This book is exactly what it appears to be. There is no deeper meaning, no hidden message. This isn't Nobel Prize Literature, it's the story of a man and his dog. It's just a really good one.

Marley is an absolutely terribly behaved dog. His antics seem almost unreal, yet I can believe them as my dad tells a story when my parent's first dog ate drywall. Yet Marley is completely charming and endearing, and you can't help but smile. The book just isn't about Marley, it's about the lessons you learn when you have a dog, and how you grow and mature with them. Within 300 pages, you read the whole life cycle of this terribly behaved and you smile and laugh because you understand. If you've never owned a dog, or don't particularly care for dogs, then this is not the story for you. But if there has been a dog that's touched your heart, or you've had to put a dog to sleep, then this story will pull at your heartstrings. I have no problem admitting I cried for the last few chapters. I'm just a sucker when it comes to a dog dying.