When Harry Met Minnie: A True Story of Love and Friendship
Written and Narrated By: Martha Teichner
Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
Jeez! Oh how I haaaate saying with this one: I Want My Hours Back…! Also, a tiiiiiiny bit of a Spoiler Alert within this, sooo…
Gotta say I shot m’self in the foot with this one, When Harry Met Minnie. You see, I read the danged Publisher’s Summary, loved what I read, saw that it was by a much loved CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, and saw that it was read by her as well…
Dude, I was sooooo All In and couldn’t chuck a credit at this fast enough.
> Heavy Sigh… < When will I learn?
And the cover got me as well! I mean just look at it, for Jiminy H. Cricket’s sake: A pic of two dogs with Manhattan in the background. This has GOTTA be an “I HEART New York” kinda book, and ode to a unique pair or dogs, a delight to dog lovers everywhere, right?
Uhm, nope.
This is devastatingly disappointing, and I think Booklist says it best when, and I quote, they say: “… Love of dogs not even required…”
Where are Harry and Minnie?
Martha Teichner, who has the best voice ever, has a love of Bull Terriers, so when one of her pair dies, leaving little Minnie heartbroken and bereft, a chance encounter at a farmer’s market with a fellow dog walker has her stating that she’s kinda sorta, not really, but maybe, looking for an older Bull Terrier as a buddy for Minnie. Stephen, the fellow dog walker, immediately brings a pic up on his phone: Here’s one right here that he knows of. You see, this Harry right here? His owner, Carol, is dying from post 9/11-caused cancer, and he’ll be needing a home quite soon.
Like, really soon. Martha and Carol get in contact with each other, and they begin emailing and texting stories and pics, and they’re setting up doggie play dates.
Now this is about the time we should be hearing about how the soon-to-be-grieving Harry meets the already-wallowing-in-grief Minnie, and they help each other out, right? Uhm, nope.
This is instead a (I admit) touching memoir of a friendship between Martha and Carol, and a diary of Carol’s demise. I’d be okay with that, tho’ I’d still be all surly and put-out, if it didn’t also include lengthy writing of Carol’s many, many outfits, and a complete inventory of her stylish little apartment. EVERYthing Carol does is done with style and finesse, and she’s sooo unique that many an ennui-ridden New Yorker catches themselves gazing at her. She’s just a head turner that way.
And Teichner can't help but chronicle it aaaaalllll, Carol’s clothing, every single email and text the two exchange, each bit of dialogue of the strong and fierce women who come together to love and care for Carol as life slowly leaves her. May we all be as rich in the end.
But that’s NOT what I got the audiobook for! Yeah yeah yeah, a story of Women’s Empowerment, a grand tale of women’s friendships just in time for Women’s History Month, but NOT a sweet story that has anything to do with Harry, anything to do with Minnie.
Not even when, after Carol’s much-journaled-about death
SPOILER ALERT:
Harry dies, did I feel much of anything since he’s barely a part of this story. His aches and pains and conditions are well-documented, but his personality isn’t even tried at, soooo….
END OF SPOILER
This had so little to do with the Publisher’s Summary, and it had nothing to do with the cover photo.
I wish I’d seen the Booklist blurb as this dog lover wasn’t required.
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