Lessons from Lucy by Dave Barry: Funny, Wise, and 5 Stars

I’ve read a lot of funny books over the years. Somehow, until now, I’d never read anything by Dave Barry.

Oops.

I picked up Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog and quickly realized Barry has a writing style I really appreciate: funny, sarcastic, full of dad energy, and loaded with life lessons disguised as ridiculous stories.

Sounds suspiciously familiar. In fact, it reminds me of a certain Midwestern dad who wrote a book of humorous life lessons called Essays Out of Left Field. I won’t say who. But he’s writing this review.

Plus, this book has a dog. That’s usually enough to get me interested even before you add a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist.

Spoiler alert: 5 out of 5. And I will definitely be reading more Dave Barry.

My Lessons from Lucy Book Review

Lessons From Lucy by Dave Barry. Maizy has taught me a few lessons too.

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Where to Get It

Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).

🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon

Lessons from Lucy Book Summary

Dave Barry is getting older. He’s turning 70 (well, as of this book), which apparently comes with some thinking about life, mortality, and whether your best days are behind you. You know, cheerful stuff.

Meanwhile, his aging dog Lucy doesn’t seem nearly as concerned. She makes friends. She has fun. She doesn’t stay mad very long. She is, by most reasonable measures, handling this whole getting-older thing better than her owner.

So Barry decides to learn from her. Across several “lessons”, he explores friendship, having fun, letting go of anger, and paying attention to the people who matter. Along the way, he wanders into stories about his own life and his assorted adventures.

It’s part humor book, part memoir, and part self-help. Except the self-help guru is a dog.

Who is Dave Barry?

🏆 Won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1988.
📰 Became famous for his nationally syndicated humor column and his observations about life, people, and the many ways we embarrass ourselves.
📚 Has written numerous bestsellers, including Dave Barry Turns Forty, Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys, and Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up.
Find out more about the book and Dave Barry on his website.

My Lessons from Lucy Rating

My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here

Overall Awesomeness: 5/5

5 out of 5 stars for Overall Awesomeness

I’m giving this one 5 out of 5 for Overall Awesomeness. It’s funny, sarcastic, full of great little stories. And the first actual Dave Barry content I’ve ever read. I feel like I’ve been missing out on the thoughts of a kindred spirit.

Barry’s dad-vibe humor and ability to pull life lessons out of ordinary nonsense are exactly the kind of writing I love.

And there’s a dog. Five stars. A dog automatically qualifies for 3 stars. The writer has to do the rest.

Things I liked

The humor. Sarcastic, self-deprecating, and very dad-like.
The life lessons. I love a book that can make me laugh and occasionally make me contemplate life.
Lucy. It’s hard to dislike a book where the wisest character is a dog.
Finding a new author to read. He’s got a lot of content I can consume. I’d better get started.

Things I didn’t like

That it took me this long to discover Dave Barry.
The uncomfortable realization that dogs might be wiser than me.

The One Thing I’m Taking With Me

We can all learn a little from dogs.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t hold on to every little annoyance. Make time for the people you love. Enjoy what’s right in front of you.

And when something really bothers you? Maybe bark at it for a while, then turn around and take a nap. By the time you wake up, there’s a pretty good chance it won’t seem like such a big deal anymore.