The Longest Trip Home (edition 2008)

An excellent story told so well! ( )

ebook

There's hardly any mention of Marley in The Longest Trip Home. M&M was an autobiographical slice of Grogan's life - a 12 year period when he was newly married and started a family. In TLTH he goes Big Picture, and starts from the beginning until his father's death shortly before the publication of his blockbuster best seller. While M&M focuses on his wife and kids (and of course the crazy canine) this book looks largely back on his childhood friends, first girlfriends, his fiance Jenny again, but most particularly his parents. In fact, the overarching theme of this book is his lifelong struggle to reconcile his lack of religiosity with his parents steadfast Catholic faith. TLTH, as in M&M, seamlessly blends laugh out loud hilarity with poignant and sadder reflections on the pains of growing up, growing apart, and growing old. However, just as M&M was not by and large a sad book (though I spoke to several dog lovers who avoided reading it because they had heard it was) neither, as a whole, is TLTH. Ultimately, it is about the power of family and the love that can endure between parents and children despite the struggles and conflicts ( )

The title had me thinking of John leaving his faith and then coming back to embrace it. Was I caught off guard. The book was about his life growing up and maturing into an adult. His passions and thoughts were reviewed and enjoyablely noted. Heartwarming and comical yet never made that crossover to real truth with his parents. ( )

A touching and compelling memoir by the author of "Marley & Me", which I prefer somewhat, but this is pretty good. Grogan's life and upbringing parallel my own in many ways, which added resonance for me, and his father's decline and dying transpired with a firm dignity and love of family that struck me as a pretty decent way to go. Much about Grogan's father reminded me of my own Dad, now 82. We're not exactly touchy-feely either, and it would be nice to be able to do something about that the way I saw John Grogan and his father did as death came ever closer. Grogan has a knack with endings; I did not finish "Marley & Me" or this book dry-eyed. ( )