The Hundred and One Dalmatians / The Starlight Barking (The Hundred and One Dalmatians #1-2) by Dodie Smith

The Hundred and One Dalmatians / The Starlight Barking (The Hundred and One Dalmatians #1-2) Reviews

• 
  Emily W

  101 Dalmatians: Cute, fun, a familiar story about dalmatians being rescued from an evil woman who's obsessed with fur.
  Starlight Barking: Dogs hosting a cabinet meeting in the British parliament building while their owners are in a supernatural slumber the most normal thing to happen in this sequel. Go in blind reading it for the most unhinged sequel of your life.
• 
  Melissa

  4.5
  
  Very cute kid story. I never really liked the movie as a kid, but I can see now why they made a movie of this book because it was rather charming.
• 
  Chloé Manz

  I loved every second of my reading! I felt like a child again, watching the 101 dalmatiens movie ! The second story was also very entertaining !
• 
  Janette

  As good as it ever was.
• 
  Jimmy Lee

  I loved Smith's original book, and both the Disney animated film and (although I wanted to hate it) the live action film. Each added new dimension to the original concept. So when I found there was a sequel to the book, I snapped it right up. But I'm still mulling it over - such an interesting and unusual story - and thinking about where could have been better. It takes the characters we love, puts them in a new situation, but the situation seemed so off balance at first.
  
  Pongo and the Missus wake up one morning and, thanks to Pongo's ability to tell time (from playing with blocks years ago), discover it's after 10 in the morning and all the people are still comfortably asleep. (Not unusual at all for me, but apparently his people are early risers.) So are all the other animals - all but the dogs. Clearly something usual is afoot. What's more, it seems like the dogs are able to communicate clearly to each other from farther away than ever before - not by the old Twilight Barking we all remember, but by thought. Now all grown up and ensconced at #10 Downing Street, Dalmatian pup Cadpig is deeply concerned and is calling for help from distinguished dogs all over Europe. Of course her parents come from the country to help, and are confronted with decisions that will affect all the dogs, and ultimately the people, in the world.
  
  Adding science fiction to anthropomorphism, Smith's story still has an immense amount of heart. I could see how the fantasy was necessary to get all those dogs transported over long distances quickly, and in and out of locked rooms, but it felt awkward, and in reading other reviews I see other readers also had difficulty with the contrivance.
  
  However, her basic story, of a love that transcends love of self, is incredibly generous and warming. Written in 1967 - 11 years after the original - at a time of societal turmoil and change, I can understand how such an affirmation might have been important. That story is one worth finishing, however we, and the dogs, must travel to reach the end.
• 
  Grace

  I've read the first book, "The Hundred and One Dalmatians," several times, and I love it. (Better than either movie version, although the movies were cute). Adventure, drama, character growth - this little children's story has it all, and is easily enjoyed by adults.
  
  This was my first time reading the sequel, "The Starlight Barking." It was so very different from the first book that the only reason it could be called a sequel is because it was about the same set of dog characters.
  
  My recommendation for reading "The Starlight Barking" is to go into NOT expecting anything like the first one. Don't expect the high tension and mad-cap escapes of the first book, or the same cast of varied supporting characters (although the Persian cat and the Sheepdog do feature in this book).
  
  In my opinion, "The Starlight Barking" is more of a psychological exploration of love, loyalty, and the idea that we need struggles and difficulties to overcome in order to give our lives and the idea of happiness any meaning. It could also be viewed as a treatise on ESP and the potential of the mind to achieve "impossible" things if it were not burdened down by mundane thoughts and everyday living. And it also glorifies dogs as man's best friend, and perhaps more human creatures than humans themselves. While I am more of a cat person, I don't disagree with that sentiment.
  
  While the book is a bit thin in the plot department (and I repeat, it's basically NOTHING like the first book), "The Starlight Barking" is a unique and thought-provoking read, and well worth a 4 star rating all by itself.
• 
  Erin

  The first book, 'Hundred and One Dalmatians' was amazing, I loved every second of reading it and the illustrations were beautiful. The second book. 'Starlight Barking' I found much harder to get into and not as enjoyable as the first.
• 
  Mercedes

  A nice short and fun read.
• 
  Jennifer Fann-Tucker

  Classic
• 
  Jane White

  Absolutely delightful. Highly recommend. Lore, world building, characterization, plot... High quality.