An irresistible novel about women, men, and the dogs that own them.
Thirty-nine year old Rachel is having a really bad year. After losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend, Rachel has inherited her late aunt's house, her beloved border collie, and a crowded rescue kennel, despite the fact that she knows almost nothing about dogs. Still, considering her limited options, she gamely takes up the challenge of running the kennel. And as Rachel starts finding new homes for the abandoned strays, it turns out that it might not just be the dogs that need rescuing.
In this engaging and stirring novel, Dillon (The Ballroom Class) vividly evokes the lives of three women and their unexpectedly connected fates. Successful and chic, Rachel, nearly 40 and alone after a 10-year relationship falls apart, inherits her aunt's kennel. She moves to the outskirts of London to make sense of the bewildering bequest and discovers a close-knit community, including handsome veterinarian George. Zoe, divorced for one year, is at her wits' end when her ex gives their kids a puppy, until she finds some help and solace at the kennel. Natalie, married to the man of her dreams, yearns for a baby and is comforted by their foster dog. Despite a slow start, Dillon weaves a beautiful and gripping tale of loss, friendship, and starting over that will tug at readers' heartstrings and keep them hooked till the very end. (Mar.)
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Rachel is not a dog person. She's happy with her life as a workaholic PR pro who sleeps with her married boss, until she suddenly loses it all. At the same time, her eccentric aunt dies, leaving her a family secret, a financial mess, a dog, a kennel to run, and a place to live. In true chick-lit fashion, Rachel moves from the big city to a quirky small town and finds friendship, love, and her true place in life. What saves the book from becoming one big clich' is the genuine affection and respect with which all the eccentric townsfolk are treated. As Rachel tries to use her PR skills to place abandoned dogs in new homes, she meets and befriends a host of fellow townspeople, all with their own issues and strengths. The resolution of Rachel's city-life problems and the revealing of the long-buried family secret are both anticlimactic. But only the hardest of hearts could refuse to cheer for this warm, entertaining, uplifting story of dogs and people rescuing each other. --Marta Segal Block