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Lessons I Learned from Nick Nack
B.R.A.G MEDALLION HONOREE WRITER'S DIGEST 22ND ANNUAL SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS - HONORABLE MENTION When Rowdy Murphy’s husband, Mark, abandons her for a younger woman, leaving behind a dog that Rowdy hates, never wanted, and vowed she’d never walk, feed, bathe, or poop scoop, she is livid. But the divorce, Mark’s new family, and breast cancer forge an unlikely friendship between Rowdy and the much-reviled dog, Nick Nack. LESSONS I LEARNED FROM NICK NACK is the story of one woman’s journey through anger, loneliness, pain, and fear and her ultimate surrender to the power of unconditional love.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2014
20 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Padgett Gerler
9 books36 followersBorn on the coast of South Carolina and raised in the mountains of Virginia, I relocated to the Piedmont area of North Carolina in the 80's to attend college. After graduating with a BA in accounting, I became a CPA and practiced accounting in the public and corporate sector. In 2010, when my passion for writing leapt ahead of my passion for accounting, I quit my career to write full time. I love the southern voice and the southern experience, so I write about the south, from the mountains to the coast.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 26, 2025
A tear jerker
Lessons I Learned from Nick Nack is the best book I've read in a long time! If you love dogs, this is a must-read! Padgett Gerler has never disappointed me. If you have never read her, I suggest starting with this book. I cried real tears even though it was a happy ending. Thanks, Padgett, for getting me out of my reading slump!
Lessons I Learned from Nick Nack is the best book I've read in a long time! If you love dogs, this is a must-read! Padgett Gerler has never disappointed me. If you have never read her, I suggest starting with this book. I cried real tears even though it was a happy ending. Thanks, Padgett, for getting me out of my reading slump!
September 24, 2020
Read this book
I just loved it.Thank you!!!Couldn't stop reading until the very last page.I really needed this story.So well written I wanted to reach out and touch that dog .
I just loved it.Thank you!!!Couldn't stop reading until the very last page.I really needed this story.So well written I wanted to reach out and touch that dog .
October 30, 2017
The good: I love dog books. I love dogs. This was a great dog. The main character's going from a dog hater/fearer to loving this dog like a best friend was wonderful to read.
The bad: Know the old saying "I don't care who dies as long as the dog lives"? Well, the dog dies. And not from old age. From disease - not violence or accident thank goodness.
I'm not sure how much research the author did on cancer treatment. I had ovarian cancer and did 6 chemo treatments, one every 3 weeks. Not every week for months and months. And even in 2001 there were drugs to prevent nausea and, believe me, they worked. Maybe some dramatic license was taken here.
Overall: I loved the book.
The bad: Know the old saying "I don't care who dies as long as the dog lives"? Well, the dog dies. And not from old age. From disease - not violence or accident thank goodness.
I'm not sure how much research the author did on cancer treatment. I had ovarian cancer and did 6 chemo treatments, one every 3 weeks. Not every week for months and months. And even in 2001 there were drugs to prevent nausea and, believe me, they worked. Maybe some dramatic license was taken here.
Overall: I loved the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2025
Another one I read back in May 2021 and another one I remember well. How a dog can teach us so much is amazing, but certainly love it the best thing it gives. Nick Nack was just a dog, but they are all "just dogs" and that's their job. Let's get one thing clear, cancer sucks, and no one, except someone who has gone through it understands. But Nick Nack understood her every mood and was always there, when he could be. I reread snippets of this today, and will reread it again soon. I have a few books I haven't read that come first.
January 26, 2017
Put this book on your to read list. Rowdy's husband leaves her for another woman, and they have a 9 year old daughter and a dog, Nick Nack that she did not want. Then Rowdy gets sick and Nick Nack sits at her side even when she doesn't acknowledge her. What a wonderful book this is. I can't tell you the story and give away anything else
August 16, 2021
One of the best books I’ve read in a few years, and I read a LOT! I felt as if the writing about Rowdy’s cancer journey was exactly my own experience! Although my family and a few friends were aware of what I went through, I never told anyone what I was really going through. I tend to keep things to myself, if to protect others among other things. I also have a furry BBF named Joey: he was the one who never left my side,
went to dr appts and treatments with me. Having him by my side is what truly jept me going every day. I have already recommended this book to both my sister and my cousin. I can’t fully express how special this book is to me! Thank you for writing such a beautiful story!
went to dr appts and treatments with me. Having him by my side is what truly jept me going every day. I have already recommended this book to both my sister and my cousin. I can’t fully express how special this book is to me! Thank you for writing such a beautiful story!
October 16, 2021
Wow
What a beautiful story. This book had me feeling so many different emotions...anger, sadness, ready to cry one minute and then feeling so hopeful the next. The author did such a great job..I had intended to take my time reading, but ended up finishing the book in just a few hours.
What a beautiful story. This book had me feeling so many different emotions...anger, sadness, ready to cry one minute and then feeling so hopeful the next. The author did such a great job..I had intended to take my time reading, but ended up finishing the book in just a few hours.
August 29, 2017
A beautiful story of the unconditional love of a dog, and how it transformed a person's life, while she was going through several tragic losses. I loved NickNack dog, she was such a good dog! I cried and cried some more for both, the main character, and for NickNack!
August 2, 2021
A feel good read.
From start to finish, I was engrossed in this book. I shed some tears and laughed out loud at some parts. The characters are real with wonderful scenarios.
From start to finish, I was engrossed in this book. I shed some tears and laughed out loud at some parts. The characters are real with wonderful scenarios.
August 6, 2021
Wonderful book! Get your tissues ready!
August 30, 2021
Beautifully written book - could not put it down
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April 18, 2014Excerpt from LESSONS I LEARNED FROM NICK NACK
In preparation for the adoption, my husband and daughter went to Home Depot where they found a home for their new furry child. Large enough for a family of four, it came in seven hundred pieces with assembly instructions in Chinese. I had been thinking plywood lean-to.
Nick Nack, named for nick nack paddy whack give a dog a bone, came from a local shelter to live with us. I was pleased that Mark and Alex were willing to take a dog that no one else wanted, but their adoption of a waif pooch did not change my mind. I still did not want a dog; I’d just agreed to tolerating their dog ownership.
Nick Nack arrived when she was eight weeks old and was, at that age, too young to stay outside alone in her doghouse-mansion. And since I would not allow my child to move into the back-yard mansion to keep the dog company, Nick Nack would live in a cardboard box in Alex’s room until she was old enough to graduate to her large, expensive, outdoor home. And, I figured, at her age she was too young to get at my neck.
“Oh, Mom, isn’t she adorable?”
Well, of course, all tiny puppies are adorable, and Nick Nack was no exception. She was a little ball of black fuzz, romping and yipping like some wind-up toy. But I wasn’t getting sucked in. That little black ball of fuzz was going to grow into a large, black, snarling, hairy beast.
As one would guess, by the time Nick Nack was old enough to move to her large, expensive home, she had become so accustomed to the really big house that she couldn’t have been coaxed into the merely big house in the back yard with a sixteen-ounce Porterhouse, a futon, and a plasma TV.
In preparation for the adoption, my husband and daughter went to Home Depot where they found a home for their new furry child. Large enough for a family of four, it came in seven hundred pieces with assembly instructions in Chinese. I had been thinking plywood lean-to.
Nick Nack, named for nick nack paddy whack give a dog a bone, came from a local shelter to live with us. I was pleased that Mark and Alex were willing to take a dog that no one else wanted, but their adoption of a waif pooch did not change my mind. I still did not want a dog; I’d just agreed to tolerating their dog ownership.
Nick Nack arrived when she was eight weeks old and was, at that age, too young to stay outside alone in her doghouse-mansion. And since I would not allow my child to move into the back-yard mansion to keep the dog company, Nick Nack would live in a cardboard box in Alex’s room until she was old enough to graduate to her large, expensive, outdoor home. And, I figured, at her age she was too young to get at my neck.
“Oh, Mom, isn’t she adorable?”
Well, of course, all tiny puppies are adorable, and Nick Nack was no exception. She was a little ball of black fuzz, romping and yipping like some wind-up toy. But I wasn’t getting sucked in. That little black ball of fuzz was going to grow into a large, black, snarling, hairy beast.
As one would guess, by the time Nick Nack was old enough to move to her large, expensive home, she had become so accustomed to the really big house that she couldn’t have been coaxed into the merely big house in the back yard with a sixteen-ounce Porterhouse, a futon, and a plasma TV.
March 20, 2015
I am not a fan of novels centered in dogs—or cats—but this is such a well-constructed story that it won me over. It is a fictional memoir, which follows Rowdy through the collapse of her marriage and a sudden diagnosis of cancer; this journey parallels her growing connection with an at-first unwanted dog, Nick Nack. The dog manages to become Rowdy’s best partner, make her forget the darkness of that period; and together with Nick Nack, Rowdy gets past her initial selfish reaction to her troubles and—no more spoilers than these—the new friend brings her to the doorsteps of a renewed life.
There’s nothing super original about the elements of the core storyline, but the careful way the book is structured, likeable characters, and the level of detail throughout the story, makes it one of those literary treks where one gets to leave behind personal life and walk a mile (or a few) on someone else’s shoes. In this sense, this novel—but, is it really a novel?—goes beyond what a real memoir can do, unless the memoirist possesses photographic memory and an extraordinary life of adventure.
If you can get past a few clichés here and there (ah, the standard professor-cheating-with-student husband) and accept a somewhat cozy treatment of the world of cancer sufferers that shields us from its worst horrors, this novel will entertain and empathize with many readers. For some, it will be treasured as the best book read in a long while.
There’s nothing super original about the elements of the core storyline, but the careful way the book is structured, likeable characters, and the level of detail throughout the story, makes it one of those literary treks where one gets to leave behind personal life and walk a mile (or a few) on someone else’s shoes. In this sense, this novel—but, is it really a novel?—goes beyond what a real memoir can do, unless the memoirist possesses photographic memory and an extraordinary life of adventure.
If you can get past a few clichés here and there (ah, the standard professor-cheating-with-student husband) and accept a somewhat cozy treatment of the world of cancer sufferers that shields us from its worst horrors, this novel will entertain and empathize with many readers. For some, it will be treasured as the best book read in a long while.
November 24, 2014
Loved it! A novel that captures loss like Landslide, and slowly rebuilds life like sea-hardened driftwood. Rowdy (yes that's her name, and no she's not ;) ) Murphy plows through loss, and an even more painful realization of aloneness, only to then be faced with with life and death.
Rowdy is very matter of fact about it all, and tougher even than she pretends, so through some very heavy topics, the reader never gets depressingly bogged down. Instead what comes across is a gradual stripping away of layers of pretend and pretense, that leaves room for something better.
Throughout it all, Nick Nack is the unlikely boon companion and heroine. As a mother, Rowdy knows all about giving unconditional love. Being the recipient of unconditional love however is something Rowdy must reach deep into the past to recognize, and with the help of her best friend, carry forward.
The novel is pieced much like Rowdy's favorite quilt, each piece forging another connection. Anyone from North Carolina especially, dog lovers, divorcees, anyone who's ever "recovered", and those who are drawn to character-driven stories, will love this book. It'll be on Holiday Recommended List for sure!
Rowdy is very matter of fact about it all, and tougher even than she pretends, so through some very heavy topics, the reader never gets depressingly bogged down. Instead what comes across is a gradual stripping away of layers of pretend and pretense, that leaves room for something better.
Throughout it all, Nick Nack is the unlikely boon companion and heroine. As a mother, Rowdy knows all about giving unconditional love. Being the recipient of unconditional love however is something Rowdy must reach deep into the past to recognize, and with the help of her best friend, carry forward.
The novel is pieced much like Rowdy's favorite quilt, each piece forging another connection. Anyone from North Carolina especially, dog lovers, divorcees, anyone who's ever "recovered", and those who are drawn to character-driven stories, will love this book. It'll be on Holiday Recommended List for sure!
January 8, 2015
Padgett Gerler's LESSONS I LEARNED FROM NICK NACK is the tale of Rowdy Murphy, a woman whose life begins to unravel in an alarming sequence of devastating events. She finds herself deserted, emotionally destroyed, and gravely ill. Her plight is compounded by possessing a dog she never wanted from the very beginning. But, in the end, the unwanted beast is the only thing in Rowdy's life that she can count on. Slowly, her relationship with the animal changes to one of unconditional love and respect.
I found the story riveting, and the characters believable. If there is one thing a woman should learn from this book: Skip the husband and get a dog!
I found the story riveting, and the characters believable. If there is one thing a woman should learn from this book: Skip the husband and get a dog!
February 27, 2016
A very good book addressing pain, loss, struggle, and climbing back up from all of it. The importance of the benefit of your friends and family that can help you through your struggles is brought out in this book, even though one of them is a dog. The loyalty and love of an animal can quietly remind an individual of the simple things in life are all part of the big picture. Rowdy faced so much as her life went into a tailspin. She eventually understood the lessons she was being taught by Nick Nack would change her life. Loved this book. Thank you Padgett Gerler for a great book. You have a new reader of your books
December 24, 2016
I loved this book
This book had my attention from the start. Losing your husband to a beautiful younger woman is hard but when you add finding out you have breast cancer is added to the equation it becomes unbearable but my new hero Rowdy managed to survive . Rowdy was left the dog that belonged to her husband and daughter . Rowdy spoons learns that dogs are more than just animals.. I found this book to be great with believable characters and situations. This is a book that I laughed and cried through, it is one of the best books I have read in awhile. This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last.
This book had my attention from the start. Losing your husband to a beautiful younger woman is hard but when you add finding out you have breast cancer is added to the equation it becomes unbearable but my new hero Rowdy managed to survive . Rowdy was left the dog that belonged to her husband and daughter . Rowdy spoons learns that dogs are more than just animals.. I found this book to be great with believable characters and situations. This is a book that I laughed and cried through, it is one of the best books I have read in awhile. This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last.
January 19, 2015
I was just going to read a few pages and instead ended up reading straight through, bawling my eyes out. I finished the book on the couch, snuggling with my puppy, having enjoyed the heck out of this book. The story takes us through the main character's journey with divorce, cancer, learning to accept the love of a dog, and self-realization. Every part of the narrative brought something new, not necessarily in a big, bold way, but in a quiet way, much like life. I enjoyed this novel immensely and am looking forward to reading another by this author.
February 21, 2016
I don't know much about dogs, never had one but I can't say that I'm afraid of dogs or that I don't like them, I'm just more of a cat person. This story taught me a lot about dogs, the same lessons that also Rowdy learned. I don't easily cry over books but it was a very emotional read so I shed more than a few tears.
February 20, 2015
Fantastic
This book was wonderful! I didn't want to put it down. I also didn't want it to end. I can't remember the last book that made me cry, both sad and happy tears. Loved it!
This book was wonderful! I didn't want to put it down. I also didn't want it to end. I can't remember the last book that made me cry, both sad and happy tears. Loved it!
January 23, 2017
Emotional roller coaster
Loved this book, in spite of the need for a box of kleenex. Beautifully written with heart and love. Life can be a sweet and / or bitter pill..how we react is up to us.
Loved this book, in spite of the need for a box of kleenex. Beautifully written with heart and love. Life can be a sweet and / or bitter pill..how we react is up to us.
October 1, 2014
We are proud to announce that LESSONS I LEARNED FROM NICK NACK by Padgett Gerler is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
February 4, 2015
We are proud to announce that LESSONS I LEARNED FROM NICK NACK by Padgett Gerler is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
June 2, 2015
The best
This book made me laugh, cry, get mad and the cry again
I loved reading this book it was r real life experiences
This book made me laugh, cry, get mad and the cry again
I loved reading this book it was r real life experiences
December 22, 2015
One of my favorite books of 2015.
March 28, 2017
This was one of those books that once I actually started it (read a couple pages then had to read something else first) just three days ago, I couldn't put it down. It became my "just on more page book".
The reason I did not give it 5 Stars was the extrenous detail in certain areas, with just like a "Oh by the way this happened" jump in quick add. It was like the author realized they forgot something. I also felt the ending was not necessary. It has became so typical in a book like this and felt added just for a shock factor. Not like it actually belonged. The story would have been better without it.
The reason I did not give it 5 Stars was the extrenous detail in certain areas, with just like a "Oh by the way this happened" jump in quick add. It was like the author realized they forgot something. I also felt the ending was not necessary. It has became so typical in a book like this and felt added just for a shock factor. Not like it actually belonged. The story would have been better without it.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews