The Dog Walker: A Novel [Paperback]

Leslie Schnur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2005

Refreshing and insightful, rich with humor and brimming with life, The Dog Walker is the story of Nina Shepard, Manhattan dog walker extraordinaire. With the keys to her clients' apartments, Nina has the freedom to cross several foyers and a moral boundary, and enter their lives...where she just might find the things that are missing in her own.

And so she falls in love with Daniel, a man she has never met but whom she thinks she knows from snooping around his apartment when she picks up Sid, his Weimaraner, for walks. But by the time each of them unleashes the truth about who the other really is--after all the mishaps, deception, and lost dogs--it's too late. Nina and Daniel will never be the same again.

The Dog Walker is the hilarious and heartwarming tale of a single woman's quest for fulfillment. It is about city living--any city, all cities--and the struggle to feel at home in the world. Finally, it is about life itself: unpredictable, bursting with love, and not to be missed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Schnur's titular protagonist is well aware, being dragged at the end of a leash is hard work. Readers will find this labored first novel equally tough going, despite its cute premise and full complement of romantic comedy tropes. Nina Shepard's life isn't proceesing quite as planned. After leaving a thankless publishing job, she takes up what she intends to be a temporary dog-walking gig catering to rich and busy New York dog owners, feeling clueless about the direction of her life and even who she is: "When, at the age of thirty-five, you find out you've been wearing the wrong-sized bra for how many years, you realize one thing: you don't know much about anything." Given the keys to her trusting clients' homes, she develops a serious snooping habit. Of particular interest is 32-year-old Daniel Maguire, a hot lawyer, or so she thinks. When she finally meets him, he's not at all what she expected (in fact, he's Daniel's twin brother, Billy), but she falls head over heels anyway. Billy likes her, too, but will they be able to forgive each other's secrets? Former Delacorte editor-in-chief Schnur strives for breeziness but belabors the obvious ("then she chewed a nourishing breakfast"), and the twins plot device is creaky and superfluous. The dog-walking conceit will appeal to dog owners and city dwellers, but the novel lacks bite.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

New Yorker Nina Shephard is a thirty-something divorcee who quits her job in publishing and becomes a dog walker, a move that greatly disappoints her mother. While it isn't Nina's ideal job, either, it does allow her a chance to feed her need to snoop around some very swanky homes, especially in the apartment of one Daniel Maguire--bachelor, lawyer, and total cutie. Nina, though she has never met him, is madly in love with Daniel. But things are not as they appear, and when the dust settles and the truth is revealed, Nina and Daniel find they each have to come clean about who they really are and how they really feel. This first novel is an enjoyable comedy-of-errors yarn, filled with mistaken identities, eccentric characters, and lots and lots of dogs. The author takes these familiar plot elements and gives them an updated twist. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (June 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743482085
• ISBN-13: 978-0743482080
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,811,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After twenty years in book publishing, I was laid off in a merger. And my dream came true: I got severance. And I could afford to take a little time (with the support of my sweet husband) to try something I've always dreamed of: writing.

So, I wrote a screenplay called Severance (about a woman who tries to get fired but keeps getting promoted) and then I wrote a novel, The Dog Walker, and now I've written my second novel, Late Night Talking, to be published in May 2007.

I feel so lucky. How many of us get to do what we love? Sadly, too few. And if you do, like me, you have to go through hell first to get there. Getting fired is no fun, no matter how you look at it. But turning it into an opportunity was.

I have 2 kids, twins, a boy and a girl, now 10 years old, who don't remember when I was a publishing exec, and only think of me as their old mom who's always talking to herself. Who they have to plead with, "Mom, please don't embarrass me." "Please, Mom,stop singing on the street." "PLease don't tell that kid to pick up his litter." PLease please please!

But I think they're proud of me being a writer. I know I am. Writing is hard. Sitting in front of that empty screen, hearing in your head what you want to say and then having it come out not quite as brilliant as you'd heard it, inventing and revising and revising and revising...did I mention revising? It's all wonderful and it's all harrowing and horrible.

But if any of you have an inkling that it might be something you'd like to try, I say go for it. Sure, I knew people, so it was easier for me than most to get them to read my manuscript. But I still had to do the work. And if you're willing...well...not much that I've done, except being a mom to my kids, is as fulfilling.

Oh, and I have a dog, too. Actually I have two dogs. (Both from shelters, by the way.) The first, Milo, is a sociopath. He really doesn't care if he pleases you or if you love him. All he cares about is food. He's part Bassett Hound, part Beagle. Stubborn. And a hunter. All nose. And he howls if he's left alone. So, instead of annoying our neighbors and risk being evicted, we had to get a second dog. His name is Doc, and he's part dachsund, part something else. He's sweet and loving and pees all over my one nice rug. My friends laugh at me, behind my back and right to my face. They cannot believe I got a dog for the dog. But if any of you are dog owners out there, you get it, I know.

My first dog, Charlie, was the best dog in the world. But he died at 16 years old, and I will always miss him. Sometime I think Milo knows this and that's why he's so aloof.

Alright, enough about me. Let me hear from you!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars smooth and smart, September 1, 2004

By 

reviewer "reviewer" (LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dog Walker: A Novel (Hardcover)

Schnur's characters are funny and genuine. I laughed, I cried, I felt sorry for some, but I felt I really knew these people. It was easy to read, really intelligent and the dogs are just great!
I love this type of story, and this one is far more fun and smarter than most. I thought the ending was perfect, just perfect. I am telling my friends about this book, and will be watching for Ms Schnur's next book, I hope soon.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable, fun, leaves you waiting for the sequel!, September 1, 2004

By 

Liz Perle - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dog Walker: A Novel (Hardcover)

Nina, the main character in the book, seemed like someone I wanted to be best friends with. This book made me laugh out loud several times and I just loved it. The humor and insights are great. I sat down with it and didn't get up until it was done. In some places, it made me think of the best Shakespeare -- all those mistaken identities. Very smart. Very clever. It will make a superb movie, too. I can't wait to read Schnur's next book!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Zero stars, October 19, 2005

By 

Silence Dogood (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dog Walker: A Novel (Paperback)

If you think stalkers are cute 'n' sexy, you will love this book.