The Starlight Barking: The Sequel to The Hundred and One Dalmatians
By Dodie Smith
3/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Dodie Smith's The Hundred and One Dalmatians, adapted by Disney, was declared a classic when first published in 1956. The Starlight Barking, Dodie's own long-forgotten sequel, presents a thrilling adventure for Pongo and his family, lavishly illustrated by the same artist team as the first book.
As the story opens, every living creature except dogs is gripped by an enchanted sleep. One of the original Dalmatian puppies, all grown up since the first novel, is now the Prime Minister's mascot. Relying on her spotted parents for guidance, she assumes emergency leadership for the canine population of England. Awaiting advice from Sirius, the Dog Star, dogs of every breed crowd Trafalgar Square to watch the evening skies. The message they receive is a disturbing proposition, one that might forever destroy their status as "man's best friend."
Dodie Smith
Dodie Smith was born in 1896. She made her name as a playwright before moving to the US in the 1940s where she began writing novels including I Capture the Castle in 1948 and her best-known work, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, in 1956.
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Reviews for The Starlight Barking
7 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another wonderful story of favorite characters from childhood, never to be forgotten, never to disappear. It isn't so intriguing as the original, that I read complete every day for many days in a row when I was 12 years old. But it is interesting, with all the wonderful Dalmatians, and their dog and cat friends, solving many small problems towards deciding on a big question.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dodie Smith's writing is always rather fun, but The Starlight Barking does suffer when taken as a sequel to A Hundred and One Dalmatians. The topic is such a contrast -- instead of the anthropomorphic but somehow believable concept of two dogs going off to find their pups, who have been dognapped to be used to make fur coats, now we have something that is pretty sci-fi-ish in nature, with a Moral snuck in about humans fighting and maybe even trying to destroy the world. It just doesn't really work with the fun and witty first book. The humour in this book is sort of at the dogs' expense, really: laughing at Cadpig and her self-important ways, and the Cabinet of dogs echoing the real Cabinet, and things like that.
I loved it a lot when I was younger, but the mismatch is unbearable somehow now. As an adult, I'd give it two stars, but based on my previous enjoyment, I gave it three. Still, I wouldn't say it's unmissable. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book was one of the worst books I have ever read. I have it on my shelf just because of that. I loved, yes loved, 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith. It was brilliantly written and was just a fantastic read. Starlight Barking was beyond far fetched. I did not expect science fiction/fantasy when I picked it up and maybe that tainted my opinion? If you read the first one and feel you need to read more, please do so. But don't expect the same impact the first one had. I almost thought "Was this written by the same author?" and had to double check to make sure.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I got all excited when I discovered there was a sequel to The Hundred and One Dalmatians that I hadn't known existed, let alone read. And then I discovered why it went out of print. It's okay. It retains a good amount of the charm of the original, but where the first was largely situated in the real world -- with only a change of perspective, and the occasional stretch, well within the bounds of suspension of disbelief -- this one is an out-and-out science-fiction/fantasy novel. And not that good of one, either... Pongo's slogan of "wait and see" partway through the book pretty much sums up the plot.That said, if you've only seen the film version of the original, definitely seek out the first book. That one's a delight.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5The 101 Dalmatians is a great children's story, but I had never heard of the sequel so I picked it up with many reservations- all of which proved to be quite justified. Even though Dodie Smith brings back most of the main characters, the story is completely contrived and far-fetched. In the first book, although all the events are seen through the eyes of the dogs, most of what happens (with a slight stretch of the imagination) is conceivable, while this book is, to use a word overused in the story itself, "metaphysical" rubbish.It was so bad it almost went as far as to ruin the original book for me. Don't waste your time, stick with The 101 Dalmatians and be happy reading no further!