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Chosen Forever
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Product Description
Readers cried with Susan Richards when, at the end of Chosen by a Horse, her beloved mare was laid to rest in the paddock where she had met her herd -- Hot Shot, Tempo, and Georgia. Now they will cheer as Susan recounts the further wonders that came into her life as part of Lay Me Down's legacy: a bestselling book, a tour to support that book, the reconnection to friends and family who come to celebrate her success, and love-- unexpected, complicated, and true.
And so Chosen Forever works its magic as a sequel of self-discovery, as Susan continues to grow into her new life. Told in charming prose with her familiar and disarming sense of humor, and featuring a new supporting cast of animal characters (a Siamese cat, two pugs, tow Labs, and appearances by horses), this is another moving tale for readers facing their own challenges at recreating their lives. Chosen Forever is the story of what happens the day after all of your dreams come true-- how you learn to accept that you deserve to be happy, and how those we love continue to offer us gifts long after they are gone.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #227266 in Books
- Published on: 2009-05-14
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780156033022
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Far better than a book tour chronicle has any right to be, Richards' follow-up to her bestseller Chosen by a Horse again shows her gift for clarity in description, of both her physical surroundings and the landscapes of her heart and mind. The publicity campaign (and cover photo) focus on Richards's surprise romance with renowned photographer Dennis Stock, who appears at one of her book signings: "I remember thinking that no one like that would ever be interested in someone like me." But he was interested, so much so that there's little suspense involved their relationship. While her observations about later-in-life love are spot-on, the heart of Richards' book is how she comes to accept herself as a worthwhile author, despite crushingly low self-esteem. As she travels around the country, reconnecting with folks from her past and addressing small audiences, she reveals an infectious passion for her craft; that Chosen by a Horse turns out to be a phenomenon, and that Stock ends up marrying her, just makes Richards's work of self-discovery sweeter.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Richards reflects on how rich life becomes when one travels her own best path. Orphaned early in life, Richards struggled to connect with the world until a horse named Lay Me Down taught her how to trust another creature and to love deeply. These hard-learned lessons became her emotional bedrock. As she chronicles her travels across the country to promote her very successful Chosen by a Horse (2006), she is stoically honest about her battles with anxiety and alcoholism. Book tours are far from glamorous, and Richards allows her readers a rare glimpse into what goes through the mind of a nervous author as she wipes sweaty palms on her black trousers on the way to the podium to read. But she does meet her future husband, Dennis Stock, along the way. A talented photojournalist, he gently and determinedly woos her, believing that fate brought them together. Richards writes more courageously than she perhaps realizes, and each page of this uplifting book will touch a chord in everyone who enjoyed her first book. --Pamela Crossland
Review
Richards opens her life once again to share her struggles, lessons, and surprising joys. Chosen Forever is a rare thing. (Chronogram )
Reading Richards'' prose makes you feel like you''re listening to a good friend tell you her story, if only that friend would tell you their deepest fears and triumphs. Her descriptions of her pets will make any animal lover smile. And for anyone who thinks they''re too old, too damaged or too afraid to take a risk and enter in a relationship with someone, this book is a breath of fresh air. (Curled Up With a Good Book )
The book is well written, honest and provides the reader with the desire to keep reading. What more could you want in a book? If you plan to buy one book this year, make it this one. (Midwest Book Review )
Customer Reviews
Magnificent, poignant, and endearing - highly recommended!
Any voracious reader as I am, loves the times when a book overtakes them so completely they lose all track of time. This was the case with me for Chosen Forever, Susan Richard's more than worthy sequel to Chosen By A Horse. I hadn't even known there was a sequel until two weeks ago when browsing through the bookstore while my granddaughter played nearby. How happy I was to find this gem! Chosen by a Horse chronicled how a rescue horse named Lay Me Down changed Richards' life. In Chosen Forever, we see how writing the book itself affected her in ways she never imagined. As one who has been an author escort, I found her stories of her book tour a very good example of those I've been on from those with a big throng to those when nobody shows up. But more than that they way Susan reconnected with those from the past during her book tour was very courageous. And meeting the love of her life, who she coincidentally had purchased her farm from 24 years earlier, was the icing on the cake. As I turned the last page at 4:30 AM, I was so glad that Susan had the happily ever after she deserved. She is such a talented writer that I certainly hope she is able to gift her readers with more of her beautiful prose, whether it be in memoir or novel form. I will be first in line to buy it.
Satisfying Sequel
Chosen Forever can be seen as another stanza in Susan Richards's loving ode to her departed horse, Lay Me Down. Once again, Richards has expressed their mutual love beautifully. However, this book goes much farther than the first memoir, because Richards has come much farther as a person. I would think that Chosen Forever was a more difficult book for Richards to write because she had to rely more on herself to fill the emotional void left by Lay Me Down's death. I appreciated her account of her journey to getting published, and how her readings turned out; because she came to value the fallow periods in life as well as the high points.
I couldn't put this book down, because I couldn't help but feel the human drama as Richards gradually let her guard down enough to fall in love(probably for the first time)and marry the serenely mature Dennis Stock. Despite an emotionally tragic childhood, and unfortunate first marriage, Richards discovered that middle age is no reason not to seek or have love in one's life. Furthermore, she teaches that it's OK to be a work in progress. In short, Chosen Forever is an inspiration, and well worth the time.
Pretty good
Having read Chosen by a Horse, I was excited and anxious to read Chosen Forever. I found it to be just as readable but not quite as compelling.
I believe in Richards's mind, she is living her own life as a tribute to Lay Me Down. It was very difficult for her to go on a book tour, but she wanted to honor the courage that LMD had shown in the face of terrible circumstances. It is somewhat tedious to hear the continual recitation of Richards's sad life, but it is meant to be uplifting that she is dealing with her issues and pushing herself to get out there and live. Personally, I find Dennis Stock's courtship a little creepy, maybe because Richards is naturally rather suspicious of other people and their motives so she makes him seem kind of stalker-y. I really want them to be happy together, but I am not convinced. Anyway, I recommend the book, not as highly as CBAH, but I love Richards's writing and hope she has more to say.
