Rose in a Storm: A Novel (edition 2010)

A simple synopsis: The gripping story of a dog on a farm during a horrific blizzard. Rose is a Border collie/ Shepherd mix and the best working dog Sam, the farms owner, has ever known. Ever since his wife died, Sam has worked the farm alone with Rose at his side. It is difficult, but everything is running well until the blizzard hits and things go from bad to worse in a short amount of time. Told mostly through Rose’s insights, this is a captivating look into one working dogs’ thought processes and instincts. I couldn’t put the book down. One of my favorite quotes came out of Rose’s compulsion to keep the animals alive “It seemed that her world was falling to pieces, like little drops of blood scattered across the snow.”

If you love dogs, dog stories, farming, animals, and survival stories then Jon Katz has written a great one for you. I loved it: 5 stars. ( )

Easy to read & very descriptive. Interesting perspective - mostly from the dog's point of view. I do think the sections about Rose traveling to "dog heaven" were a bit over the top - as was the situation with the wolf. It was like this animal just was magically transported in to save Rose - and then left just as quickly. But, this is fiction after all.

I did love and was very moved by the "wild dog". ( )

The fascinating Rose of Bedlam Farm is fictionalized here so Katz can imagine himself into her thoughts. ( )

4818. Rose in a Storm A Novel, by Jon Katz (read 20 Apr 2011)
This book turned me off right from the start, since it was so contrary to what I know about dogs, animals, and farming. It tells of a storm in the Adirondacks which has the heroine dog, Rose, doing unlikely and impossible things, and long stretches of telling what the dog is thinking.. And at the key point in the story it becomes a fantasy. Only once, in the whole story, was there anything of interest--as the dog dug her master out of the snow which had covered him. I was glad she did the rescue. But boring is the word for this book ( )

Sam is facing a huge winter storm on his farm for the first time without his beloved wife Katie. Since her death, he has not been the same. No one has noticed this more than Rose, his loyal working dog. Rose misses Katie, too – she keeps looking for her, confused as to why her scent is everywhere and yet, Katie is nowhere to be found. Without Katie, Sam and Rose have only each other to depend on, and as the first huge flakes begin to fall, accompanied by a steep drop in temperature and a howling wind, their loyalty to each other begins to deepen.

At these moments, he would sometimes look at Rose, who was always watching him, watching the farm, ready for anything, and he thanked God that he had her. He’d thought at first that he was getting just a dog. Now he understood only too well that she had become something else, something more. He did not even want to think of being on this farm alone without Rose. – from Rose in a Storm, page 75 -

Rose in a Storm is narrated almost entirely from the perspective of Rose – a border collie who is completely defined by her heart for her job. her person and the animals she is tasked with protecting. Rose senses things before Sam can possibly be aware of them – the scent of coyotes on the wind, the struggle of a ewe about to give birth, and the ferocity of a storm that will change everything.

Jon Katz has written a novel which is tender, bittersweet, and deeply perceptive. This is a book about a dog, but it is also a book about the relationship between animals and people. Anyone who has loved a dog, will recognize the power of Rose and Sam’s friendship.

Working dogs are not like other dogs – this I know from experience, and Katz aptly describes the mindset of a dog who lives to work. Rose is fierce, loyal, perceptive, intelligent and highly motivated – all traits that characterize the best working dogs. Katz also gives Rose a sensitivity and philosophical outlook that almost humanizes her.

Had Sam been in the farmhouse and looked out, he would have been amazed to see this solitary dog, covered in a coating of white, staring up the hill, giving eye to the wind, the snow, the coyotes, to life and the world, to her choices and her duty. He would have marveled at her responsibility, her loyalty, and her bravery. Rose had never run, never backed down, never failed to get it done. He had said that about her so many times – he bragged about her like she was his child, although never in her presence. It would have been patronizing, even insulting to praise Rose too much to her face. Work was her reward. – from Rose in a Storm, page 179 -

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel which explores themes of loss and grief, aging, and the special bonds between humans and the animals with whom they share their lives. This is a short, quick read that had me captivated from beginning to end. Readers who love stories about animals, or those who have experienced a special bond with a dog, will find Rose in a Storm a warmhearted and enjoyable read. ( )