The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People by Rick BraggMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The titular subject of Rick Bragg’s most recent family story is not a blood relative, but a found stray dog. Bragg describes his dog Speck, short for “Speckled Beauty”, with many of the same traits as he previously described his relatives, sharing hard-headedness, a reflective outlook on life, love of the land, and loyalty. It’s a grand story of a dog. It’s also the story of illness and aging. Bragg compares Speck’s aging and mellowing and medical issues with the people that populate the story, including the author, his mother, and his brother. You strongly sense Bragg focusing on the declining years here, and it adds a weight to the story that Speck can at times counteract through canine adventures. I got the feeling near the end of the book that Bragg really wanted to write a book about his older brother, who was facing medical issues and decline, but didn’t want Bragg to write about him. This might end up being the book on Bragg’s brother as well as his dog. Due to the many medical stories, this book feels melancholier than his other family stories, but the writing is memorable and enjoyable. And Southern. (view spoiler)
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