (A Dog's Purpose, #2) by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Journey (A Dog's Purpose, #2) Reviews

A Dog's Journey (A Dog's Purpose, #2) Reviews

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