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Published Mar 2012
320 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
From the New York Times bestselling author of One Good Dog comes a novel about a woman's cross-country journey to find her lost dog, and discover herself.
"My name is Justine Meade and in my forty-three years there have only been a handful of people that I have loved. No, that's an exaggeration. Two. Two that I lost because of stupidity and selfishness. One was my son. The other was my dog."
If there's been a theme in Justine Meade's life, it's loss. Her mother, her home, even her son. The one bright spot in her loss-filled life, the partner she could always count on, was Mack, her gray and black Sheltie - that is, until she is summoned back to her childhood home after more than twenty years away.
Ed and Alice Parmalee are mourning a loss of their own. Seven years after their daughter was taken from them, they're living separate lives together. Dancing around each other, and their unspeakable heartbreak, unable to bridge the chasm left between them.
Fiercely loyal, acutely perceptive and guided by a herd dog's instinct, Mack has a way of bringing out the best in his humans. Whether it's a canine freestyle competition or just the ebb and flow of a family's rhythms, it's as though the little Shetland Sheepdog was born to bring people together. The Dog Who Danced is his story, one that will surely dance its way into your heart.
"Wilson persuasively adopts a dog's perspective from time to time in a story full of cliché and sentiment. Fans of Wilson's One Good Dog, or new readers looking for a heartwarming tale of the bond between human and animal, will find plenty to enjoy." - Publishers Weekly
"Told from multiple points of view (Justine's, Mack's, and a couple who find the lost Mack), this is an emotional read about dealing with loss, accepting things you cannot change, and moving on with your life. Recommended for those who love dogs and enjoyed Wilson's earlier work." - Library Journal
"While not detracting from the story, there is predictable anthropomorphism, and Wilson readily relies on a Sheltie's nature and behavior to drive the emotion-packed story to its somewhat too-easy climax. As with Marley and Me and The Art of Racing in the Rain, it's hard not to like a book where a dog is a major player." - Kirkus Reviews
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Bob Gothard
Susan is the author of nine well-received novels including her 2010 novel, One Good Dog, which enjoyed six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and THE DOG WHO DANCED received the coveted Maxwell Medal for Fiction from the Dog Writer's Association of America in 2012.
Her newest novel, The Dog Who Saved Me, was released in March 2015.
Her 1996 novel Beauty was made into a CBS Sunday Night Movie starring Jamey Sheridan and Janine Turner and can still be seen occasionally on the Lifetime network.
She is working on her next novel, another work featuring the complicated relationship between humans and the dogs they love.
She lives on Martha's Vineyard with her husband. She has two grown daughters and three grandchildren. Susan also lives with her demanding terrierist, ...
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