I didn't like this one as much as Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, probably because the main character in this one was such an unredeemed jerk. ( )

stuoid, could not finish this one. Off to the library! ( )

I give this book 2.5 stars. I really enjoyed the parts in the story where the dogs gave their views on the world around them. They explained all the actions humans tend to take for granted and their true meaning. I wasn't particularly interested in Gil's relationship with his girlfriend or his ex-wife. The main interesting point in the story is Gil's relationship with Jimmy who gets very upset when he learns that Gil is not his biological father. This storyline was the saving grace of the story that had me round up to 3 stars. ( )

Dogs that can be understood by thier owner - cute Dr. Doolittle premise except in this case the Dr. Doolittle is Gil a self-absorbed middle aged man with no profession and few prospects for personal or professional sucess. All the characters in the book were so emotionally damaged. Sara the girlfriend who loves too much. Eden, the ex-wife over sexed, gold-digging bitch, and of course as mentioned Gil who in addition to his numerous other problems had huge mommy-issues, like the author. Three of the four dogs were charming except for Jimmy, the most beloved of the pack, who had clearly been raised by Gil and was selfish and self-serving as well. In the end Gil sees the error of his ways and vows to do better. Bluck! ( )

What if you could really have a two-way conversation with your dog? No, I mean a REAL conversation, you know, where the dog can respond to you and you understand immediately what he's saying, without you having to spend hours figuring out what he means... Nose Down, Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe takes that premise and runs with it, straight into the funniest novel I've read this year.
When Gil discovers that he can understand what his dog is telling the other dogs, he tries to develop the dog, Jimmy, and his advice into a marketable commodity via the internet.

While the premise of this novel is good and the story pretty funny, there were also times I wanted to hit Gil on the head... He was pretty stupid to be getting involved with his ex-wife after she had gotten married to someone else, plus, the way he treated his girl friend kept me from being able to respect him as an honorable person... These things, along with the fact that some of Gil's personal life seemed to have little or nothing to contribute to the story kept me from giving this novel the full five stars.

Nevertheless, read this novel if you want some laughs, but only if you can tolerate some stupidity in the main character. This review has simultaneously been posted on Dragon Views, LibraryThing and Amazon.com. ( )