Thursday, December 19, 2013

The Second Chance Dog: A Love Story; Jon Katz

 Ballantine Books (Random House) - 2013

A sucker for underdog stories where the animal triumphs, the title, The Second-Chance Dog: A Love Story, by Jon Katz really caught my eye.  In this story the author was living in upstate New York on Bedlam farm in 2007. His marriage of 35 years was ending, and he was looking to find meaning in his life.  Katz meets an artist by the name of Maria Wulf whose marriage of 20 years was also ending. Although the two had felt a definite spark, there was a another hurdle to their relationship.

Maria's 4-legged protector was a rottweiler-shepherd mix who had been abandoned and had been living in the wild in upstate New York.  The dog, which Maria named Freida was adopted from a shelter. The dog was aggressive and protective of her savior, Maria. So for Jon winning Freida's trust was probably the bigger challenge in the new relationship.

There isn't a lot to say about this book except that I thought this story was fairly well written. I enjoyed reading about the transformation of  not just a "second chance" for Freida, but for Jon and Maria as well. Much of this book is their story and the difficulties they faced with broken relationships, depression and anxiety.

3.5/5 stars (arc)
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11 comments:

  1. MysticaDecember 19, 2013 at 8:51 PM

    Love dog stories myself

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  2. (Diane) Bibliophile By the SeaDecember 19, 2013 at 9:24 PM

    It is as much about the couple as it is about the dog -- still a nice story.

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  3. KailanaDecember 20, 2013 at 12:08 AM

    I am called to books about animals myself...

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  4. Vanessa MorganDecember 20, 2013 at 5:52 AM

    I adore love stories with animals. I just read and reviewed A Dog Named Leaf. This one sounds similar.

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  5. Sheila (Bookjourney)December 20, 2013 at 8:26 AM

    Its hard for me to read dog stories - I get too emotionally attached :)

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  6. HarveeDecember 20, 2013 at 10:26 AM

    I like the idea or thought that the dog might have helped the couple's relationship.
    Harvee
    Book Dilettante: Friday Book Memes

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  7. SukoDecember 20, 2013 at 12:44 PM

    This sounds good, Diane. I will be reading a dog-related memoir next month, if not earlier.

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  8. Brian's Home BlogDecember 20, 2013 at 1:18 PM

    I love the sounds of that one!

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  9. DeniseinVADecember 23, 2013 at 11:42 PM

    This is a book I would enjoy reading. Thanks Diane and a Merry Christmas to you and all your loved ones.

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  10. AnonymousDecember 25, 2013 at 9:54 PM

    I'm not one for animal stories usually but this one looks like it has something a little extra :)

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