Learning to Stay
Written by Erin Celello
Narrated by Kate Rudd
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
What do you do when the man you're married to is no longer the man you married?
Elise Sabato is proud of her husband, Brad, for serving his country…and grateful when he returns home to her. But the traumatic brain injury he suffered in Iraq has turned him from a thoughtful, brilliant, and patient man into someone quite different-someone who requires more care and attention than Elise can give while working at a demanding law firm. And when Brad ends up on his family's farm, hundreds of miles away, she wonders where their marriage is headed.
Elise feels she must decide between the life she always wanted and the life she seems to be living…until she finds inspiration in the most unlikely of places: a lovable dog named Jones, who teaches her that when the best-laid plans take unexpected turns, sometimes you end up right where you were meant to be.
"A timely novel, but also a novel that speaks to the tides of any marriage, in peacetime or at war." -Joseph Monninger, Author of Margaret from Maine
"Riveting and tender…the emotional battle a wife must wage to bring her husband back to her." -Erika Marks, Author of The Mermaid Collector
Erin Celello
Erin Celello was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she also earned an MFA in fiction from Northern Michigan University. She now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, son, and two unruly Vizslas. She teaches writing at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Please visit her at erincelello.com and at facebook.com/ecelello.
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Reviews for Learning to Stay
15 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When I got to the section where Elise arrives at her father-in-law's house and he calls her "Princess", I was in total agreement. She does act like a princess in her expectation of a fairy-tale life. She also is a very type-A personality, driven to succeed at work, so we're not saying she expects everything handed to her on a plate.While I applaud the theme of bringing public awareness of the issues of returning veterans, the focus was so much on Elise. I suppose the theme really should be defined as the effect of veteran changes on spouses/marriages.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learning to Stay by Erin CelelloHer husband although the rest of his group were blown up by an IED he returned home. Little by little she notices he's lost part of what he was all about.At times he's violent to her, other times to others. She is a lawyer under deadline for depositions when the police show up and escort her to jail. She has tried to get him help and he blew up at her. Her other best girlfriend lost her husband in the same accident and they have drawn apart from one another.TThe red tape she has to go through really upsets me because he is a veteran and it should be automatic that he can get in to get help...so sad as I know this ishappening to others in real life as well. She's such a strong person to be able to handle all that comes with it and her job/life.She gets an idea from a magazine and the others agree to mediation talks. Things grow bad over time and she's made a decisions from multiple choices as what to do. Things move fast from that point on. Love how things just came about andit's so true about how they use the animals-it's proven in times of todays tragedies, etc.I received this book from Library Thing and the author in exchange for my honest opinion
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Woman's fiction is not generally my favorite genre, I often feel that it is overdramtic and, for lack of a better word, mushy. There were certainly times that I did feel that in this novel BUT, and it is a very big but, this novel did an amazing job of rendering the feeling and emotion of both side, of a vet from Iraq returning home. Elise is so grateful that her husband did not die with the rest of his convoy, she is naive and hpeful enough that with enough time and love, her husband will adjust. No such thing happens, she no longer recognizes the man he has become and in truth he no longer recognizes himself. At one point after breaking all the mirrors in their house, he tells her that he did it because he didn't recognize the man looking back at him. Tells of the plight of the verteran and also how hard it is for them to get help, with VA services cut and backed up. Of course a rescued pit bull names Jones steals the show and many hearts and opens the way for what might just be a possibe future. ARC from NetGalley.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Elise’s husband, Brad is in the military. Elise receives word that Brad’s unit has been attacked. Brad survived and is coming home. Once Brad arrives home, Elise quickly learns that the man she knows and loves is not the same man that has returned home. Elise is trying to adjust to the “new” Brad but Elise is having reservations. That is until Brad goes back home and meets a dog named Jones. I eyeballed this book and thought it sounded interesting and one that I needed to check out. Well I am so glad that I did. I absolutely loved this book. Learning to Stay is a must read book. This book will help keep you warm during these cold, winter months. This book will tug at your heart strings. I felt sorry for Brad for what he had to go through when he came back just dealing with the real world again and trying to live a normal life. In addition, to the harshness of Elise. Although, I can’t really put blame on Elise. Having Brad come back a changed man like he did was a huge adjustment for her. One that I did think she handled well. She did stick with him in the end. If I was in Elise’s position I think I might have reacted the same way as her. The only problem that I had with this book was Jones was not featured enough. I would have liked to have gotten to know Jones better. I do like that she was the one that helped Brad in the end to be able to live again. PAWS is a great group. I have not worked with them but I did raise a guide dog for the blind. So you could say that dogs that are trained to help people in need is very near and dear to my heart.