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    A Man of His Own
    A Man of His Own
    A Man of His Own
    Audiobook9 hours

    A Man of His Own

    Written by Susan Wilson

    Narrated by Fred Berman, Christina Delaine, Rick Adamson and Jeff Gurner

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Rick Stanton was a promising professional baseball player with dreams of playing in the major leagues and starting a family with his young wife, Francesca, when World War II changed everything. Rick returns from the war with his body broken and his dreams shattered. But it was not just body and spirit he sacrificed for the war. He and Francesca volunteered their beloved dog, Pax, for the Army's K-9 Corp, not knowing if they'd ever see him again.


    Keller Nicholson is the soldier who fought the war with Pax by his side, and the two have the kind of profound bond that can only be forged in war. Pax is the closest Keller has to a sense of family, and he can't bear the thought of returning him to the Stantons. But Rick and Francesca refuse to give him up. Instead, an arrangement is made: Keller will work as Rick's live-in aide. And thus an unlikely family is formed, with steadfast Pax at the center. As they try to build a new life out of the ashes, Keller and Francesca struggle to ignore their growing attraction to each other, and Rick, believing that he can no longer give Francesca what she needs and wants, quietly plans a way out.

    All three of them need healing. All three of them are lost. And in Susan Wilson's A Man of His Own, Pax, with his unconditional love and unwavering loyalty, may be the only one who can guide them home.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateSep 24, 2013
    ISBN9781427240521
    A Man of His Own
    Author

    Susan Wilson

    Susan Wilson is the bestselling author of several books including One Good Dog, Cameo Lake and Beauty, a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which was made into a CBS-TV movie. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard.

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    Reviews for A Man of His Own

    4/5

    20 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      So far, I have loved all of Sarah Wilson's books and I'm just afraid of running out of them. I was worried about finishing A Man of his Own---afraid of where he ending might be headed. Wilson does not disappoint. She tells a complete story, from beginning to end.
    • 4/5
      The sweet and heartwarming story of a remarkable dog who touches three people's lives, Susan Wilson's A Man of His Own is sure to be a hit with animal lovers.

      Rescued as stray when he was just eight weeks old by aspiring baseball pitcher Rick Stanton, Pax is a beloved family pet that is a source of comfort to his wife, Francesca, while Rick is on the road during baseball season and after Rick is drafted into service during WW II. But the most important role of Pax's life comes when he becomes a part of the Dogs for Defense program and he fully captures the heart of his trainer, Keller Nicholson. Reluctant to return Pax to the Stantons after both he and Pax have been released from service, Keller accepts Stantons' offer to become Rick's caregiver. With Pax as the heart and soul of their unusual family, Rick grows increasingly despondent as he struggles to overcome his debilitating injuries while Keller and Francesca are confronted with an unexpected attraction to one another.

      A Man of His Own spans the years leading up to, during and after World War II. Beginning with Rick's rise from the minor leagues to the majors, his early years of marriage to Francesca and a brief snapshot of his wartime service, the majority of the novel takes place after Rick and Keller have returned home from the war. Rick's struggles to deal with his catastrophic life-altering and career ending injuries are heartbreaking and he finds it impossible to confide his guilt over his role in the loss of his comrades in arms. Francesca is still deeply in love with Rick, but she is growing increasingly frustrated with his inability to adapt to his new circumstances. For the first time in his life Keller experiences unconditional love when he is paired with Pax and while he initially agrees to stay because he cannot bear to be separated from him, Keller soon finds himself falling in love with Francesca while caring for Rick. But the best part of the story is Pax and his unwavering love and loyalty to the humans in his life and his uncanny ability to recognize and fulfill all of their different needs.

      Told in present tense from all of the characters' (including Pax) perspectives, A Man of His Own is an engrossing story of love and devotion that unfolds at a leisurely pace. Susan Wilson keeps readers guessing exactly how this engaging and emotional novel will end. A lovely epilogue ties up all of the loose ends and brings this beautiful tale to a bit of a teary finish. An all around wonderfully unique story that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      There are few things in this world as beautiful and profound as the soul of a devoted companion animal. Author Susan Wilson writes with great sensitivity and thoughtfulness about one special dog who goes from an orphaned stray, to a beloved pet, to a brave, battle-tested K-9 Corps service dog. Set in the poignant and patriotic WWII Era, "A Man of his Own" is the story of Pax, a German Shepherd mix, who is rescued as a young pup from starvation in an alley. The man who saves Pax, Rick Stanton, has had a lifelong dream of playing professional baseball. One day at the ballpark, Rick meets a beautiful young woman, Francesca Bell. After a short courtship, the two are married, and Pax must learn to share his master's attentions. When Rick is drafted, he and Francesca later decide to lend Pax to the Dogs for Defense program, and all of their lives will be forever changed. Keller Nicholson has known little real affection during his life. Orphaned during the Great Depression and shifted from one unwelcoming relative to another, he was pulled from his life in a boys home by his great-uncle, who saw Keller as free labor for his lobster fishing. The day after his eighteenth birthday, Keller enlists in the army, eventually being accepted into the K-9 Corps unit. Pax becomes his dog, and the two of them are deeply bonded by their combat experiences. They survive, and the day comes when Pax must be returned to Rick and Francesca. Rick was gravely wounded in combat and is now a paraplegic, wheelchair-bound and never again to be the athlete who lived to play baseball. Keller can't bear to let Pax go, and Rick can't be without his beloved pet, so Rick asks Keller to work as his home healthcare aide. An unusual alliance is formed--a family of sorts--and Pax is one happy dog being with all three of his people. However, as Rick's depression and drug-dependency escalates, so does the tension in the household. Is there more between Keller and Francesca than friendship? This story is told in turns by each of the people, and also by Pax himself. It's a touching tale of how three people and one very special dog survived a time of war and found a measure of healing when and where it was least expected.Book Copy Gratis Amazon Vine
    • 3/5
      Digital audio read by Fred Berman, Christina Delaine, Rick Adamson, Jeff Gurner.Three people connected by one dog. Rick Stanton is the promising professional baseball player who finds the puppy he’ll call Pax in an alley. Francesca is the love of Rick’s life, the young wife he leaves behind when he’s drafted into World War II. Keller Nicholson is the lonely orphaned young man who will bond with Pax in the Army’s K-9 Corp. When the war is over, Keller brings Pax back to the couple with a request to keep him. But Rick has been badly wounded and is broken in both body and spirit. Keller agrees to stay on for a time as Rick’s aide, helping Francesca with the heavier tasks that are simply too much for her. He’ll also help train Pax to be Rick’s helper. This is a kind of romance novel with a twist. There’s plenty of drama and emotion, as well as the potential for new relationships. We have three people who are all emotionally fragile, and yet somehow are “guided” by this remarkable animal. That synopsis sounds trite and predictable, and in a sense the book is that, but I have to say that I was entertained and engaged by the story, as unlikely and unbelievable as some elements were. I’m not a dog person, but I had previously read Wilson’s One Good Dog which I thought was very good. This book doesn’t quite come to that level, but it’s a decent read.Each of the four talented voice artists who narrate takes on a different major character, including Pax (the dog). Unfortunately, other than for Christina Delaine, the sole woman, I can’t tell which artist is voicing which character. Still it’s an effective device to use different narrators for each change in point of view. Berman and Adamson also co-narrated the audio of One Good Dog.
    • 4/5
      Rick Stanton is a pro baseball player who gets drafted during WWII. His life changes. Francesca, his wife, sticks by him and helps him recover along with the soldier who had Pax, his dog, during the war. Pax is Rick's lifeline.
    • 2/5
      2.5
      This was kind of like a Lifetime movie, sweet, smaltzy and predictable.
    • 3/5
      This is a heart-warming story of three people finding their way in a world that has shown them both difficulties and blessings. Rick and Francesca Scranton marry after falling in love. Rick's dog Pax, adopted as an abandoned puppy, is his constant and devoted companion. Pax accepts Francesca and the three make a close-knit pack. Rick is a talented baseball player, a pitcher with a mean curve ball. When he goes to World War 2, he comes back, like many, with life-altering injuries that play on hi state of mind. During Rick's tour, Francesca sends Pax on a tour also,as a Dog For Defense. There, he is befriended by his trainer, Keller Nicholson. Pax, confused by his separation from the pack he has come to love and trust,is wary of Keller, who won't give up on the big dog. But the dog soon comes to trust Nicholson and saves his life from an attack by a German soldier. When it is time for Pax to return home, the humans must find a way to pull together for the sake of the dog. while it sounds like a simple premise, the author manages to create a many-faceted portrait of the lives of the characters.The reader has a pleasant voice and handles the intonations of the various characters well. I highly recommend it.