Nigel: my family and other dogs

Having recently got into watching Gardener's World [great show by the way], I decided based on Monty Don's easy listening voice and nice persona, that I'd take a punt on this book and see what all the fuss was about regarding Nigel and his other dogs. Let me tell you, it does not disappoint. I've never met Nigel but feel as though I know the dog thoroughly thanks to Monty's brilliant writing and descriptions of his wonderful dog's mannerisms. The book has sad parts. I'll admit that in a few places I cried, and if you're a pet owner, or anyone with a heart in fact, you'll find it hard not to feel a pang of sadness when he describes his past dogs that are no longer with him. Monty comes across as a very caring, decent bloke in this book. It's just like on Gardener's World, and, if you watch that programme, you're at an advantage to know the garden he describes [Longmeadow] in the book, which of course is in some detail to help any reader that hasn't seen Gardener's World. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes dogs, especially Golden Retrievers. There's a short history in there of them, but the main draw-in of the book is how well Monty describes his dog and his dog's attitude, whilst never forgetting that each dog is its own dog and a reflection of its owner. He does this very well. I'd also recommend it to anyone that enjoys Monty Don's work on Gardener's World, or anyone who wants an easy afternoon reading about a man and his many dogs. Thanks Monty for the lovely, heartwarming book. I look forward to any others!

Great book

Lovely read for any dog lover. This is the second Month Don book I’ve read and he is a wonderful writer.

This was a wonderful audiobook read beautifully by Monty Don himself. I loved every minute listening to his memories of Nigel and all the other dogs in his life. I don’t watch Gardener’s World but I have enjoyed other TV programmes with Monty Don, particularly his gardens around the world shows, so I knew I would enjoy his writing. He has a really gentle manner about him that is very calming and gentle that made this a real delight. I actually book the Kindle book first for 99p and then added the audiobook for £2.99, as I wanted to hear Monty telling me about his dogs rather than reading myself. He also talks about the history of domestic dogs and particularly Golden Retrievers. His gardens also feature, particularly Long Meadow, where Gardener’s World is filmed and he tells the story of how Nigel become a part of the show. Hearing about the garden made me want to own an established garden that I could tend rather than start from scratch. 😉 I haven’t had a dog in my life for decades, but this didn’t stop me enjoying this audiobook, as it reminded me of the lovely dogs from my childhood. I highly recommend this on audio and could easily listen to this again.

What can I say? I loved this book. I have never owned a dog but for a few years we had the experience of sharing our next door neighbour's springer spaniel, a very bright and active 14 year old, while they were at work. Sadly they moved house two years ago and we really miss our friend Jack who we all grew to love. I have been thinking about buying a puppy for some time now. I now wholly understand how a dog becomes a member of the family and a loving, loyal companion. After reading Monty's beautiful lyrical book about Nigel and his predecessors as the family pets I am not sure if I am up to the emotional challenge. There are some lovely colour plates in the middle of the book and the chapters are dotted with black and white pictures too. The narrative is largely written in the context of Monty's Long Meadow garden and he describes its development and changes over the years during his account of the lives and loves of his dogs. If I had one criticism I would say a sketch map of the layout of Long Meadow was be a useful addition to the preface or the appendix so that we can get our bearings as Monty describes the paths and separate gardens of the site.

Great quality book, delivered within a couple of days of order. Good as new!

What a lovely book. It's been in my Amazon saved list for ages but I can't read much for severe headaches but I at last downloaded it. Lovely to read about all the dogs that Monty has had throughout his life and a lovely tribute to them all. It was especially poignant as Nigel passed away this year although he was alive and well when the book was published. I admire anyone who can recover from a much loved pet's death and have more. I never had another dog when my two rough collies died, I couldn't have gone through that again although we did have rabbits and it was equally as upsetting to lose them. They all enrich our lives though with their individual personalities as Monty describes so well, and you feel you know his dogs through his words. It was lovely to see the pictures of them all especially Nigel who was so loved by millions through Gardener' s World.

As a fan of Nigel the dog (may he rest in peace) over the last few years, the book was a wonderful enlightenment as to how he regularly stole the limelight from Monty Don on the Gardener's World TV programme! I have never owned a dog and found the subject of training them and how to treat them to be most informative. Although I primarily watch Gardener's World to learn about gardening, I found the descriptions of the layout of the garden at Long Meadow to be a tad tedious to read so sped read through them. Fortunately there aren't too many so don't let me put you off. It is great to read something written by a bloke who has opened up his heart to write not only about his beloved pets but about his personal life as well. If I found this a wonderful read despite not being a "dog person", anyone who is a dog lover will enjoy it ten times more.

Mein Interesse gilt seit einiger Zeit dem Garten. Da bin ich auf Monty Don gekommen, ein wunderbarer Gärtner und Mensch und wollte mehr über ihn und die Liebe zu seinen Hunden und seine Gärten wissen. Dieses Buch ist so liebevoll geschrieben, einfach ein Must!

Excellent book

Monty Don is not only an expert gardener and dog lover, but also a terrific writer. This book does not disappoint. It's a wonderful read, full of information and humor, love and sorrow. It's short and sweet, the perfect thing to bring along to the beach or read on a long flight as I did. Monty gave me ideas for the garden, made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes. I was a little sad when the book ended, and decided I must order another Monty Don book right away.

Para quem gosta de cães e jardinagem é uma leitura bem agradável, ver como o relacionamento com cães ao longo de décadas e como eles se integram aos diferentes ambientes e com outros cães sem ser um livro de cinofilia, e curiosidades de como o jardim foi sendo criado e modificado com o tempo.

I really enjoyed this book. He doesn’t just talk about his dogs, but the evolving relationship between humans and dogs. Typically Monty sticks to writing about gardens. But this book seemed to dive deeper into his personal psyche than his other journalistic writings.