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ell_jay_em7's review against another edition
3.0
This book is pretty heavy, FYI! Animals lovers may find it too sad.
surlymanor's review against another edition
5.0
Her best work yet! A graphic memoir filled with difficult and sad and funny and sweet and loving anecdotes and life journeys accompanied by one very special dog.
floralfox's review against another edition
4.0
This was a sweet graphic novel about a young woman's love for her mostly-unfriendly, skittish, and troublesome pup.
Nicole Georges gets this dog in the hopes of healing the wound of her young boyfriend, who had a broken heart from the time his dog was given away by his stepfather. Unfortunately, although Nicole had gotten permission to gift this dog by his parents beforehand, they backed out, and she was left with the ill-behaved dog.
Through thick and thin (i.e., dog attacks, pet deposits, vet bills, pet accidents too far into the dog's adult life, and no-pet-leases) Nicole LOVES this dog. Nicole and Beija protect each other, but sometimes they veer into the territory of letting nobody else in, of being too cagey and distant and territorial. Through the story of Beija, Nicole tells her own story of growing into herself--as a dog owner, a feminist, a bisexual woman, a neglected child, as well as a person who comes to recognize that being comfortable with toxicity in a relationship is not a healthy character trait.
Mostly, I like Georges' graphic style, but there were some things that tripped me up: all of the human noses looked too similar and sometimes when someone had a similar hair cut, I couldn't tell who was who and I had to put effort into figuring it out. More often, though, I couldn't tell who was saying what dialogue in what order, or which panel the caption went to. I read several pages more than once to decipher this.
I was going to give this 3 stars, but then, as most dog stories do, Beija passed away in the end (at the old age of 15, thankfully), and I cried into my pillow holding onto my own little nugget and worrying about the day I will have to go through that, too.
Nicole Georges gets this dog in the hopes of healing the wound of her young boyfriend, who had a broken heart from the time his dog was given away by his stepfather. Unfortunately, although Nicole had gotten permission to gift this dog by his parents beforehand, they backed out, and she was left with the ill-behaved dog.
Through thick and thin (i.e., dog attacks, pet deposits, vet bills, pet accidents too far into the dog's adult life, and no-pet-leases) Nicole LOVES this dog. Nicole and Beija protect each other, but sometimes they veer into the territory of letting nobody else in, of being too cagey and distant and territorial. Through the story of Beija, Nicole tells her own story of growing into herself--as a dog owner, a feminist, a bisexual woman, a neglected child, as well as a person who comes to recognize that being comfortable with toxicity in a relationship is not a healthy character trait.
Mostly, I like Georges' graphic style, but there were some things that tripped me up: all of the human noses looked too similar and sometimes when someone had a similar hair cut, I couldn't tell who was who and I had to put effort into figuring it out. More often, though, I couldn't tell who was saying what dialogue in what order, or which panel the caption went to. I read several pages more than once to decipher this.
I was going to give this 3 stars, but then, as most dog stories do, Beija passed away in the end (at the old age of 15, thankfully), and I cried into my pillow holding onto my own little nugget and worrying about the day I will have to go through that, too.
ashleyholstrom's review against another edition
5.0
Nicole Georges’ work is beautiful and this graphic memoir of her life with a rowdy pup hit me right in the heart. Beija is a bad girl: She pees on the carpet and gets in fights with other dogs. But she’s still a good girl at heart. She’s faithful to her human. Fetch is a dog-centric memoir, and honestly, I can’t believe there aren’t more books with this focal point. You’ll smile, you’ll cry, and you’ll hug your furry pal tight.
From our Favorite Under-the-Radar Books of 2017 at Book Riot.
From our Favorite Under-the-Radar Books of 2017 at Book Riot.
breannenance's review against another edition
2.0
This book was just depressing to read. I didnt like the parents in the story (Youre not supposed to) and I didnt like the black and white comics. Everything gave it a melancholy feel.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
5.0
Of course it made me cry.
Georges' work always hits home for me. Here, she tackles the issue of problematic pets you love (sometimes, BECAUSE they're problematic).
I, too, lived with a dog with issues for years. Callie (maybe unlike Beija, Georges' dog) was fluffy and blonde, and looked super friendly - until another dog came along or you put your face too close to hers, or otherwise made her feel unsafe. Then, a Jekyll/Hyde transformation took place and her snarl was legitimately terrifying. She bit other dogs more than once.
She died a few years ago. I loved her very much. Partially because we had an intimate connection that was special to us. But it was difficult managing her behavior in public. Having to warn every new person not to assume too much or worry every time another dog approached when I walked her. Memories of that time makes me hesitate to get another dog now.
Georges tells her story, which is in a lot of ways similar to mine.
I've always been sensitive to stories centering around dogs, or any animal suffering, really. Stories like these hit so close to home, I usually avoid them like the plague. Friends know not to recommend movies with any animal pain in them.
But I HAD to read Georges book, knowing her work. I enjoyed guessing where the story overlapped with [b: Calling Dr. Laura|13429614|Calling Dr. Laura|Nicole J. Georges|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344716812s/13429614.jpg|18920336].
And I'm glad I did read it. Even though it made me cry.
Georges' work always hits home for me. Here, she tackles the issue of problematic pets you love (sometimes, BECAUSE they're problematic).
I, too, lived with a dog with issues for years. Callie (maybe unlike Beija, Georges' dog) was fluffy and blonde, and looked super friendly - until another dog came along or you put your face too close to hers, or otherwise made her feel unsafe. Then, a Jekyll/Hyde transformation took place and her snarl was legitimately terrifying. She bit other dogs more than once.
She died a few years ago. I loved her very much. Partially because we had an intimate connection that was special to us. But it was difficult managing her behavior in public. Having to warn every new person not to assume too much or worry every time another dog approached when I walked her. Memories of that time makes me hesitate to get another dog now.
Georges tells her story, which is in a lot of ways similar to mine.
I've always been sensitive to stories centering around dogs, or any animal suffering, really. Stories like these hit so close to home, I usually avoid them like the plague. Friends know not to recommend movies with any animal pain in them.
But I HAD to read Georges book, knowing her work. I enjoyed guessing where the story overlapped with [b: Calling Dr. Laura|13429614|Calling Dr. Laura|Nicole J. Georges|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344716812s/13429614.jpg|18920336].
And I'm glad I did read it. Even though it made me cry.