Crazy Love
A Novel
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
David Martin has proved to be an unusually versatile writer, both of acclaimed thrillers like Lie to Me and of love stories like The Crying Heart Tattoo. Now, in Crazy Love, Martin has created remarkable characters and his richest story yet: a chronicle of passion and heartbreak.
Joseph Long, known locally as Bear, is a farmer ridiculed by neighbors for his strangeness. Lonely nearly to the point of madness and so desperate for human touch, he leans against the hands of the barber giving him a haircut.
Katherine Renault is a successful career woman, wondering why, if she has the perfect job and the perfect fiancé, does she feel so hollow inside -- even before the illness, the disfiguring surgery.
They should have nothing in common -- though he has a magical touch with animals, he considers them property, while she can't tolerate their mistreatment. She's a sophisticated city dweller who can't abide violence, and he's never traveled beyond the local town and has blood on his hands. But love is crazy, and soon they are rescuing the injured of the world just as they rescue each other. Enduring violence and loss, they live in a domestic bliss wide and deep enough to dilute most of life's dramas, until fate tests them again.
Funny, erotic, emotionally powerful, yet surprisingly unsentimental about our relationships with each other and with animals in our care, Crazy Love will heal broken hearts.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An upscale woman from Washington, D.C., falls hopelessly in love with an oafish Appalachian farmer in veteran author Martin's engaging romantic fairy tale, which begins when 30-year-old Katherine Renault retreats to her rich fianc 's backwoods cottage to escape the pressures of urban life. She gets more than she bargained for when she encounters a farmer named David Long, known by the locals as Bear, trying to help a couple of villagers save a dying cow. Smitten by Long's strength and sense of compassion, Renault drifts toward a friendship with the odd, reclusive farmer, with some help from the local veterinarian who sets up a series of animal rescues for the two that eventually lead to the formation of a shelter. Renault ignores the belief of many villagers that the farmer is retarded and dangerous, and their love is sorely tested when Renault is beaten up by the two rednecks who mistreated the cow that brought the couple together. But Renault focuses on Long's sensitive, loving nature as their deep-seated chemistry quickly moves them toward a permanent union. Martin keeps the narrative clipping along at a sprightly pace, and he never misses a chance to tug at the heartstrings with his cast of heroic animals. The sappy moments are balanced by the author's obvious compassion, but what makes this book work is Martin's portrayal of Long, whose depth, passion and clumsy emotionality become quite endearing. Martin goes a bit over the top with an out-of-nowhere ending involving Bear's brother and Renault, but this novel has plenty of winning moments for readers seeking a warm, fuzzy romantic journey with plenty of critters along for the ride.
