I may never look at a black Labrador in the same way again. In July 1964, on the eve of Churchill’s resignation from Parliament, Esther Hammerhans prepares her spare room for a lodger who turns out to be…a large, black dog. There are brilliant descriptions of Churchill’s luxurious estate with its fine gardens, furniture, fabrics and exotic knickknacks and mementos and Esther’s more modest flat full of cheap souvenirs; their homes are veritable museums to both the joys and the pains of their pasts. And in both their lives, Mr. Chartwell lurks, both repulsive and endearing. It is possible to love our misery and still find comfort in its familiarity. This was an odd little book, but wonderfully descriptive and precise. I would very much be interested in reading any further efforts from Ms. Hunt. I won this book on a book blog: http://savidgereads.wordpress.com In order to put our names in the hat, so to speak, we had to associate an animal with an emotion. I think I said something about cats and insouciance. But I think now I am truly haunted what I imagine is a big, fluffy bunny, who encourages me to eat cake for dinner, blow off yoga,smoke another cigarette, and stay up late poking about on goodreads, all the while whispering seductively in my ear that I can get fit, get up early, eat salad tomorrow

This was a very inventive tale, weaving tidbits of current history in with psychology and sociology, but lest you think it to be a dry tome, think again. This whimsical tale of an unwelcome visitor to Winston Churchill, as well as several fictional Brits casts a fresh light on a very difficult topic. Mr Chartwell is lovingly drawn, if a detested character can be "lovingly" anything.

The characters were all believable and eminently likable. I especially enjoyed the characterization of Corkbowl...the ultimate nerd who was amazingly perceptive and attuned to other people. Would that everyone had a Corkbowl in their life to help them during those dark days. Imagine the usefulness of knowing someone who could tell when it was best to change the subject... and just how persistently to probe with questions!

Dialogue and action moved right along, all sounding very natural. It was easy to imagine oneself in Esther's shoes, struggling to manage a day at a time through a rough patch in her life and ultimately succeeding with the help of her friends. It is, ultimately, through our connections that we are saved.

I'm on the fence about this book. It was well-written and I liked the two storylines and how they blended together. The concept of the book was strange though.

Meh.

I liked the idea but not the overly literary writing style. It often felt forced and awkward.

Love the cover, though.

While this wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be, this was an interesting look at how depression afflicts people and affects those around them. A worthwhile read.

This book was different that how I originally imagined it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The personification of depression in the form of Mr. Chartwell (the 'black dog' in question) is heavy yet light-hearted. Rebecca Hunt makes the conflicting nature of Mr. Chartwell an uncomfortable presence to the reader & pushes a lot of thoughtful buttons in her story.

Clever.

Quirky story of two individuals battling the "black dog" of depression. One of the victims is Winston Churchill, and the other a young librarian for the House of Commons whose husband committed suicide. Sad, different, but somehow, interesting.