Eesh sorry this wasn’t for me. I’ve read all of Matt Haig’s more recent books and assumed I would love this too but I just couldn’t get on with it. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

The narrator of Matt Haig’s ‘The Last Family in England’ is Prince, a black Labrador. In true Labrador fashion Prince believes in ‘duty over all’ but his family don’t make his job easy. A darkly funny story that shed’s light on human and canine behaviour.

I found this to be a very strange book. I had read one book by the author previously, and I think his writing style actually changed somewhat in each book, mainly dependent on the protagonist.

The protagonist in this case is a Labrador. He lives his life according to a very strict set of rules, the Labrador Pact. The Pact states that he must protect his family at all times and at all costs. So of course, when things start to go wrong with the family he acts to try to save them from falling apart.

I am finding this a hard book to review. I did think it was well written in terms of putting the plot together, and the author is obviously skilled at conferring human emotion to the reader. There were times when the story focused on the characters in the family and what they were going through, and I was truly touched.

I am an animal lover, but I'm not a dog owner. Perhaps this is why the underlying theme of this story failed to speak to me. I could not get on board really with the Labrador philosophy, although I did like some of the ideas, like the fact that different dog breeds have different personalities, and that the dogs feel as though they are in control of their owners and not the other way around. But all in all I felt like it was a little bit underdeveloped and a little bit immature. I saw it more as a children's book but with very adult themes.

I did enjoy reading the book on the whole, although I found it very strange. I would read another book by the author purely because I would be intrigued to see what crazy idea he comes up with next, but I don't think I would recommend this particular book to anyone.

Matt Haig has solidified himself among my go-to authors, especially when I need a dose of the profound, of something that affirms life without forgetting to validate its struggles.

There aren’t really any books so far I have read by him that disappointed me, although with How to Stop Time he has set himself a benchmark of genius that will be hard to beat.

The Last Family in England he wrote, as he said, after his breakdown – writing, I fully agree, is an incredible therapeutic tool – and he clearly poured the intensity of is experience at the time into this. It’s now being re-released, with a gorgeous new cover to match the design of his previous masterpiece.

It’s an unusual story, to be sure, narrated by the family dog, Prince, a Labrador, who is utterly devoted to his family. I adored the background story of a code of ethics, practiced by Labradors, but ignored for the sake of self-gratification by other breeds, to the point of ridicule.

Prince’s family is in trouble. It’s an accelerating clusterf**k of considerable proportions affecting and involving all family members, to the point of tragedy and utter heartbreak (without being soppy, oh I love how Matt Haig does it)… and poor Prince has tasked himself to what he considers his duty – keeping the family together and happy, consulting his mentor, another Lab, who patiently instructs him in all ways the code entails. But difficulties keep coming, and they even come from places Prince never expected.

I thought it a perfect parable on religion, on its function, appeal and failings – how you can follow instructions to the letter with the best intentions without being guaranteed a desired outcome… and how to come to terms with not having all the answers, with life not going your way, but that doing your best, even if it’s not enough, is sufficient.

While that sounds utterly depressing, it is actually liberating. Your heart will ache after reading this, but feel fuller and wiser, and perhaps even a little bit more prepared for it.

I am heartbroken to have to give this a bad review but reading it was awful. I love animals and this story just broke me. I found it so upsetting. I love Matt Haigs other books but this was just a massive miss for me.

Phew I made it through to the end. I never would have picked this book up if I’d known what it was about (I really should have read the blurb). Books like this just upset me too much and I prefer not to put myself through the trauma.

The fact that the story begins with dog Prince being taken to the vet to be put down was a very early hint that this was probably not going to be a happy read and it’s not. From the vet’s office we flash back to the preceding months to discover how Prince’s attempts to protect his family resulted in his current situation.

I do have to give Haig a lot of praise for this book despite its storyline. His writing is wonderful and he really captures real family life with all of its ups and downs. I loved the unique way the story is told and I thought the way he used the dogs POV to show each member of the families insecurities and emotions was genius. The family open up to him in a way they don’t to those around them baring all (both literally and figuratively) in front of him.

I also loved the philosophy and belief system he created for the dogs (and cat) and the conflict between the different breeds and I would love to think it true. It certainly reflected the characteristics of the various breeds and I could easily imagine Labradors being the voice of reason and responsibility in the dog community.

The story is not particularly fast paced or action packed but it is a fairly easy and quick read. It’s the story of a family falling apart and includes issues such as infidelity, death and grief, teenage insecurity and anger and attempted suicide. As you can imagine there are a lot of sad moments but there are also a few laughs too (mostly Prince’s incredibly keen observations of the behavior of the family members when they’re on their own in front of a mirror).

Prince is an absolutely wonderful character and I kind of wish he was my dog. He’s so desperate to hold everything together and blames himself when things go wrong. He’s naive and innocent and occasionally hilarious.

Despite all being told from Prince’s point of view you do get a real sense of the other characters too, dogs and humans. Each and every one is well rounded and believable and the interactions between them are spot on.

This was a little too emotional for me to say it was an enjoyable read but I am glad to have read it.

I love Matt Haig as an author and really enjoy the fresh ideas he has in his books. I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley.

When I began reading the book I was unsure what to think. I didn't know how a book from a dog's point of view was going to keep momentum without being ridiculous. Well... I absolutely loved the story and kept wanting to read more. There were so many themes throughout the book and it flowed really well which made it a nice easy read. The characters were relatable and each had their own place within the story.

Yet again another amazing book from Matt.

I thought How To Stop Time was outstandingly good and I also enjoyed The Dead Fathers Club very much, but I'm afraid The Last Family In England didn't really do much for me.

The book is narrated by Prince, a Labrador who lives by the Labrador Code of Duty Before Pleasure and protecting his (human) family at all costs. These tenets are challenged as other breeds undermine them and his family suffers emotional problems and comes under threat. It's a good idea, which is loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV plays, and Matt Haig's humanity, compassion and insight are all there as he explores ideas of duty, responsibility, sacrifice and how far we can rely on faith and received wisdom.

Given all this, I'm not exactly sure why the book didn’t quite work for me. Partly it's having a dog as narrator; I didn’t really find Prince's voice convincing - and I certainly wasn't convinced by the family cat, either. If even Kipling couldn't pull off a book in a dog's voice (even this admirer of Kipling's writing would strongly advise avoiding Thy Servant A Dog) it must be very difficult indeed. Also, I somehow didn’t find the outsider's perspective on the family persuasive, although it's something that Haig does brilliantly in other books. Whatever it was, I found myself surprisingly unengaged.

There is a lot that is good about the book so it may well be worth a try if you like Matt Haig's work, but I can only give this a very qualified recommendation.

(My thanks to Canongate Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)

So sad. Told from the point of view of the dog, which shouldn't work but really does. Had a few questions at the end of loose ends not explained, but otherwise a really good original story. Will be looking for more from Matt Haig.

3.5 Stars

It's always a risk for a dog scientist and behaviourist to read a book written from the point of view of a dog. I'm likely to pick up on aspects which don't quite work with the reality of dogs. I tried my best to put my knowledge aside however and just try to enjoy the story for what it was!

I loved the idea of there being a "pact" where dogs have agreed to look after their families and do their best to keep them happy and together. The idea that only Labradors have kept to this pact while other breeds (particularly Springer Spaniels) have renounced the pact and live only for their own pleasure is an interesting one. It is kind of an old guard verses new age idealism. I understand that the idea of different breeds thinking and acting differently in this way is supposed to be quite tongue in cheek but as someone who is strongly against the idea of breed stereotypes this did kind of rile me a bit.

As always, Matt Haig excels at creating characters which are incredibly 'normal'. They are flawed and they are real and it makes us completely buy everything that goes on.

Alongside the story of Prince trying to keep his family together there is also a mystery going on as a side story, this comes to a head towards the end of the book and actually has a great but sad twist.

The ending [ is not a happy one. In any way. It's devastating. (hide spoiler)]

Not Matt Haig's best work in my opinion but I still adore this author and will continue to read his work!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed reading this for the second time. I have read all Matts books but this was the very first one i read. I won’t give away the plot only to say that in my family the dog Alfie, is the most important creature in the house. We Are all united in our devotion to him and he is always our loyalist supporter and keeps all are darkest secrets!