Review of “The Finn Chronicles: Year Five” by Finnegan, Transcribed by Gwen Romack

Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)

It doesn't get any cuter (or more handsome) than this!

Finnegan is a handsome, cute, adorable, cuddly, observant, and highly opinionated dog who always loves to be the center of attention and the life of the party!

Finn is such a chick magnet! Well, he's quite a man magnet too, let's be honest. No one will be able to resist Finn's charisma!

This narration is presented journal/diary-style and entirely from the perspective of the esteemed pupper, Finnegan! The narration goes about from day to day in a very stream of conscious manner with Finn noticing, experiencing, and forming an opinion on different things.

Gwen Romack, the story goes, is not only Finn's owner/mom but also his interpreter. So, Romack skillfully and ingeniously transcribes Finn's rather fun and fascinating thoughts. Futhermore, Romack does this in Finn's own dog language, a kind of doganese, if you will (the kind made viral on TikTok and Instagram).

So, the word “bath” becomes “baff.” “Humans” becomes “hoomans.” “Seagulls” become “sky chickens” (likewise, Canadian geese become “street chickens”).

It's also hilarious the other names/titles that Finn comes up for things and people. Undoubtedly our favorite of these names is “Devil Woman” for his trainer/nanny (we think). Devil Woman, the audience knows, cares about Finn and wants the best for him. Unfortunately, Finn views her as his disciplinarian: the one who withholds his treats and points out when he does something wrong.

He also calls a pumpkin the “orange porch orb.”

In one of our favorite moments in the book, he encounters a street cone for the first time and immediately identifies it as a threat. Even after having it explained to him, he views it with suspicion (though they eventually become “frens”).

Likewise, the household Roomba worries him at first. He starts to call it the “danger robot” and is upset that it gets credit for eating things off the floor while he gets reprimanded. He's not... wrong.

This gives way to one of our favorite reoccuring quotes/phrases from the book: “You fools!” In this case, he tells his owners in a hashtag #ThisisNOTFineYouFools

It is endlessly entertaining to read about Finn overreacting to mundane things like that.

Finn also gains a humorous reputation as “Sir Humpalot” which is exactly what it sounds like.

This book is scoring so high for several reasons: the photographs are so numerous and great, and the writing for Finn is superb!

On that first note, the author went above and beyond in compiling dozens upon dozens of cute, interesting, and fun Finn photos. Ten of these would've been sufficient, but there must be over a hundred great photos of this extremely photogenic pup!

We were enamored by Finn's priceless facial reactions/expressions, his lovely smile, and the way all the people and animals around him react to him. Everyone loves Finn!

Second, as we stated, an incredible amount of creativity and tact went into crafting Finn's narrations. Yes, having it be presented day-to-day and in-the-moment can lead to a bit of choppiness, but it's not enough to ruin the experience. This is such a fun book!

Check this out on Amazon!