Book Review -- The Dog Went Over The Mountain

     The book that I am reviewing today is called "The Dog Who Went Over The Mountain", and the author of the book is Peter Zheutlin. This book is about a man who takes his dog named Albie on a journey to retrace the journey taken by John Steinbeck and his dog Charley. Steinbeck writes about his travels in the book "Travels With Charley."
     The author and his rescued Labrador mix begin their journey going in the opposite direction taken by Steinbeck and Charley. Peter and Albie head south first. I found the descriptions of this part of the journey interesting.
      Another major part of the book recounts the time that the author and Albie spent in New Orleans. From there, the pair traveled up to Oklahoma to visit the home of Woody Guthrie.
     One of the better parts of the book was the section about the Grand Canyon. You will be hoping as you read the account that that the fog will lift so that the author can once again see the Grand Canyon.
     The journey continues into California were the author gets to visit the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California. The author was able to see the actual vehicle that Steinbeck and Charley used for their journey.
     After this part of the trip, the narrative takes a turn, and this is my disappointment with the book. From the writing, it seems that the author was growing tired of the journey and just wanted to get back home. This is especially true after he and Albie left Idaho. The description of the rest of the journey is limited and rushed.
     For the most part, I did enjoy this book. However, it wasn't as good as I thought that it was going to be. The book isn't bad, it's just not great. The author and Albie do have a nice relationship, and Albie seems like a very nice dog.
     The best book I've read about a man traveling the country with a dog is " A Walk Across America" by Peter Jenkins.  "Travels With Macy" by Bruce Fogle is another book about a man inspired by "Travels With Charley" taking a journey across America. This is a very good book that I definitely recommend.
     "The Dog Who Went Over The Mountain" is a good book. You will enjoy reading the first half. The second half isn't as good.