Synopsis: Juliet's hiding from her
feelings about the recent loss of Ben, the love of her life. If it
weren't for having to walk Ben's loyal dog, Minton, she'd never leave
their half-finished house. Then her mother asks her to take her elderly
lab, Coco, along. One dog leads to another, and soon Juliet's the
unofficial town pet-sitter. And when she takes on a lonely spaniel, and
gets to know its attractive owner, she realizes that her emotions aren't
as easy to handle as her canine charges...
Walking Back to Happiness is about death and life and everything in between. It’s a tender and emotional read about a woman who loses her husband, the man she has been with since she was a teenager and ended up marrying and wanting to build a life with. Juliet thought she had it all with her husband Ben, their faithful Jack Russell-ish terrier, Minton and a new home they bought that they were in the process of renovating. But then Ben dies suddenly at age thirty-one and Juliet’s life came to a screeching halt. She can’t handle the loss and basically shuts down, hiding in her unfinished house, watching mind numbing television for hours and only turning to Milton for support. Milton is her sole purpose for getting up each day and she looks forward to their walks very late at night where no one can bother her. Juliet’s mourning consumes her until her mother grows sick of it. Her mum, Diane wants her to start taking the steps she needs to recover from Ben’s death, and that means facing the world again, which is in the form of Diane’s twelve year old chocolate Lab, Coco. Juliet will start watching Coco a few days a week because Diane must start watching the Toby, the toddler to Louise, Juliet’s sister. Since Juliet wants to shut her mother up essentially, she agrees.
Walking Back to Happiness is about death and life and everything in between. It’s a tender and emotional read about a woman who loses her husband, the man she has been with since she was a teenager and ended up marrying and wanting to build a life with. Juliet thought she had it all with her husband Ben, their faithful Jack Russell-ish terrier, Minton and a new home they bought that they were in the process of renovating. But then Ben dies suddenly at age thirty-one and Juliet’s life came to a screeching halt. She can’t handle the loss and basically shuts down, hiding in her unfinished house, watching mind numbing television for hours and only turning to Milton for support. Milton is her sole purpose for getting up each day and she looks forward to their walks very late at night where no one can bother her. Juliet’s mourning consumes her until her mother grows sick of it. Her mum, Diane wants her to start taking the steps she needs to recover from Ben’s death, and that means facing the world again, which is in the form of Diane’s twelve year old chocolate Lab, Coco. Juliet will start watching Coco a few days a week because Diane must start watching the Toby, the toddler to Louise, Juliet’s sister. Since Juliet wants to shut her mother up essentially, she agrees.
Louise will go back to work after almost two years
of being a stay at home mother. She’s excited to do so because she feels her
entire being is now taking care of Toby. There’s some strain between her and
her husband, Peter, or rather she feels the strain because Peter is clueless to the situation.
Peter works long hours and thinks Louise loves staying at home. He can’t really
understand why she wants to go back to work and would even like to try for
another baby to Louise’s horror. Louise is, or has distanced herself from Peter
because she has a secret that could ruin their marriage and she’s trying to
push it down, but it keeps poking at her because she’s close to having a breakdown.
She has to decide whether or not to tell Peter this horrible thing she has
done because it may ruin her marriage.
As Louise tries to come to terms with the emotional
upheavals she’s experiencing, Juliet is trying to move forward, but Ben’s
memory continues to hold her back. Her crazy and loud neighbors she can’t stand
force their way into her life, including Lorcan, friends of the crazy neighbors
who wants to help renovate Juliet’s house, specifically her bathroom thanks to
Diane’s influence. Juliet allows it, but still keeps everyone at a distance,
although she begins to enjoy Lorcan’s company, perhaps too much. But then
during her walks with Minton and Coco, she meets another dog walker named Mark
who she slowly starts to bond with. Mark is divorced and appears to be lonely
with only his dog Damson to keep his company. A plus is that Mark is handsome
and makes Juliet feels something inside she hasn’t felt since Ben. She decides
to tentatively take a chance with Mark, which backfires to some shocking results.
Walking Back to Happiness by Lucy Dillon is a
British, Chick-Lit book that deals with tragedy. It’s very simply reading with
no grand exclamations of emotions, but the writing and the characters are
engaging and welcoming. The reason I read this one is that I’m a sucker for
stories with animals, especially dogs. Most of what I have read regarding dogs
in books is dealing with the main protagonist, usually female, who is dealing
with some loss in her life. She has her trusted canine to help her get through whatever
tragedy has befallen her and the joy in
reading something like this are the slow steps the protagonist, like Juliet,
takes to enjoy the things around her and has a new outlook overall about
herself and those around her. Juliet may have lost her first love, Ben, but she
finds love and especially friendship and support in other ways such as her
loving parents and that of her neighbors. I also liked how Louise’s story
counteracted Juliet’s. Louise is overcome with so much stress and confusion
about what she wants and doesn’t want, but you really understand what she’s
going through. I think new mothers will appreciate Louise’s story and the steps
she takes to face the mistakes she had made, especially in her marriage.
If you’re a fan of Chick-Lit or Women’s Fiction with
moments of humor combined with thought provoking issues about marriage, family
and death, including some adorable dogs that really add flavor to the overall
plot, do give Walking Back to Happiness a go. I really did have the warm
fuzzies after I finished reading and count myself lucky to be a pet owner
(perhaps not to a dog, but two adorable kitties who really do own my soul).
(Berkley)
Final Grade: B
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