Lessons From Lucy

Reviews

“Lessons from Lucy is extremely funny (in a couple of places I laughed until water ran from my eyes and a slightly thicker fluid came from my nose). You’d expect that from Dave Barry. What you might not expect is how insightful it is, and downright touching. If you’ve grown old along with Dave, you will want to read this book. You’ll also want to read it if you’re a dog lover, but that’s optional. These are very lively life lessons even for the canine-impaired.”
— Stephen King “In his unique way, [Barry] has chronicled his generation for 35 years, cutting to the truth with his power tool of insightful humor. But now that Dave has gray in his Beatles haircut… he’s added a surprising element of seriousness to his comedic mania... Parts of Lucy are touching and sentimental, but there’s still a laugh on every page.”
— Sacramento Bee “A little gem... The Pulitzer Prize winner... crafts a series of essays that, for the first time, reveal emotional depth to the man with the prankster pen... Barry makes a compelling case for gratefulness every single day.”
— Washington Independent Review of Books “Barry’s anecdotes gave me belly laughs of recognition.... The book is easy to digest, enjoyable to read and good for you (you know what they say about laughter triggering endorphins). Barry’s humor knows no borders, and even the canine-ambivalent can give it two paws up.”
— Boomer Magazine “We couldn’t stop laughing.”
— Parade “Delightful... witty and wise.”
— BookPage “An outrageously funny book in which Barry touches on all the things readers have come to love about his unique brand of slightly curmudgeonly, self-deprecating, stream of consciousness humor. Try as you might, however, it is hard to escape the fact that Lessons From Lucy is deep, sweet and downright touching.”
— The Bark “An instruction manual on how to live happy, healthy and heartily well into your 70s and beyond.”
— Palm Beach Post “Dog lovers will howl with laughter at humorist Dave Barry’s advice book on living your best life by following the examples of his sweet senior rescue dog.”
— Dogster “Astute advice about growing older rolled into a blanket of classic Barry humor... The lessons are filled with the author's signature brand of quirky, sometimes-sarcastic humor... Even for those who are not as enamored by dogs as the author, his gentle wisdom seeps through.”
— Kirkus Reviews “Barry’s signature sarcasm and dry wit is on display throughout.... An effortless reading experience for dog lovers and Barry fans alike.”
— Publishers Weekly “All the classic trappings of beloved Florida humorist Dave Barry are here—the dad jokes, the wry observations, the charming self-sabotage... But there’s also something gentler at work in this ode to Barry’s patient mutt named Lucy—the effect of a dog who loves unconditionally.”
— Garden & Gun “A gently life-affirming take on the things that dogs can teach us written in Dave’s genuinely inimitable — though everyone… tries — style.”
— Arkansas Democrat Gazette “Laugh-out-loud hilarious.”
— BookTrib “Thoughtful and highly personal, the reflections of a man who wants to live his life a little better than he has in the past.”
— Deseret News “Whether it’s learning to let go of anger or living in the present, we could all take a page from Lucy.”
— New York Post “Barry shares with readers a love letter for a dog, a frame for his hilarious thoughts, a missive that wonderfully cradles the delightful abundance of off-topic topics that make his books so much fun to read. And yet there’s a difference here, one that’s really sweetly pronounced. In Lessons from Lucy, Barry seems more introspective than in his other books, letting readers in on his regrets, biggest peeves, and missed opportunities. His humor pokes great fun, but it feels like it might be fragile too, which gives it a sense of wistfulness. Is that because of an old dog? Or is it because of the book’s final chapter? You won’t know until you go fetch Lessons from Lucy. And then… sit.”
— Bookworm Sez “In his latest book, Dave Barry, Florida’s premier funnyman, continues to dispense his unique brand of wisdom and philosophy... As usual, along the way, he will have you howling with laughter.”
— Florida Times-Union “[Barry] has a knack for interweaving seemingly unrelated experiences together to extract meaning from the most random situations....”
— Erickson Tribune Expand reviews