Book details

When Harry Met Minnie

A True Story of Love and Friendship

Author: Martha Teichner

When Harry Met Minnie

When Harry Met Minnie

About This Book

*An Instant New York Times Bestseller!*

A memoir of love and loss, of being in the right place at the right time, and of the mysterious ways a beloved...

Page Count
256
On Sale
02/02/2021

Book Details

*An Instant New York Times Bestseller!*

A memoir of love and loss, of being in the right place at the right time, and of the mysterious ways a beloved pet can bring people together, from CBS Sunday Morning News correspondent and multi-Emmy-Award-winning Martha Teichner.

There are true fairy tales. Stories that exist because impossible-to-explain coincidences change everything. Except in real life, not all of them have conventional, happily-ever-after endings. When Harry Met Minnie is that kind of fairy tale, with the vibrant, romantic New York City backdrop of its namesake, the movie When Harry Met Sally, and the bittersweet wisdom of Tuesdays with Morrie.

There’s a special camaraderie among early-morning dog walkers. Gathering at dog runs in the park, or strolling through the farmer's market at Union Square before the bustling crowd appears, fellow pet owners become familiar–as do the personalities of their beloved animals. In this special space and time, a chance encounter with an old acquaintance changed Martha Teichner’s world. As fate would have it, her friend knew someone who was dying of cancer, from exposure to toxins after 9/11, and desperate to find a home for her dog, Harry. He was a Bull Terrier—the same breed as Martha’s dear Minnie. Would Martha consider giving Harry a safe, loving new home?

In short order, boy dog meets girl dog, the fairy tale part of this story. But there is so much more to this book. After Martha agrees to meet Harry and his owner Carol, what begins as a transaction involving a dog becomes a deep and meaningful friendship between two women with complicated lives and a love of Bull Terriers in common. Through the heartbreak and grief of Carol’s illness, the bond that develops changed Martha’s life, Carol’s life, Minnie’s life, Harry’s life. As it changed Carol’s death as well.

In this rich and touching narrative, Martha considers the ways our stories are shaped by the people we meet, and the profound love we can find by opening our hearts to unexpected encounters.

Imprint Publisher

Celadon Books

ISBN

9781250212535

In The News

“Teichner’s main themes are sure to warm readers in this cold coronavirus winter: the steadfast devotion between dogs and their owners, and the essential role friendship plays in sustaining both humans and their beloved pets … Teichner has learned that we all have the capacity to create and build new friendships and attachments at whatever age or stage of life. That such rewards are possible is the inspirational lesson for all the characters in — and readers of — this touching saga.”
The Washington Post

"When Harry Met Minnie made me cry and made me dance with joy. It’s an exquisite tale about heartbreak and healing, critters and humans, and the little miracles life hands us when we need them the most."
Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of THE GLASS CASTLE and HALF BROKE HORSES

"When Harry Met Minnie is a tour-de-force of storytelling. Martha Teichner not only charts the course of two remarkable friendships, between two people and two dogs, she invites us to consider our own relationships. The stars that had to align to put someone special in our life. This is a love story, masterful, warm and funny, heartfelt and heartbreaking. I absolutely loved this book."
—Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author of All the Devils Are Here

When Harry Met Minnie is a story of laughter and tears, of friendship and dogs. It shows us the loyalty and resilience of Bull Terriers—and of two women who love them. A book of generosity and hope for an era badly in need of both.”
Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of GOOD BOY: My Life in Seven Dogs

When Harry Met Minnie belongs on the shelf next to Travels with Charley and Marley and Me. But the unforgettable dogs we meet in these pages don’t just help the people in their lives, they save each other. Martha Teichner has written an extraordinary story filled with love and humor about the transformative power of friendship, among dogs and people, in the thick of life and at its end. I fell in love with Harry, Minnie, their humans, and this marvel of a book."
Will Schwalbe, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club and Books for Living

"The sweet — if wrenching — memoir is an ode to our dearest four-legged friends, and the people they lead us to."
The Washington Post, "What to read in 2021 based on what you loved in 2020"

About the Creators

When Harry Met Minnie

When Harry Met Minnie