Nigel: my family and other dogs Hardcover – November 21, 2017

Such a cozy, lovingly written book. It’s sad in parts but overall a wonderful love story about dogs. Very happy to have purchased and read.

This is well worth the reading! In today’s world of somber news, it’s wonderful to lose yourself in stories of a man’s love for his dog. Well written! If you love dogs, or gardens, or Monty Don, or all three, this book is for you.

I like the man and the dog(s) very much. Mr. Don is a gentle, humble soul. It is a wonderful book filled with beautiful memories. I haven't had a genuinely wonderful belly laugh in a long time. Mr. Monty Don is a very funny man! (The last time I remember having a good laugh was watching the movie, The Money Pit with Tom Hanks.) I also cried when I read about the deaths of his dogs with the same intensity.. As I read through Mr. Don's memories I realized he didn't just write a book for the sake of making money. He truly loves his family, home and land deeply. He seems to understand very well the impermenant nature of all things.I have a golden Labrador whom was a wild child as a teenager. She has grown into lovely girl.. She is named after Babe Ruth we call her by Ruthie. My husband loved baseball and dogs. Ruthie is officially my puppy and I am officially and undeniably her human!

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.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs and enjoys excellent writing. Monty Don is a master gardener, and that I knew, but he is a master storyteller also. He reminds us why we love and need our loyal, quirky, friends. He has been a loving and patient dog-father, and tells us amusing and warm histories of all the dogs in his interesting life. The book has many photos, which satisfy the reader’s curiosity about all the dogs and puppies. It made me look back at all of my boys, now all gone, each with his own peculiarities and funny ways. Thank you, Monty!

Beautiful and heartfelt memoir of the dogs in his life. As a dog person myself, I laughed and cried as I read it.

I knew Monty was a terrific gardener but I had no idea he is such a gifted author as well!! His writing style is accessible and easy to follow. He has such a wonderful understated sense of humor that makes me giggle to myself often and his recollection of his past is truly an escape from my hustle and bustle existence! I LOVE THIS BOOK!! I'm only a little more than half way through with it but am already sad to see the end nearing as I so don't want it to be finished!! Thanks Monty Don and I am really looking forward to reading your other works!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hated for it to end. I'm a fan of Monty Don's easy, conversational presentation style in his gardening shows, and he's able to capture that same style in his writing, which makes for a very pleasant reading experience. I also enjoyed the way he weaves the story of the family's garden with the lives of the canine members of the family. I also appreciated the many photos of the garden and the dogs interspersed throughout the book. This is a book I look forward to reading again.

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!

If you could only ever read one book by Monty Don, then I urge you to make it this one.Such a beautiful and loving read about a mans love for his dog. Monty writes this beautifully, and when reading it, you almost slip into an internal ‘Monty voice’.This lifted my heart, brought me smiles, made me nostalgic, and warmed me.What a fantastic book. Thank you Monty, and of course, thank you Nigel. X

I wouldn’t normally have bought this book as I’ve seen too many ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ after the success of Marley and Me. However, I have been entertained by Nigel and Monty and became interested in their story, especially after the sad news that Nigel had died. This book is extremely well written and full of interesting anecdotes and glimpses into the lives of Monty, his family and his dogs, as well as fascinating history of the evolution of his garden. Written in a way that mixes past and present that avoids too much predictability and keeps you reading avidly until the end. A must read for fans of gardening and dog lovers! I’m glad I read this and would highly recommend.

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.

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.