Lucy Andrews Cummin

I'm really late with this review. I received a free, unedited version of this book in 2018 in exchange for a fair review. Due to a crazy change of life plans, I read it only recently.

In this novel, nothing really happens. Is that a spoiler? Sorry. But yeah, nothing really happens. There's a lot of description--- it's all very well written, I really enjoyed that. It's lovely writing about the dogs, her childhood homestead, the lifestyles of her clients... but what's the point if it doesn't go anywhere? This is a little book, but all that description can get tedious, so it took me longer than I'd expected. There was nothing that grabbed me, no story that was pulling me in. I couldn't even invest in the characters because most of them aren't relevant. They're just cupcake sprinkles.

I felt like this was a short story that wanted to be a book when it grew up. Just a sweet little tale about a day in the life. If it was meant to be something deeper, a ride with Poppy through her existential crisis, it failed to take me along. I didn't know enough about Poppy; I didn't get under her skin. She seemed to have things pretty good and I didn't buy into her crisis about how she was going to spend the rest of her life. Maybe this is a book for a younger crowd, for people who think they have to have all the answers by the time they're 24. Her "thing"-- whatever it was that would put her into a mood occasionally-- was never developed but was important to her relationship. I understand the mood the author was trying to depict, but there needed to be more development about that part of her personality. With only that one episode, it seemed more like she was just feeling sorry for her self.

I think this is was a good draft, but it needs an overhaul. All that information we were given about her dog, her clients, her mom, her home, her boyfriend... They're like a bunch of cake ingredients that have been mixed together, but the cake was never baked. They didn't come together to mean anything in the end. I think the author should either edit this to be a short story, or expand it to cover several months, or even years, so she can give all the background and work up to this one day when Poppy comes to a realization about her situation, rather than giving us JUST this one day.… (más)

55. [The Hounds of Spring] - [[Lucy Andrews Cummin]] - 2018
- Acq'd 2018

After a dispute with her (misogynistic) PhD advisor, Poppy has dropped out of her literature PhD program. She has temporarily begun a dog walking service while she decides the next step in her life.

This novel takes place over the course of a day where Poppy's plans include walking her clients' dogs and then accompanying her cherished boyfriend to receive some very stressful lab results.

But Poppy's day is full of unexpected side trips as her clients, friends and family need her in unexpected ways. And Poppy is able to listen with her heart to both dogs and people and not only hear what they need, but act on it.

I'd love to be a friend (and have a friend!) like Poppy.

I just read line this in another of my current reads, [Bird By Bird] by [Anne Lamott] : “My friend Carpenter says we no longer need Chicken Little to tell us the sky is falling., because it already has. The issue now is how to take care of one another. “ p 108

It sums up this book perfectly for me!… (más)

We could all do worse than to spend our days with dogs. They are so much less complicated than people. I almost always enjoy books with dogs so I was intrigued to read a book set entirely during one day in the life of a dog walker. Lucy Andrews Cummin has created wonderful characters, both canine and human, in her novel, The Hounds of Spring.

Poppy Starkweather was once a candidate for a PhD in literature. Now she walks dogs as she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She's happy in a long-term relationship but not sure she's ready for marriage, at least until she has an idea of where her life should go. She enjoys the dogs she walks and the human beings who own them but this wasn't meant to be her long term job. On the day that the novel covers, she starts her day as usual but things start to spiral out of control as each of the important people in her life need her to be present for them. In juggling her dog commitments and trying to squeeze in the needs of her loved ones, she also has to find the time and the balance to attend to herself. This is not an easy task as her formerly well-organized schedule falls to pieces with each additional thing that creeps into her day. She wants to be with her boyfriend as he hears potentially serious health news at the doctor. She wants to pick her brother up from the airport and take him to her mother's. She wants to take one of her old clients to the shelter to choose a new dog and to the pet store for supplies.

Watching Poppy take care of everyone around her, dog and human, lets the reader see into her nurturing heart while also highlighting her insecurities about her choices and her life. Brief glimpses of the past flash through the narrative, helping to draw a full picture of Poppy. Cummin manages to draw all of her characters with only a few words and yet they are all fully realized. Since the novel is set during the span of one day, it is broken into chapters labelled morning, afternoon, evening, and night, taking Poppy through this unusual twenty-four hours. The writing is spare and lovely and both the dogs and people in Poppy’s life are wonderful to spend time with. Poppy is a gentle character who does a lot of soul searching. People who like quiet, character driven reads will appreciate the beauty, connection, and compassion here and dog lovers will be especially pleased with this slight novel brimming with heart. Definitely worth a read.… (más)