Normally, if a book makes me sad, I chuck it
immediately. But this book is so brilliant,
I broke my own rule.
Julie Burchill
I
love this book. It's fabulous and moving and
funny and strange. It will go down among the
great animal books.
Jeanette Winterson
Dark,
comic and quite brilliantly adult, Haig's
thinking animals never stray into the sickly
sweet zone. Alison
McCulloch, The New York Times
This
debut novel is a winner from page one . .
. A subtle, dog's-eye view of the frailty
of human relationships, it is perceptive,
enchanting and destined to be this summer's
must-read. Mail
on Sunday
Hard
on the heels of The Curious Incident Of The
Dog In The Night-Time, this clever, funny
and oddly dark novel is clearly destined to
become a cult hit. I only wish my dog had
thought of it first. Carla
McKay, Daily Mail
The
Last Family in England is so multi-faceted
it could be re-read time and again . . . This
is a remarkable book and a brilliantly entertaining
read. Emmanuelle
Smith, Big Issue
A
comic tour de force . . . Haig has pulled
off the difficult feat of sustaining a joke
right the way through . . . On another level
it's a desperately sad view from underneath
as a family falls apart.
Fiona Hook, The Times
...
a wry, serio-comic family tail, er, tale,
for our serio-comic times. Molly
Gloss, Washington Post
An
incisive insight into contemporary life, somewhere
between Watership Down and Animal Farm, that
will make you think hard, as well as laugh.
Angela Levin, Weekend Magazine (Daily Mail)
Matt Haig is obviously a novelist of great
promise. Paul
Pickering, Daily Express
Haig
pulls it off stylishly and unsentimentally.
The Observer
This enchanting debut novel
is quite unlike any book you'll have encountered
before. The result is a treat - both moving
and unexpectedly thought-provoking. Hephzibah
Anderson, Daily Mail
One
of the best books I have ever read . . . I'm
sure that Disney will want to make the movie.
Mark McCrory, Belfast Telegraph
Matt Haig is a rising young star in the literary
galaxy. Yorkshire
Post
A snappily written, intelligent,
warm-feeling of a first novel that makes you
believe absolutely in the idea that our dogs
have their own agenda. These dogs talk among
themselves, have raging desires, peculiar
habits, swear a lot and want to get high -
and probably deserve their own reality TV
show. The Last Family in England is the doggie
life manual that every Labrador should own.
Mark Palmer, Dogs Today
Abandon
hope all ye who were raised on 101 Dalmations
for this canine dystopia is as black as its
Labrador narrator . . . Don't look for a happy
ending, but be entertained along the way.
Rachel Hore, The Guardian
The
Last Family in England is an enjoyable modern-day
fable. Matt Haig writes with a true dog-lover's
understanding of our best friends, effortlessly
capturing the essential characteristics of
different breeds. Humanising animals in literature
can quite often result in sickly-sweet sentimentality,
but Haig avoids this by injecting doses of
cynicism and black humour. . . touching, funny
and unique.
Kirsty Knaggs, The List
There's
much to enjoy in The Last Family in England:
read it curled up in front of the fire beside
your own mutt, and bring tissues.
Sonya Hartnett, The Age
Irresistible.
Anne Weale, The Bookseller
Our
gallant canine hero struggles through a quagmire
of obligation and ethics, striving to protect
the family at all costs . . . and the author
romps through a carefully plotted maze of
tragi-comedy.
Philippa Jamieson, New Zealand Herald
Extremely
funny . . . One of the most enjoyable books
you could read this year. . . Who would enjoy
this book? First of all, of course, dog lovers,
who have probably always known that our four-footed
friends are thinking, feeling, communicating
beings. Secondly, anyone who enjoys the kind
of book that hooks you so much you start reading
at eight in the evening and finish the next
morning at two (as I did with this). Thirdly,
anyone who has ever seen, heard, ignored,
played with or tripped over a dog. Now is
that everyone? Martin
Higgs, Waterstone's Literary Editor, Waterstone's
Books Quarterly
. . . explores the hidden dangers of family
life from the perspective of the only family
member who gets to see everything - the knee-high,
four-legged observer in the corner of the
room. Through Prince's eyes (and nose) readers
come to realise the secrets which hold families
together and which, once dug up, can lead
to their destruction. Matt Haig shows us the
idiosyncrasies of our world by viewing humans
through the eyes of a dog.
Angela Barnes, Yorkshire Evening Post
. . . Dog lovers will be engrossed with Haig's
interpretation of every little nuance their
pet makes and he writes in such a direct way
that when he makes you laugh, you have to
put the book down and recompose yourself.
. . Highly engrossing, hilarious yet heart-breaking.
Philip Jones,
Ink
In
this novel with a difference, Prince, a young
black Labrador is the narrator. The Hunter's
family pet feels saddled with their troubles.
It may sound a bit daft, but the view of humans
through the eyes of a dog is intriguing. Marie
Keating, OK!
The
Last Family in England is a novel that's about
a very normal family's various problems -
seen through the eyes of their pet labrador
.
. . he deftly balances it out with a dark,
edgy tone. For Haig to choose this topic instead
of writing some Trainspotting-esque romp ends
up feeling strangely like an act of rebellion
. . . Forget about drink, drugs and the excesses
of youth, middle-class English families are
the new rock and roll.
Dom Dwight, The Leeds Guide
Matt
Haig's novel, The Last Family in England,
is a fable for our time, which deals with
the politics of family values. What makes
this story of modern life different to so
many others is that its narrator is a family
Labrador called Prince. Prince learns from
his elders but is deceived by those dogs closest
to him as he tries to keep his family safe.
A thoroughly enjoyable work of fiction. David
Bradley, City
Quirkily
waggy tale . . . If Matt Haig ever visits
you make sure he doesn't jump on the couch.
Ed Perkins, Bournemouth Daily Echo
You
take a risk, as a debut novelist, if you set
out to rewrite Henry IV Part I and give all
your characters Shakespearean names. The risk
of hubris is hardly diminished if your narrator,
Prince, is a black Labrador waiting at the
vet's to be put down (death row for dogs).
Falstaff is a Springer Spaniel and Lear a
Rottweiler. Still, young Matt Haig overcomes
the obvious problems admirably well and the
result is a plausible sounding dog's nose
view of human family and frailty. The structural
difficulty is that in the end you cannot help
wondering how Prince delivered the manuscript,
given the outcome at the vet's, but by that
point in the novel your disbelief will have
been well and truly suspended. Maris
Ross, Publishing News
The
clearly very talented Matt Haig's debut novel
joins a fast growing pile of works by fresh
faced authors who are making this a great
age for those who enjoy a good read . . .
This is a highly original and often funny
work and like a good dog, won't let you down.
Lads Mag
I
am lost for words. This is a quite extraordinary
book. I have never read anything like it.
It was impossible to put down. Prince is such
a charming and believable character - I was
completely hooked. I would recommend it as
a must for everybody interested in dogs and
their behaviour, but you will need tissues
at times. Also don't start it if you have
a busy day. I had to know what was going to
happen next. Never what I thought. Joyce
Stranger, Dog Training Weekly
And
here's a selection of reviews from various
representatives of the canine community and
one cat:
Matt
Haig’s book, The Last Family in England,
has already generated a lot of hostility from
the Labrador community. My worry is that this
was exactly the kind of pre-publicity the
author was hoping for. I therefore advise
all Labradors to ignore the existence of this
dangerous and terrible book, in the hope their
masters will do the same. Wordsworth,
Labrador, The Lake District
A
fantastic insight into the stupidity of Labradors
and the futility of their cause. However,
Prince, the narrator, is a completely unrealistic
character. I have, to this day, never met
a Labrador who is able to see through the
propaganda of the Labrador Pact. Sam,
Springer Spaniel, Manchester
I
read this whole book and by the end of it
I was left with one overriding feeling: who
cares? Labradors, as we all know, are ridiculous.
For those of us sensible enough to have given
up on our human masters years ago this book
offers little new wisdom. Russell,
Jack Russell, Islington, London
Fucking shit. Arnie,
Rottweiler, South Wales
Absolutely wonderful! A riot from beginning
to end. It serves to confirm what cats have
known since Egyptian times: both dogs and
humans are quite daft. Lapsang, the cat, had
the right idea – stick to the radiators
and keep quiet. A hilarious summer read perfect
for your holidays! Poppy,
Burmese cat, Nottinghamshire
A
novel acknowledging the pressures of the present
moment for dogs of all creeds. There can be
no denying that we are currently witnessing
a historic turning point. We now realise that
human actions are occasionally beyond our
control, but we should not give in. Labradors
must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other
breeds in identifying the challenges that
lay before us. I can only assume that whichever
Labrador wrote this (using a human pseudonym,
obviously) has gone into hiding. But one day
we will all realise that the Pact should not
be treated literally, but rather applied to
the needs of our age. A remarkable feat of
courage. Name
withheld, Labrador, St Albans |