I was looking forward to reading Beyond the Tether with immense interest and excitement. Unfortunately, the more I read, the less interested I became. In fact, after reaching page 44, I'd decided I was done with it. I simply couldn't take any more.
That was two weeks ago.
Then, earlier today, I noticed it sitting on my bedside table. It's pretty, yet unassuming, cover begging for attention. The house quiet, my daughter and dogs all asleep, I decided to give it another chance - hoping I'd been too hasty - but, by page 62 I knew I'd not be reading any further.
While the idea for the novel, the shared life of the main character, George, and his beloved Sibe, Tasha, promised much wealth, it simply failed to deliver. Choppy and difficult to read would be the best descriptors for Botti's work. Lack of flow, awkward sentence structure, poor grammar, and careless punctuation all contributed to the unsatisfactory read.
I always attempt to look for the positive, both when training dogs AND when reviewing a book. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything redeeming about Beyond the Tether. The only time the writer seemed impassioned was during a diatribe about dominance theory. If the entire book had read with such ardor and fire it would have been easy to devour it quickly and with enthusiasm. The lecture itself was full of incorrect information, but at least it read with excitement and urgency.
So, in the end... all I can say is kudos to those who made it past the first five chapters. I couldn't do it.
