A Man of His Own

by Susan Wilson

Overview

Rick Stanton was a promising professional baseball player with dreams of playing in the major leagues and starting a family with his young wife, Francesca, when World War II changed everything. Rick returns from the war with his body broken and his dreams shattered. But it was not just body and spirit he sacrificed for the war. He and Francesca volunteered their beloved dog, Pax, for the Army's K-9 Corp, not knowing if they'd ever see him again.

Keller Nicholson is the soldier who fought the war with Pax by his side, and the two have the kind of profound bond that can only be forged in war. Pax is the closest Keller has to a sense of family, and he can't bear the thought of returning him to the Stantons. But Rick and Francesca refuse to give him up. Instead, an arrangement is made: Keller will work as Rick's live-in aide. And thus an unlikely family is formed, with steadfast Pax at the center. As they try to build a new life out of the ashes, Keller and Francesca struggle to ignore their growing attraction to each other, and Rick, believing that he can no longer give Francesca what she needs and wants, quietly plans a way out.

All three of them need healing. All three of them are lost. And in Susan Wilson's A Man of His Own, Pax, with his unconditional love and unwavering loyalty, may be the only one who can guide them home.

"Touching and heartfelt." —Modern Dog magazine

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250054487
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/27/2015
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	400,095
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Susan Wilson is the bestselling author of books including One Good Dog, Cameo Lake and Beauty, a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which was made into a CBS-TV movie. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard.

Editorial Reviews

With deft brushstrokes and an earthy delivery, Wilson develops strong characters caught together first hand and afar through years of confrontation and frustration. And through Pax, that bond and feisty spirit is magnified in a refreshing manner that connects powerfully to the reader.” —Seattle Kennel Club

“With her latest novel, Wilson offers up a sort of War Horse for dog lovers.” —Booklist

“A Nicholas Sparks–ian romantic drama, with an "everyone loves a dog" twist.” —Kirkus

“The last few pages bring an unexpected ending that will call for a few tissues as readers smile through tears.” —Best Friends Magazine

“Susan Wilson dishes up another captivating story that will keep you hooked until the last page is turned.” —Modern Dog magazine on The Dog Who Danced

“I would unhesitatingly recommend this book to dog lovers and "non-dog" people alike.” —BellaDog on The Dog Who Danced

“The Dog Who Danced simply can't be missed.” —The Augusta Chronicle on The Dog Who Danced

“An emotion-packed story. As with Marley and Me and The Art of Racing in the Rain, it's hard not to like a book where a dog is a major player.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Dog Who Danced

“Superior. A moving tale about canine healing power.” —Booklist on The Dog Who Danced

“Multiple hankies, dog lovers…this is an emotional read.” —Library Journal on The Dog Who Danced

“Real people, real dog—real life.” —Cesar’s Way on The Dog Who Danced

“Fans of Wilson's One Good Dog, or new readers looking for a heartwarming tale of the bond between human and animal, will find plenty to enjoy.” —Publishers Weekly on The Dog Who Danced

“A wonderful novel: a moving, tender, and brilliantly crafted story.” —Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, on One Good Dog

“A finely wrought story of second chances and also of the power of the human/canine bond.” —Bark Magazine on One Good Dog

“One Good Dog will make you cry, will make you laugh, will make you feel things more than you thought possible—and it will make you believe in second chances.” —Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author, on One Good Dog

“[One Good Dog] evokes both laughter and tears, but the ending assures you that humans and dogs are capable of redemption.” —Library Journal on One Good Dog

“Fans of Marley and Me will find a new dog to cheer for in Wilson's insightful heart-tugger…Old Yeller's got nothing on this very good man and his dog story.” —Publishers Weekly on One Good Dog

From the Publisher

Wilson (The Dog Who Danced, 2012, etc.) pens another mainstream novel whose characters find love and a dog. Pax, part German shepherd, is a stray puppy, discovered malnourished in a Boston alley by Rick Stanton, a young minor leaguer. Pax becomes the perfect dog, even accepting Francesca, an Iowa girl on a Beantown visit. There's a whirlwind romance, a marriage, but World War II intervenes. Rick becomes a soldier, as does Keller Nicholson. An orphan, Keller is near-indentured labor for his great-uncle, a reclusive fisherman residing in Hawke's Cove, near Boston. Keller volunteers as a K-9 scout, and he's assigned Pax, reluctantly offered to the service by Francesca. Rick's later wounded in Italy, losing an arm and becoming paraplegic. The war ends, and Keller's tasked with returning Pax to the Stantons. Lonely and firmly attached to Pax, Keller then becomes Rick's personal-care attendant. Wilson does credible work in relating the onslaught of anger, guilt and self-pity attacking a person newly disabled. Those emotions are made evident by Rick's subconscious passive-aggressive scheme to sacrifice himself for Keller and Francesca's happiness. Keller and Francesca grow attracted to one another, but Wilson lets a reasonable conclusion evolve naturally. In a chronological narrative arc that drifts a bit internally, Wilson's point of view jumps from Francesca, to Rick, to Keller, to Pax and sometimes to the third person, but it's not so overdone as to be off-putting. A Nicholas Sparks–ian romantic drama, with an "everyone loves a dog" twist.

Kirkus Reviews