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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780345442932
ISBN number: 0345442938
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: May 01, 2001
Publishing house: Ballantine Books
Release Date: May 01, 2001
Sale Popularity Level: 661152
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Product Description:
He came to me very first in a dream, as a crippled dog angling down a country lane, puzzled by his sudden age, his bum paw, the dry stick clamped between his teeth. I’d been expecting this dream for a very long time, and I woke up moving. . . .
Rita Rosario has a gift, a way with people. She listens to them and really sees them for who they are–warts and all. And sometimes, she even knows how to guide them toward a new beginning. Women, even men, come to Rita’s beauty shop for perms, town gossip, and the makeovers of their very lives.
John Reed very first appears to Rita in one of her dreams. When they meet at a town gathering a few days later, she immediately offers him a haircut, and her heart. As they share their stories, Rita senses she can help John fill a void by reconnecting him to his only family–a young niece he nearly lost in a heartbreaking tragedy. While inspiring John on a journey out of loneliness and into reconciliation, Rita begins to come to terms with events in her past . . . and discovers things about herself she never realized, including her own intimate role in John’s unfolding story.
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Rated by buyers 
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This is a beautifully written book, full of suspense and heart and a philosophy about living life to its fullest, set amidst a plot of a hairstylist's search for happiness and peace-a husband? a baby? help your crazy sister? I absolutely could not put this book down.
Rated by buyers 
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I hated this book. I kept thinking that it had to get better based on the reviews on Amazon. Her neediness was oppressive. Ugh!
Rated by buyers -
This lovely novel tells the story of broken people and their search for redemption in life. Rita, a lonely and reflective haridresser, befriends John, who is suffering from his own demons. John reveals that he has a long-lost neice with whom he is estranged due to a family tragedy. Rita encourages John to reconnect with his neice, and this sets in motion a chain of events that will change all of their lives. During the course of the novel, Rita also reconnects with her estranged sister, who had been living in a cult.
While this plot line may seem absurd from this description, it is refreshingly normal. This story is really about love, loss, forgiveness, family, and finally acceptance. Monica Wood is a stunningly beautiful writer and can convey complex emotions in the most beautiful and simple ways. The book stays with you long after you finish it, as do the characters.
Rated by buyers 
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The main character of this book, Rita, has experienced many losses in her 30-something years: the loss of her beloved grandmother to cancer, the loss of her infuriating older sister to a cummune, the loss of her childhood home and the town where she grew up, and finally, the loss of her marriage and related hopes for a child. Despite all this, she sees herself as a healer, and when she meets John, a lost soul, she sets out to save him. John tells Rita his "only story," his own tale of love and loss. Rita sets out on a mission to give John his life back, but somewhere along the way, she discovers that she is trying to save herself as well. Eventually, Rita makes the decision to sacrifice her own dreams in order to grant the wish of the enchanting little girl who holds the key to John's salvation.
Wood's book is beautifully written, even haunting at times; Rita's yearnings will stir up your own emotions, moving you to both anger and tears. The story is rich with originality, and the ending provides a conclusion that is both happy and sad. The one thing that prevented me from giving the book 5 stars was the transformation of Rita's character. When we very first meet her, Rita is portrayed as a quirky, strong survivor type with a good head on her shoulders; there is something clearly mystical about her as well. Over the course of the story, however, Rita starts to become needy, selfish, and even a bit unhinged. Of course, this metamorphosis is partly in service of the plot, and by the end of the book, Rita is her old self again; I just found the changes to be a bit too much out-of character. However, this a minor flaw, and it does not detract from the fact that My Only Story is a rich, rewarding read.
Rated by buyers -
My Only Story is an enchanting book. Wood's mastery of the language creates beautiful, sometimes poetic prose. I fell in love with her characters, who were all engaging and winsome. Even the "bad guys" were compelling, fully realized, struggling with their own devils while hurting the protagonists. The ending was inevitable and believable, and I was sorry to say goodbye to the characters.
Wood's ability to express both human pain and human hope is very refreshing. I look forward to reading every word she writes from now on. Also, I strongly recommend her other novel, Secret Language.
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