Jenny Willow: A Novel [Hardcover]

Mike Gaddis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

Jenny Willow is a love story, one that explores the love of a man for a dog, a dog for a man, and a man for a mountain. Ben Willow loves above all else setter dogs, the mountains of West Virginia, and grouse. At eighty-three, a lonely widower, he finds himself also without a dog. A twist of fortune brings one last dog into his life, Jenny, a little English setter pup of undeniable brilliance. She proves to be among the very best he has ever known. With her, he rediscovers hope and living, pledging himself again to the birds and the hills. He hopes he can live long enough to last Jenny's lifetime. The greatest betrayal to a gun dog is to deny her her reasons for being: her master, the gun, and the hunt.

Jenny Willow is a story about a great dog, but it is more than a dog story. Beautifully told, steeped in the natural wonders of West Virginia's mountains, it is about one man's transcendent love of freedom and the loyalty true friendship requires. No one who reads this first novel will ever forget Ben or Jenny Willow.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A remarkable grouse-hunting dog undergoes an difficult transition from old master to new owner in Gaddis's debut, a compassionate, heartwarming story that begins with octogenarian Ben Willow facing the prospect of spending his twilight years without his late wife, Libby. Willow is rescued from his nostalgic ennui when a neighbor in his West Virginia hamlet offers him a young pointer pup named Jenny. Willow quickly realizes the implications of the dog's lineage as well as her remarkable hunting skills, but when he goes to hunt with her, he finds himself frustrated by his own decline. To compensate for his limitations, he loans her out to another trainer, and Jenny goes on to become a national champion. When she retires, still in her prime, she returns to Willow; on their reunion hunt, however, has a fatal heart attack. After being mauled by a pack of wild dogs and imprisoned by a nasty local redneck who wants to sell her, Jenny is finally rescued by Willow's best friend, Clyde Wood. He fulfills his friend's final request, passing her on to a local boy who promises to train and care for her. Gaddis's decision to eliminate his human protagonist halfway through the book is a risky gamble that pays off with his riveting account of Jenny's dangerous adventure, although the story of her recovery is overwrought and overwritten, and there's never much doubt about a happy ending. Gaddis wears his heart on his sleeve, but despite the occasional mawkish passage, his obvious love of the land, its creatures and his characters makes this book an endearing read.

Review

"[Gaddis's] obvious love of the land, its creatures and his characters makes this book an endearing read."--Publishers Weekly

"Once I started, I had a heck of a time putting it down and a couple of times I found the print getting blurry."--Flint, Mi, Journal

"I got a great dog story, a fabulous dog story, indeed, one of the best dog stories I've ever read. Spun like poetry from the gifted pen of Mike Gaddis...the masterful writing of this book stands as a symbol, a testimony, to that most precious of relationships. It is a treasure, Jenny Willow, a rare find ... one no self-respecting sporting library should be without."--American Hunter

"Jenny Willow covers a lot of country: the frontiers of human and canine courage; the mysterious geography of the heart; the high, lonely places where honor resides; and the steep paths that lead there. Powerful and unforgettable, a stunning debut, and a remarkable achievement" --The Pointing Dog Journal

"A great and an unusually heartwarming novel no reader can ever forget. A warm, gentle tale."--The Herald (Sanford, NC)

"It is destined to become one of the classics of modern literature. It is one of the most beautifully written books I've read. I laughed, cried and reacted in horror andhappiness as I read the beautiful writing of Mike Gaddis. I felt i was sitting at the feet of a master storyteller as I gasped in wonder at the courage of one little tri-color English setter...and the indomitable spirit of an old man named Ben Willow as they struggled to realize the final dream of the old man. I sure hope Mike Gaddis writes another book, and I hope he does it soon." -- GOUPSTATE.COM

"The novel resonates with the hunt, death, murder, rescue and the utmost importance of human integrity. Beautifully told, Jenny Willow, steeped in the natural wonders of West Virginia's mountains, is about the relationship between a aman and a dog, one man's transcendent love of freedom and the loyalty true friendship requires." -- Dog and Kennel

"Every bird dog owner loves a good dog story, or at least they should. In the grand tradition of Big Red, Call of the Wild, and Where the Red Fern Grows, and lesser known classics such as Run, Rainey Run, we have here an entertaining and introspective novel from the pen of Mike Gaddis. Mike weaves a great story, detailed and moving with characters and places every bird hunter has known. This fast reading tome put me immediately in mind of many of the themes found in Norm McClean's "A River Runs Through It"-- thecheckcord.com, also known as the Upland Hunting and Bird Dog Ezine.

"Destined to become one of the classics of modern literature." --Spartanburg Herald-Journal

"Few, if any, readers of Jenny Willow will soon forget this work by Mike Gaddis. One of the top 25 dog books of the last quarter century" --The American Field

"Gaddis stands up and looks both life and death straight in the face. An excellent story and excellent literature, a must read." -- Field Trial Magazine

"Frankly, the best book I've ever read on how I feel about grouse hunting and grouse dogs. I guarantee you'll feel the same - a different and must-book for every library." --Grouse Tales

"This is a heartwarming story that will have you laughing and crying as you follow the life path of Ben Willow, now 83, through the introduction of a new setter pup into his sometimes empty world, and the development of Jenny Willow into a champion cover dog. A story of strength, character and bonds among friends, human and canine. I highly recommend this book to everyone." --The Boykin Spaniel Society Newsletter

"The only problem with this book is one encountered before, the inability to put it down for a moment before reaching the satisfying conclusion." --The Discriminating Shooter

"A commendable story, one that may even make you look forward to growing old." --All Things Quail

"A wonderful novel and moving tale.. a Signature Series Selection,"-- Sporting Tales

"A dog named Jenny Willow. A dog able to touch the hearts of those around her. But Jenny Willow is not just 'a dog story.' ..."--Asheboro Courier Tribune

"It is a treasure, Jenny Willow, a rare find ... one no self-respecting sporting library should be without."--The NRA'S American Hunter

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Live Oak Press; 1st edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585744514
• ISBN-13: 978-1585744510
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gettin' it, October 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Jenny Willow: A Novel (Hardcover)

Live your own life, for you will die your own death

This is chiseled on a grave stone in the book, Jenny Willow by Mike Gaddis and is the pivotal point for the human characters in the book.

On the surface, the story is about an elderly widower who decides to train one more English Setter to hunt grouse before he dies.

However, it is much deeper than that - it is a story about an individual who is true to his own nature and feeds his love of dogs, hunting, nature. He manages to have a loving marriage, close friends, earn a living and be true to the essence of his avocation. It also is about a life long friend, voluntarily fulfilling the bonds and promises of friendship at the end of life.

Finally, it is about the rhythm of the Earth, the call of nature, man's abilty to age with grace and love.

Through the book the little tri-color setter, Jenny Willow, stitches the story together, just like she would stitch the undercover looking for a grouse.

"Live your own life, for you will die your own death" applies to everyone. Are we doing what we love? Are we true to our nature? Do we meet our own expectations? Do we stitch together relationships to last a lifetime? At the end our our days, will we still take joy our lives?

Give the book a read and a thought beyond the story line. It is not "just another dog story."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dog's meaning to Man and Vice Versus., October 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Jenny Willow: A Novel (Hardcover)

For someone looking for a book to learn how to train bird dogs or information on how to hunt the ruffed grouse, this is not the book.

This is a book to sit down and savor how a beautiful little tri-colored English Setter and her master interacted over the last years of the man life. Jenny, was the "fountain of youth for her master, Ben.

There are passages that will make, "a grown man cry." Any person who has owned good hunting dog will enjoy this book.

Don't miss the enjoyment of reading this excellent novel.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dogs, hunters, relationships and poetry, March 23, 2003

By 

salzcyn "hunting grandma" (Oxford, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jenny Willow: A Novel (Hardcover)

Mike Gaddis has caught the mood of many things in this beautiful novel: with a poetic narrative and believable dialogue, he has outlined the life of a dog in relation to the human lives she touches. First, there is Ben Willow, yearning for another pup to train and hunt and still grieving the death of his beloved wife. In quick succession, we meet his best friend, his daughter, some local characters and a caring family with a son about to embark on his own set of adventures. All of these center upon the dog, and the description of her reaction to things rings true, from her first discovery of curious things to her instinctive response to the call of her senses.
The language of the book is wonderfully descriptive, recalling mind-pictures of nature seen, smelled and sensed. The reader is swept up into the story line, impatient to turn the page. There is a small glitch in the center of the book, a confusing description of local politics, but one can forgive this in a first novel, especially when it is overshadowed by so much of the book that works.
The only problem with this book is one encountered before, the inability to put it down for a moment before reaching the satisfying conclusion.