Sirius

So charming! I felt optimistic over and over as I read this delicious work of fiction. In hard times, we need dreams so we'll be ever hopeful, and Crown's novel inspires dreams, journeys, and quests. Thank you so much for sharing this book with me! It's the first book in a long time that has delighted me on every page and left me happy, even after I finished reading.

This story is just so cute I want to rub it's little belly. World War II through a dog's eyes. What a unique and quirky idea. It could have gone really wrong in the hands of a different writer, but Crown managed to tell this tale in a very engaging and interesting manner. It would have been very easy to make this saccharin sweet and downright ridiculous, but Crown made it really charming and even fun. This is a historical fiction novel with a strong emphasis on "fiction". There's a lot of suspension of disbelief, but if you can get past that, I think you'll really enjoy Sirius' story. Highly recommended to any dog loving historical fiction fan.

**I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book is so wonderfully silly and witty that you have a grin on your face all the time you are reading it. The fox terrier hero is a bit like Woody Allen’s Zelig, in that he keeps appearing in important historical scenes: Kristallnacht; Hollywood in the 1940s; the von Stauffenberg assassination attempt and the Berlin Bunker with Hitler. This book is a history of Jewish emigration in the 1940’s and of the Second World War – but not as you have every read it before.
The scenes in Hollywood are just one name drop after another – Sirius meets every one who is anyone in Hollywood, and out-acts them all. My favourite “name” is Billy Wilder (who knew he was Austrian?), who repeatedly tries out his catch phrase of “nobody’s perfect” just to see how it goes down. Well known films are mentioned, with possible alternative scripts that of course were not made. Check out “Casablanca” with a dog star!!!
Sirius’s name changes with his circumstances. Born Levi, then becoming Sirius because Levi was too Jewish, then Hercules as a Hollywood film star. Back in Germany he is Hänsi (a good German name), and finally back to Sirius. But through it all, he is able to remember who and what he is – a little Jewish dog who adores his Liliencron family and his Tree.
An incredibly talented young dog, he understands everything humans say to him (so long as it is not philosophy), and eventually learns how to communicate back. His heroics in films become heroics in “real life” as he is transported back to Berlin.
The whole book is pure fantasy – but with a strong historical background. If only it were true!

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful and quirky, I absolutely loved the premiss for this book — historical fiction told through a dog. It reminded me of Forest Gump, but again, with a dog. He gets himself into some interesting situations and is a lot of suspension of disbelief happening, but if you can get past that tactic, you will enjoy this story.

I was interested to learn that this was a translation, it read in the same tone as what I would imagine to be true of the era. Very well done.

4.5 stars

Sirius (aka Hercules, Levi and Hansi) leads a very exciting life. This fox terrier starts out life as Levi, living in Berlin with a Jewish family in the 1930s. As tensions escalate in Germany during that time period especially for Jewish people, Levi, who is renamed Sirius by his owners to combat the anti-Semitism in Germany, escapes with his family to Los Angeles. Accompanying his owner Carl to work at one of the great Hollywood studios, Sirius gets “discovered” and is cast in a movie series about a dog names Hercules. Through a series of adventures, eventually Sirius ends up back in Nazi Germany and ultimately ends up becoming Hitler’s pet dog. Sirius is renamed Hansi by Hitler, and Sirius/Hansi uses his smarts to overcome a bad situation.

Crown’s style of writing is clever and witty, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The storyline is so imaginative and quirky, and Crown creates a highly entertaining, inventive tale. Sirius makes his way through history leaving his paw print wherever he goes. The author’s depictions of 1930s Berlin and Hollywood are fascinating and well-researched. The inclusion of so many historical characters - Nazis, Nobel winning scientists and famous Hollywood movie stars - really adds to the book.

I highly recommend this novel especially for animal lovers but really for anyone who loves a clever tale. Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the chance to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!

You do not need to love dogs to love this book. However, knowing dogs well adds to one's internal visuals as Sirius, an enchanting fox terrier, goes from incident to incident in this witty retelling of a history we all know well. Sirius is charming, intelligent, multilingual and defies death. The author knows his Hollywood history and films. He throws in line after line from movies we all love and it's hard not to be chuckling one's literary way through this adventure.

Coincidently (or not) Sirius' owner changes his last name to Crown for much of the book. He is the head of a family that knows Peter Lorre which takes them to Hollywood and the family seems to "go with the flow" through adventures that would do the best of us in.

The writing is concise, to the point and only adds to the wit. The reader is not encouraged to put much thought or reflection into anything that happens; simply to hang onto Sirius' "coattails" and enjoy the ride. And in this reviewer's humble opinion, the ride is well worth it. Sirius is a love and I'm looking forward to more books from this talented author.

This book was comical and touching.It is a fast paced adventure of coincidences and fate. Sirius is absolutely charming and introspective. His life is interesting from his birth to his infamous media appearances. This incredibly clever and darkly humorous novel is a beautiful story of a dog's loyalty throughout his life to his family and home.

Sirius: A Novel About a Dog Who Changed History by Jonathan Crown is a alternate history fantasy/satire set during WWII.

Levin the terrier is an unusual dog who understands multiple languages. Under Hitler's regeim his family renames him Sirius to hide his 'Jewish' heritage. The family escapes Nazi Germany (with the help of Peter Lorre!) and land in Hollywood where Sirius is 'discovered' and becomes a cinema star known as Hercules. After hobnobbing with the stars Sirius is loaned to the Ringling Brothers Circus. By accident during a time machine act Sirius is confused with another dog---and ends up back in Berlin! He takes on the German persona of Hansi, soon the beloved pet of Herr Hitler himself, allowing Sirius to become the ultimate spy for the resistence.

Sirius is a wonderful character who will have you rooting for him all the way. The story is completely unbelieveable, hilarious, reading like a graphic novel or Hollywood Golden Age movie. Who would have thought that the Holocaust could be so much fun?

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book is a must for dog-lovers. I have a few people who will receive this book as a gift, as I know they will be unable to resist Levi/Sirius/Hercules/Hansi....in all his roles, he is certainly the star that his second name implied. It is as light-hearted a romp as possible when the subject is a Jewish family in the toxic Germany of the Hitler era. But, as any true dog lover will tell you, the joy that a dog can bring his or her people is impossible to measure.

The novel is set from the early days of Hitler through the end of WWII and the setting goes primarily between Berlin and Hollywood. Those interested in the Hollywood of the 30's and 40's will appreciate the stars that people Sirius's life in Hollywood, and those interested in WWII Germany will likewise find the German villains who Sirius encounters fascinating and more human than the history books can portray. This perspective of those years through the eyes of an amazing dog who was privy to glamour, riches, poverty and war is one that the reader will remember.