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There are currently 23 member reviews
for A Man of His Own
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Bobbie D. (Boca Raton, FL)
Pax, a very special dog
This story is about a dog named Pax (I'd like to change the title to Pax, a very special dog). It is also about Rick ( a baseball pitcher), the man who finds a starving, frightened puppy, Francesca who he falls in love with and Keller who also bonds with Pax. I can clearly picture each and every one of them and the author gives each of them chapters to speak to us (of course including Pax). Part of the story is a warm, fuzzy read when it begins in 1938 and then a few years later, war comes along and changes everything. The reader develops strong, emotional and often upsetting feelings. Pax, of course, is very special as is this book. It will appeal to all ages including teens, young adults, and most certainly, dog lovers. It shows how a young boy, growing up in adversity, can not only survive but become an upstanding citizen who can learn to love. And how another copes with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) after the war. Would be a good read for parents and older children to read and discuss together.
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BJ (Mukwonago, WI)
Support From Where You Least Expect It
Pax helps Rick, Francesca, and Keller all find their way. A good read! Change of voice throughout the book made it somewhat confusing at first, but this story would make a great book club discussion especially for young adults. The historical perspective and realistic relationship dynamics are substantive. Besides, if you love pets, especially dogs, you'll enjoy this one. They're more perceptive than we think.
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Pamela D. (Wheaton, IL)
A Man of His Own
The plot of this novel is very moving and I read it through the first time in one day. The characters are well thought out and when reading about each one it is easy to emphathize with how are feeling, including Pax the dog. At first the style of having each character written in a different voice, i.e. the dog's thoughts, the wife in first person, and the two men in third person was a little distracting, but I soon got used to it. During my second reading of the book, I realized how the author used each character's "voice" to move the plot along and to really help the reader understand each viewpoint of the story. I especially felt that Pax the dog was written with great understanding of how a dog thinks and behaves. This is a very beautiful story about three humans, one dog, the love they have in common, and how that love grows and adapts as their circumstances change.
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Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
Dogs make us human
It often takes the honesty of animals to reveal our humanity, and this book highlights this as well as any. The story and timeline is not one I would typically be interested in, but the sweeping theme of our human experience and struggles along with the love of a dog pulled me in. Rather than being cliche this book is honest, warm and revealing which helps the reader through the more emotionally charged and difficult topics.
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Gigi K. (Lufkin,, TX)
Shared lives
About 1/3 of the way through the book I said "I don't need this in my life right now". I felt a lot of conflict because of the dilemmas facing all of the characters. I almost never put a book down without finishing it so after a few days I picked up the book again and finished it. I'm still not sure why I felt so personally involved, but it was not an emotionally easy book for me. I am not a dog person nor have I been involved personally with war so don't know the origin of the conflict. I think it was the sharing of such intimacy that had to be done in the story that was unsettling to me. I felt the writing was well done and had to look up a few words I didn't know the meaning of and I always like that. I think the book would be a good one for book clubs.
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Corinne S. (Paoli, PA)
Healing mind, body, and soul
Rick Stanton invites me into his inner-life as I read his story. Witnessing his journey, pain, suffering, and moments of joy as he rescues Pax and bonds with him creates deep feelings within me. Rick grows his family by falling in love with Francesca and marrying her, but then his duty to country forces his path to change, and he heads to war. Broken in spirit and body he returns to his wife and home, but now Pax is on a tour of his own serving in the military as an Army K-9 Corp dog. He has a new handler named Keller.
Pax and Keller build a solid relationship during their tour of duty. Pax, severely injured during a battle, returns to Rick and Francesca, but what will happen to Keller's strong relationship with Pax? How can both men keep their relationship and love for Pax? What will Stanton, Keller, and Pax learn by sharing their lives, and healing both body and mind? Book groups, deeply drawn into their story, will present their own suggestions of how to get the relationships to work.
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Molly K. (San Jose, CA)
Pax, the Magic Dog
There's a fairy tale quality to this story; lives in distress, a dog in shining armour, and compelling characters who live happily ever after. It's a story of lives being put back together rather than being torn apart. It's also a story filled with tension and personal endurance, but without harsh words or emotional outbursts. The characters are controlled, even stoic at times.
The story teller is not in a hurry. The author ambles along at a relatively slow pace, giving each character opportunity to speak. There are no surprises. For me, the story was somewhat unrealistic, somewhat contrived. I became impatient in several places, resisting the temptation to skip ahead. Still, I would recommend this very well written book.
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