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A Horse Named Joe
Librarian Note: There is an updated cover for this edition with ASIN B00E40H9N8
Stepping from the ferryboat onto the weathered wooden dock at the Green Turtle Bay Club, Roni Dugan breathes in the humid ocean air. Far away from the city she calls home she is instantly struck by the noiselessness of the quaint island. Unhurriedly setting down her over-packed suitcase she takes in the gleaming turquoise water, white sand beach, and light blue cloudless sky. An immense sense of freedom rushes over Roni as the stresses of her high-paying job which vanished overnight, the craziness of Wall Street, money worries, and her strained marriage seem to fade into thin air. A fleeting image of Mack, her husband, almost demanding she take a month to get away in a last-ditch effort to clear her head crosses her mind. With a smile Roni can’t help but appreciate his recommendation of Green Turtle Cay, the very place they had spent their honeymoon so many eons ago. Picking up her suitcase she slowly makes her way down the creaky deserted dock feeling her excitement build about exploring the tranquil three-mile long island alone. Yet with each step there is a small voice inside her head questioning whether this getaway can bring her the inner peace she longs for…
Stepping from the ferryboat onto the weathered wooden dock at the Green Turtle Bay Club, Roni Dugan breathes in the humid ocean air. Far away from the city she calls home she is instantly struck by the noiselessness of the quaint island. Unhurriedly setting down her over-packed suitcase she takes in the gleaming turquoise water, white sand beach, and light blue cloudless sky. An immense sense of freedom rushes over Roni as the stresses of her high-paying job which vanished overnight, the craziness of Wall Street, money worries, and her strained marriage seem to fade into thin air. A fleeting image of Mack, her husband, almost demanding she take a month to get away in a last-ditch effort to clear her head crosses her mind. With a smile Roni can’t help but appreciate his recommendation of Green Turtle Cay, the very place they had spent their honeymoon so many eons ago. Picking up her suitcase she slowly makes her way down the creaky deserted dock feeling her excitement build about exploring the tranquil three-mile long island alone. Yet with each step there is a small voice inside her head questioning whether this getaway can bring her the inner peace she longs for…
457 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2013
10 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Loomis
14 books58 followersLisa Loomis was born in Oakland California and raised in San Jose until she was a sophomore in high school. Her father then took a job in the San Diego area where he moved the family to Escondido, California (or hickville as she called it). She finished high school at San Pasqual High then went to junior college at Palomar JC, ultimately graduating from San Diego State University with a BS in Finance.
Lisa started a career in mortgage banking in San Diego, California, briefly shifted to a corporate job as a territory sales representative, and then back to mortgage banking in 1996 when the family moved from the San Diego area to Park City, Utah. The move to Park City was prompted by a desire for a lifestyle change. Both she and her husband Dennis wanted to raise their two children in a smaller town environment that was still close to a large city.
In Park City Lisa not only ran a mortgage branch but simultaneously helped Dennis run a successful construction company, Loomis Construction. Working full time, running a construction company in off hours, and raising two children was never easy but Lisa seemed to handle it all pretty well until the financial meltdown of 2008. That is when the wheels came off…completely.
Finding both her career in mortgage banking and the family business almost vanish overnight Lisa went back to a passion she’s always had, writing. It took Lisa almost four years to write “Boy In A Band”, stopping and starting, telling herself she couldn’t write a book. Once it was written Lisa foolishly thought the hard part was finished. In the last ten years Lisa has continued to help her husband with their construction business as well as spends time writing.
Lisa’s currently lives and writes in Park City, Utah. She has been married for twenty-nine years and enjoys spending time with their grown children who live in Salt Lake City. You can find her self-published books on Amazon.
Visit her at www.LisaLoomisBooks.com or follow Lisa on Facebook and Twitter
Lisa started a career in mortgage banking in San Diego, California, briefly shifted to a corporate job as a territory sales representative, and then back to mortgage banking in 1996 when the family moved from the San Diego area to Park City, Utah. The move to Park City was prompted by a desire for a lifestyle change. Both she and her husband Dennis wanted to raise their two children in a smaller town environment that was still close to a large city.
In Park City Lisa not only ran a mortgage branch but simultaneously helped Dennis run a successful construction company, Loomis Construction. Working full time, running a construction company in off hours, and raising two children was never easy but Lisa seemed to handle it all pretty well until the financial meltdown of 2008. That is when the wheels came off…completely.
Finding both her career in mortgage banking and the family business almost vanish overnight Lisa went back to a passion she’s always had, writing. It took Lisa almost four years to write “Boy In A Band”, stopping and starting, telling herself she couldn’t write a book. Once it was written Lisa foolishly thought the hard part was finished. In the last ten years Lisa has continued to help her husband with their construction business as well as spends time writing.
Lisa’s currently lives and writes in Park City, Utah. She has been married for twenty-nine years and enjoys spending time with their grown children who live in Salt Lake City. You can find her self-published books on Amazon.
Visit her at www.LisaLoomisBooks.com or follow Lisa on Facebook and Twitter
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 6, 2014
Ok, spring is in the air, but nonetheless the image that A Horse Named Joe evokes is delicious and makes you long for summer – warm beaches, turquoise seas and relaxation with your friends.
Roni Dugan has left New York and is on her way to the Bahamas – Green Turtle Cay – for a break. After losing her extremely well paid job on Wall Street at the time of the crash she’s been unsure what she wants from life and her family and marriage are feeling the strain. Her husband has encouraged her to take this break and get herself together and work out the way forward. She turns up on the island, still the New Yorker, with her smart clothes and designer accessories, but quickly drops this in favor of a more relaxed style that fits in with the island and its people. As she arrives at the house she’s staying in, she has her first encounter with Joe, the horse of the title. He wanders around the island free to come and go as he wishes, minding his own business, nibbling plants and grass and occasionally misbehaving with tourists. For Roni he comes to represent everything that she’s forgotten to value and the joy of the simple life, and he reappears regularly throughout the story. Roni quickly settles in, making friends with the Bahamian men and women she meets – Randall the dive master, Lashanda the bartender, and Devin the Bahamian Rock Star and many more. The people are not wealthy, but seem to Roni to find contentment in their work, friends, familes. The characters all have their charms and make their contribution to helping Roni get herself together and work out the beginnings of a new direction for herself. Once her 3 girlfriends arrive, the fun really starts and their exploits and adventures are entertaining and realistically written – these aren’t young women , but they’re young at heart and know how to have a good time but still be themselves. I really enjoyed this book and felt the delight Roni feels in the island and her new friends as well as her New York girls. It leaves you with a smile on your face and a belief that Roni is finally on the right path to a simpler but happier life.
We’re not all going to get to the Bahamas this summer, so why not read this book instead and get the flavor which it offers so beautifully.
Roni Dugan has left New York and is on her way to the Bahamas – Green Turtle Cay – for a break. After losing her extremely well paid job on Wall Street at the time of the crash she’s been unsure what she wants from life and her family and marriage are feeling the strain. Her husband has encouraged her to take this break and get herself together and work out the way forward. She turns up on the island, still the New Yorker, with her smart clothes and designer accessories, but quickly drops this in favor of a more relaxed style that fits in with the island and its people. As she arrives at the house she’s staying in, she has her first encounter with Joe, the horse of the title. He wanders around the island free to come and go as he wishes, minding his own business, nibbling plants and grass and occasionally misbehaving with tourists. For Roni he comes to represent everything that she’s forgotten to value and the joy of the simple life, and he reappears regularly throughout the story. Roni quickly settles in, making friends with the Bahamian men and women she meets – Randall the dive master, Lashanda the bartender, and Devin the Bahamian Rock Star and many more. The people are not wealthy, but seem to Roni to find contentment in their work, friends, familes. The characters all have their charms and make their contribution to helping Roni get herself together and work out the beginnings of a new direction for herself. Once her 3 girlfriends arrive, the fun really starts and their exploits and adventures are entertaining and realistically written – these aren’t young women , but they’re young at heart and know how to have a good time but still be themselves. I really enjoyed this book and felt the delight Roni feels in the island and her new friends as well as her New York girls. It leaves you with a smile on your face and a belief that Roni is finally on the right path to a simpler but happier life.
We’re not all going to get to the Bahamas this summer, so why not read this book instead and get the flavor which it offers so beautifully.
August 11, 2014
Two years after losing her investment banker position on Wall Street to the 2008 recession, forty-nine year old Roni Dugan is still obsessing over her loss and is at a crossroads in her life. The upheaval and downsizing of their lifestyle has put a strain on her marriage to the point that husband Mack demanded that she get away for a month to clear her head and get a fresh perspective on life on the tropical Bahamian island paradise of Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, where they had spent their honeymoon twenty-two years ago. Roni's stay on the small island that is three miles long will be a journey of self-discovery that will change her outlook on life.
In A Horse Named Joe, author Lisa Loomis transports the reader to the small tropical Bahamian island paradise where they follow Roni's month long journey of self discovery. Roni's stay on the island is filled with meeting colorful fun-loving Bahamians and a free-spirited horse named Joe who freely roams the island and has a best friend who is a pig named Bacon.
A Horse Named Joe is a lighthearted story about finding oneself and getting a new perspective on life. As Roni's month long journey unfolds, she gains a new insight into her life, and enjoys a fun week of adventures when her three friends Jenny, Tara, and Lacy come to stay with her on the island. You can't help but embrace Roni and cheer her on as she rediscovers her spirit and passion in life.
With a quirky cast of characters; witty dialogue that reflects the local Bahamian dialect; fun interactions that will make you laugh; a vivid and rich description of the island setting; and a thoughtful storyline that you can easily relate to (especially when you are in your late forties); A Horse Named Joe is an entertaining chick lit tale that will leave a smile on your face.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
In A Horse Named Joe, author Lisa Loomis transports the reader to the small tropical Bahamian island paradise where they follow Roni's month long journey of self discovery. Roni's stay on the island is filled with meeting colorful fun-loving Bahamians and a free-spirited horse named Joe who freely roams the island and has a best friend who is a pig named Bacon.
A Horse Named Joe is a lighthearted story about finding oneself and getting a new perspective on life. As Roni's month long journey unfolds, she gains a new insight into her life, and enjoys a fun week of adventures when her three friends Jenny, Tara, and Lacy come to stay with her on the island. You can't help but embrace Roni and cheer her on as she rediscovers her spirit and passion in life.
With a quirky cast of characters; witty dialogue that reflects the local Bahamian dialect; fun interactions that will make you laugh; a vivid and rich description of the island setting; and a thoughtful storyline that you can easily relate to (especially when you are in your late forties); A Horse Named Joe is an entertaining chick lit tale that will leave a smile on your face.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
August 8, 2014
Roni loses her position as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers because of the financial chaos that occurred and left the company no longer standing causes Roni to vent her frustrations toward her husband. The downsizing of a luxurious lifestyle and finding fault in herself constantly triggering arguments with nitpicking becomes a regular routine and Roni’s husband suggest she take a vacation to the Bahamas where they honeymooned to find solace relaxing while figuring what other interests she has to focus on.
Being unemployed and trying to find herself all over again, Roni embarks on a journey with new relationships with women she meets on the island, a native Bahamian named Devon and constant contact with friends back home named Jenny and Lacy who will join her on the island for fun, sun and a little devilment amongst the natives.
Do not let the title of this novel fool you by any means because this book is not about a horse named Joe. The connection with the main character did not happen for me with the numerous and repetitive references to “a big Miami subculture of women who come down to play with the big, black boys” is what this book is about using heavy Bahamian dialect causing the revisit of dialogue sequences and pushing my reading speed down to a crawl.
Being a black woman I found the references made as crude and insensitive regarding a culture of people whose dialect is different from others and observed as a playground for white women to mingle with big black men offensive. A Horse Named Joe is not my cup of tea or taste in literature even though there are many who will love its theme and characters.
I received this book free through CLP Blog Tours for an unbiased opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission guidelines.
Being unemployed and trying to find herself all over again, Roni embarks on a journey with new relationships with women she meets on the island, a native Bahamian named Devon and constant contact with friends back home named Jenny and Lacy who will join her on the island for fun, sun and a little devilment amongst the natives.
Do not let the title of this novel fool you by any means because this book is not about a horse named Joe. The connection with the main character did not happen for me with the numerous and repetitive references to “a big Miami subculture of women who come down to play with the big, black boys” is what this book is about using heavy Bahamian dialect causing the revisit of dialogue sequences and pushing my reading speed down to a crawl.
Being a black woman I found the references made as crude and insensitive regarding a culture of people whose dialect is different from others and observed as a playground for white women to mingle with big black men offensive. A Horse Named Joe is not my cup of tea or taste in literature even though there are many who will love its theme and characters.
I received this book free through CLP Blog Tours for an unbiased opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission guidelines.
September 7, 2016
A good old reflecting on life book is always fun to find, particularly when it is written by someone who does their research, both in terms of their setting, dialects, and cultural traditions. More importantly, it is nice to see an author do their research on the human spirit as well, and present a very human approach to an increasingly common problem. The burn out of modern that millions of people across the world have recently felt is encapsulated int this novel. While, in my opinion, the book was generally directed towards female readers, I was still able to appreciate the sentiment and the struggle of finding yourself at a crossroads with no clear direction in mind. I think that Roni Dugan is an "everywoman" in the sense that she is confident in herself, but realizes that there is still so much more to learn once the facade or framework of a life is peeled back. That can be true of all of us, but placing the character in a location that is both completely foreign yet nostalgically significant makes for very interesting moments and profound realizations.
The basic foils (a horse and a simple dock master) accentuate her plight and journey without distracting the reader from the crucial growth and plot development that is occurring. I think Loomis knew precisely the kind of book she intended to write and then did it. I was impressed, and would very much like to read more of her work in the future. We could all use a reminder of how valuable soul-searching can be, and this book certainly did just that.
The basic foils (a horse and a simple dock master) accentuate her plight and journey without distracting the reader from the crucial growth and plot development that is occurring. I think Loomis knew precisely the kind of book she intended to write and then did it. I was impressed, and would very much like to read more of her work in the future. We could all use a reminder of how valuable soul-searching can be, and this book certainly did just that.
March 25, 2014
I really loved Roni and her friends .. I think that what this book shows beyond the normal following your individual path message is that it's really okay for women to be women. Loomis has written Roni and her friends in a way can garner some criticism from people who are not prepared to see women embrace their sexuality and their rights to be free. I find it interesting when I think in opposites, would anyone find this book shocking if it was being written about men? Nope.
Just because we are grown, have jobs and lives doesn't mean that we have grown into who we actually are, who will make us happy. I think that Loomis does a great job here in the shade of shows like "Girls" and "Sex in the City" in showing us a realistic journey for women to become who they are most comfortable with no matter what society says should be.
Just because we are grown, have jobs and lives doesn't mean that we have grown into who we actually are, who will make us happy. I think that Loomis does a great job here in the shade of shows like "Girls" and "Sex in the City" in showing us a realistic journey for women to become who they are most comfortable with no matter what society says should be.
April 1, 2014
A Horse Named Joe follows Roni Dugan, a former Lehman Brothers banker displaced after the financial crisis of 2008. Eager to try something new and leave behind her New York life, she moves to a small island in the Bahamas where she once honeymooned. Surviving a career that cratered and a failed marriage, she sees life in a whole new light in paradise.
The book is probably more suited to the female reader, but that doesn't take away from its literary value. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend to readers that are inspired by stories of falling down and getting up and trying again with resilience. This truly is one of those inspirational journeys you'll appreciate.
The book is probably more suited to the female reader, but that doesn't take away from its literary value. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend to readers that are inspired by stories of falling down and getting up and trying again with resilience. This truly is one of those inspirational journeys you'll appreciate.
July 27, 2016
This book is a bit different than my usual read. I am usually a romance/paranormal romance reader. I am a fan of Lisa Loomis. Her in-depth character development always amazes me. This book follows a prior investment baker who has lost touch with her soul among many other facets of her life.
Lisa makes you feel as if you were with the characters. a beautiful chick lit novel. I wasn't sure which direction the book would take and it kept me guessing.
I was introduced to Lisa's books when I read Boy In A Band. I absolutely fell in love with the Morgan Mallory series of books. This is my first chick lit book and I was fortunate it was written by such a wonderful author!
Lisa makes you feel as if you were with the characters. a beautiful chick lit novel. I wasn't sure which direction the book would take and it kept me guessing.
I was introduced to Lisa's books when I read Boy In A Band. I absolutely fell in love with the Morgan Mallory series of books. This is my first chick lit book and I was fortunate it was written by such a wonderful author!
August 12, 2016
Roni Dugan moves from the fast life in New York to a world of paradise in the Bahamas. With everything going the wrong direction in her life, the help of a horse named Joe and a local dock master reinvigorates her spirit.
A Horse Named Joe is motivating and you'll find yourself cheering for Roni as she pursues happiness once again. The book is well-written and there is something that everyone can take from this path to self-discovery. Sometimes we get too caught up in the day to day to bother smelling the roses. This book demonstrates the value of doing just that!
A Horse Named Joe is motivating and you'll find yourself cheering for Roni as she pursues happiness once again. The book is well-written and there is something that everyone can take from this path to self-discovery. Sometimes we get too caught up in the day to day to bother smelling the roses. This book demonstrates the value of doing just that!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews