In the midstof a global pandemic and social unrest, cities suddenly seem out of fashion. Stories abound of urban dwellers chucking it all and heading to the country, seeking a safer remove from contagions and other complications of crowded society. That’s why Martha Teichner’s When Harry Met Minnie is such a breath of fresh air. Short and sweet, it’s ostensibly a memoir about an oddball canine romance. Its deeper subject, though, is the romance of cities, particularly New York, where the author has lived for decades ... Does one have to be a dog lover to appreciate When Harry Met Minnie? It might help, but Ms. Teichner’s book is also—perhaps even largely—about other things. It’s a valentine to New York and a meditation on human friendship. Without a traditional family, Fertig, ever the resourceful designer, fashions one from her Gotham social circle, and these tender souls faithfully nurse her in her final days. As the world slowly emerges from the imposed isolations of Covid-19, When Harry Met Minnie is a timely refresher course in the power of community.
Teichner’s main themes are sure to warm readers ... Adding to the book’s allure is the nostalgia of its pre-pandemic setting, the story unfolding in a Manhattan still bustling at full speed ... Teichner brings an enjoyably light (though sometimes too cutesy) touch ... From Carol and Harry, Teichner has learned that we all have the capacity to create and build new friendships and attachments at any age or stage of life. That such rewards are possible is the inspirational lesson for all the characters in — and readers of — this touching saga.
One of the delights of life in a big city is the chance encounter. For Martha Teichner, one such interaction changed her life, and When Harry Met Minnie: A True Story of Love and Friendship is her heartfelt tribute to that singular experience ... When Harry Met Minnie is often a heart-rending read—humans and animals suffer, die and grieve. It’s also studded with wry wit, meaningful musings on friendship and fascinating insights into the author’s and Carol’s lives and work. Teichner already has fans from her decades at CBS, but she’s sure to gain even more with this lovely, moving ode to the beauty and pain of loving our fellow creatures, whether human, canine or otherwise.
This is a book not just about friendships but about the hard parts of life, and people helping people --- putting aside one’s own comforts to lessen the hardships of another. It points out how drawn we are to caring for one another ... When Harry Met Minnie will bring tears to your eyes --- happy ones and sad ones, ones that come from knowing this is how life is meant to be. Nothing is forever. The bad comes with the good. In the meantime, be thankful for the kindness of others and the incredible connections we make.
When Harry Met Minnie details Teichner’s experience adopting the beloved dog of a woman dying of cancer. As if the premise were not a tipoff, Teichner warns from the beginning that the story, set in New York City, will be sad, and she does not spare readers the heart-wrenching moments ... Despite the women’s fascination with their dogs [...] readers will likely find the humans more interesting in this tale ... Teichner leaves [...] complicated human topics unmined, instead trying to fit her narrative into the dog-meets-dog mold, with only moderate success. The dogs certainly have their moments: Harry does a bowl-flipping trick that could have gone viral, and Minnie comically burrows into the laundry bin. But theirs is a fairly mundane friendship, not a love affair. What this book says about human relationships redeems its weakness as a dog story: Fertig asks a big favor of Teichner, but it is Teichner who gains more.
A poignant memoir recounts how two dog lovers bonded over their shared affection for an aging bull terrier ... Emails between the two women add wry wit to the tale, which is definitely a New York story, with all the rich details of life on the sidewalks and streets, among dogs and dog owners. It's also a story of relatively privileged lives, despite Carol’s illness. Readers may be shocked by the thousands of dollars the two women routinely spent on their dogs or by the fact that Teichner has had live-in au pairs for her series of dogs for the past 30 years. But that privilege doesn't preclude loss, and the most touching moments of the memoir show Teichner delicately but firmly confronting the deaths of Carol and, later, Harry. A heartwarming and heartbreaking story of friendship and grief.
