All dog loving readers will enjoy this story if only for the
monents when we get to meet the members of the club. There is also a great giveaway for you to
enter. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
Every dog walk brings new drama into the lives of these dogs
and their people. A supermarket shelf-stacker, a stay-at-home dad, an elderly
widow and a freelance photographer sound an unlikely bunch of friends but they
have one thing in common: they all walk their dogs in Beauville Park at roughly
the same time each morning.
And that’s enough for Angela, bored organiser without a
cause, to get them together to form the Dog-walking Club.For Jock the Scottie,
Benji the spaniel, Pixie the boxer, Mitzi the poodle and Bassett the … all
sorts, walking each day with their friends is a dream come true. And it changes
the lives of widowed Sybil who’s spent a lifetime hiding her secret sorrow, hopeless-with-women
Jon who’s wandering almost unwittingly into an affair, freelance photographer
Jemma who is at every wedding but her own, and Maggi who is frantically trying
to save money to visit her family in Australia.
And for long-suffering Angela a nasty shock turns into a new
start in disguise for her and her husband – and their love life.
My Thoughts
I love the structure of this book and how it all centres on the members of this informal dog walking club. It enables you to meet a great variety of people of all ages and we are able to expand on such a variety of life stories. The story is certainly character driven as you get to learn more about each of the dog walkers.
For a life affirming, heartwarming story, you cannot go far. There are moments of humour amongst the sadder times and it is a well paced tale which leads you on. The author has a lot to say about friendship and companionship. Simple routines and being there are shown to have a profound effect on everyday lives.
In short: A life affirming tale of friendship.
About the Author
I’m a golden-retriever-loving granny, who enjoys walking by
the sea or in the woods, who eats too much chocolate and gets over-excited when
the Welsh team plays rugby.
Writing-wise, I am an experienced freelance writer –
published in The Guardian, Christian Herald and various other magazines and
newspapers - with an MA in Creative Writing (Trinity College, University of
Wales). My short stories have been published in Cambrensis (the now
sadly-defunct short story magazine of Wales) as well as in several anthologies
including Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe (Parthian) and Catwomen from Hell
(Honno). I am also the author of several non-fiction books published by Hodder
& Stoughton, Scripture Union and Kevin Mayhew.
I have self-published two novels, This Time Last Year,
and The Dog-walking Club.
I enjoy speaking about my writing to various gatherings and
the media, and am an active blogger, facebooker and tweeter.
Giveaway (International)
Giveaway to win a set of reusable beeswax wraps, three
metal straws with a carrying pouch and cleaner, and a face wipe, all in pretty
doggy fabric (Open Internationally) To enter, just follow the link below and good luck!
*Terms and
Conditions –Worldwide
entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The
winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and
will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7
days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative
winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as
part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be
shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This
will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the
prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the
data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thank you so much for your review and taking part in the tour! x
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