One Good Dog [Hardcover]

Susan Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010

“One Good Dog is a wonderful novel: a moving, tender, and brilliantly crafted story about two fighters—one a man, one a dog— hoping to leave the fight behind, who ultimately find their salvation in each other. Susan Wilson’s clear and unflinching style is perfectly suited for her story that strips away the trappings and toys we all hide behind, and exposes our essential need to give and accept love in order to thrive.”—Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

 

Adam March is a self-made “Master of the Universe.” He has it all: the beautiful wife, the high-powered job, the glittering circle of friends. But there is a price to be paid for all these trappings, and the pressure is mounting—until the day Adam makes a fatal mistake. His assistant leaves him a message with three words: your sister called. What no one knows is that Adam’s sister has been missing for decades. That she represents the excruciatingly painful past he has left behind. And that her absence has secretly tormented him all these years. When his assistant brushes off his request for an explanation in favor of her more pressing personal call, Adam loses it. And all hell breaks loose.

Adam is escorted from the building. He loses his job. He loses his wife. He loses the life he’s worked so hard to achieve. He doesn’t believe it is possible to sink any lower when he is assigned to work in a soup kitchen as a form of community service. But unbeknownst to Adam, this is where his life will intersect with Chance.

Chance is a mixed breed Pit Bull. He’s been born and raised to fight and seldom leaves the dirty basement where he is kept between fights. But Chance is not a victim or a monster. It is Chance’s unique spirit that helps him escape and puts him in the path of Adam.

What transpires is the story of one man, one dog, and how they save each other—in ways they never could have expected.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Marley and Me will find a new dog to cheer for in Wilson's (Beauty) insightful heart-tugger about Adam March, a Boston man recovering from the shame of a foolish crime, and Chance, a scrappy pit bull mix trying to escape the illegal dogfight circuit. Adam, 46, is a ruthless self-made millionaire married to an icy socialite living a picture-perfect existence that includes a teen princess daughter. Then he loses his job for slapping his assistant, Sophie, full across the face after she gives him a message that reads: Your sister called. Forty years ago, Adam's sister, Veronica, ran away leaving Adam with their widowed dad, who subsequently placed Adam into foster care. For his violent act, Adam is sentenced to perform community service at a homeless men's shelter where the adorable Chance teaches Adam about survival and what matters. Chance tells his story in his own words, which makes his mistreatment and return to the fighting pit powerfully disturbing. Combined with Wilson's unflinching portrayal of Adam's struggle to overcome his past, Old Yeller's got nothing on this very good man and his dog story. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Adam March is a married father and successful businessman poised to become a CEO—that is, until the day his troubled past catches up with him. Soon Adam has lost his job, his family, and his house and is living in a lonely apartment working off his community-service sentence in a local men’s shelter. Adam’s story alternates with that of Chance, a former fighting pit bull who has escaped, lived on the streets, and is now back at the animal shelter. When circumstances require Adam to adopt and care for Chance, he comes to realize the joy and comfort of animal companionship. Adam’s and Chance’s tale is one of love, loyalty, and determination, as both fight to begin new lives and relationships. The novel is a good bet for readers of mainstream melodramatic fiction as well as fans of Marley & Me (2005) and other similar dog memoirs, but it will also interest those who enjoy the doggy point of view in Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie mysteries (Thereby Hangs a Tail, 2009). --Jessica Moyer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312571259
• ISBN-13: 978-0312571252
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One good dog book, March 5, 2010

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Good Dog (Hardcover)

This book held my attention as soon as I started reading. Author Susan Wilson combines skilled writing with plot strategems that will positively be called "classic" and negative derided as "trite," depending on your perspective.

The book begins with a scenario in an animal shelter with a clever twist. We soon meet Adam March, a demanding self-centered CEO candidate of a prestigious company. March is the stereotypical man on the way up, owning three homes with a "money is no object" lifestyle.

One day, following an accidnetal emotional trigger, he commits an act that has legal, moral and financial consequences. He loses everything and ultimately finds a new life through working at a homeless shelter and yes, inadvertently adopting a dog. His pit bull mix also has been cast out by society and also experiences trouble escaping his past (sometimes literally). There's even a romantic connection to Adam, his new life, and of course, the dog.

I read the book before reading reviews, barely skimming the book jacket blurb. It's a tribute to the author that I didn't find myself questioning the plot, characters or setting. I wanted escape fiction and there it was. The pacing and suspense were flawless. The ending was plausible...just.

Inevitably this book will be compared to Garth Stein's Art of Racing in the Rain. Stein's writing is tighter and more lyrical. His book is much more painful to read, but also has stronger descriptions of the environment and some truly memorable passages.

One Good Dog should stand on its own. If I were looking for comparisons, I'd compare it more to Lost & Found by Jacqueline Sheehan, rather than Racing in the Rain.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! Highly recommend!!!!, April 21, 2010

By 

C. Thomas "Wanna be Critic" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Good Dog (Hardcover)

I cannot recommend this book enough. The book is good, and the writing style of the author fantastic. As an added bonus, the story takes place in Boston, and as a former resident of that great city, I can relate immensely with many of locations described in the book.

The story is really two stories. Half of the book details our hero Adam March's rise and fall within corporate America. Without giving anything anyway, Adam suffers a nervous breakdown at work which results in him losing his job. This starts a cascade of events that eventually results in Adam losing everything. The rest of this story chronicles his comeback from the abyss, as well as offering glimpses into his background that explain the reason why he is who is.

The other half of the story is told from from the perspective of a Pitt bull who started his life out as dog fighter. He is eventually rescued, and adopted by Adam March. The rest of the story chronicles the bonding process between this dog and Adam in beautiful detail. As a dog owner and animal lover, I found everything that the author described as far as the dog's thinking to be extremely believable, and not unreasonable.

In short, this story was extremely moving, and I found myself tearing up at several points in the book. I have a few key takeaways after reading this story - (1) Don't judge a book by it's cover. Pitt bulls are great dogs, and I think if you are able and in the market for a great dog, you should consider taking one of these guys into your home, and (2) dog fighting is abomination, and those engaged in this practice should be thrown in prison for life.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read!, March 24, 2010

By 

M. M. Hambly - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Good Dog (Hardcover)

It has been a while since a book really held my attention to the point of missing sleep and thinking about it in the middle of the day like this one did. It was a bit predictable but that didn't matter. I saw the charactors and felt a part of the story. It was about each finding resolution after a lifetime of hardknocks. Also about the bond that grows creating a better life for both of them. It really touched my heart.