The Old Man, His Dog & Their Longest Journey by Iain Maitland

Reviews from Amazon

This was an emotional and heart wrenching story of a man and his dog who take quite the journey together.
Ian and Bernard the dog go on a journey of tremendous highs and lows to find themselves and pay respects to Ian’s son Adam who died as a child. I loved the relationship between Bernard and Ian and as a dog owner myself that side of the story was very sad, brought tears to my eyes.

28 JUNE 2023

This… was just so, so relatable in so many ways and I think this is why I spent half the read with tears in my eyes.
When one of Ian's daughters announces at a family gathering that she's pregnant, it kick starts what I can only describe as a mini breakdown, or a midlife crisis moment for him.
He sets off for a walk with his trusted best friend, Jack Russell, Bernard, which turns out to be the longest walk of their life.
Along the way we take a peek into Ian's mind and hear of all his thoughts, memories and worries.
I love how totally normal this all seemed - completely believable and it felt like we were taking this walk together and chatting along the way.
I found this very emotional in different ways as I found that I could be laughing at some of the memories one minute, but then crying the next.
It was a truly compelling and thought-provoking read and not only could I not put this down, I also haven't stopped thinking about it and some of the issues that it brought up.
Dealing with redundancy, health issues and aging, it really does show how mental health can affect anyone at any time and that we really should be encouraging much better communication, especially in families.
My first read by this author but I'm keen to see what's next as I just thought the writing style was amazing! Loved this!

20 JUNE 2023

This is one of those beautiful stories that you want to keep reading and find out what happens, but at the same time you don’t, in case, it makes you cry!
I could talk forever about this heartfelt story, the topics it covers are emotional, relatable and very carefully done. The book is just amazing and one that I will always remember!
A very easy and well deserved 5 stars!

12 JUNE 2023

I absolutely adored this book. If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove, you will love this too. Ian suddenly loses it one day and just walks out with Bernard, his Jack Russell and decides to go to Hunstanton and back. There are a lot of reasons why he does and reasons he should have stayed, all of which he analyses whilst walking.
Throughout the book, there are funny encounters, scary moments, and lots of overthinking and trying to remember. He has lists to remember things, notes that are supposed to jog memories but are more complicated now out of context.
I loved and hated the end with equal measure, but can’t tell you why because of spoilers. Read it and make your own mind up, but be prepared to laugh, cheer, cry and shout in frustration!

20 JUNE 2023

Wow, this book really hits you right in the feels! One minute you are laughing at some silly social blunder Ian has made and the next you are sobbing over some pretty heart wrenching memories.
This novel is about Ian, a 54 year old man who is completely lost in his own life - he is dealing with bereavement, redundancy and, at least for the first half of the novel, a wife and family who really don’t seem to appreciate him or even notice he’s there most of the time. It’s only when he isn’t there that his family seem to notice him.
‘The Old man, His Dog, and Their Longest Journey’ is such a poignant tale about the fragility of mental health and also life itself. It is beautifully written and I love Bernard so much.
I received a gifted copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion and written voluntarily.

15 JUNE 2023

It’s hard not to relate to Ian and I’m sure most readers will be able to identify with some elements of Ian’s current situation. This book deals with the prominent topic of mental health and its done in such a heat warming way.
Ian is dealing with all sorts of problems and this book really does take you on a journey, both in the adventurous and emotional sense. I laughed and cried – this book is written perfectly and you really do feel like you are there with Ian.
The cover of this book and little sketches throughout are perfect.
14th JUNE 2023