Horse: A Novel | 
pickA story of the greatest American race horse and race in America. A freed slave breeds a horse that can run fast with extraordinary endurance. His enslaved son is the horse‘s trainer and caretaker. Freedom for the man is out of reach until a Civil War confrontation. A contemporary grad student finds a dingy horse painting and his research revives the legend, but racism is still only thinly veiled. A slow starter, but worth the journey for 4/5 ⭐️.
“But after a time, he had stopped seeking such dialogue. They were, all of them, lost to a narrative untethered to anything he recognized as true.” Private Thomas J. Scott (artist) p. 337
Very hooked into the historical perspective of an enslaved boy who trains a horse from birth in pre-civil war Kentucky.
pickAn amazing story written with absolute finesse, this book was The Complete Package. That is, the kind you can disappear into, totally, utterly, blissfully. Based on real events, Brooks has fleshed out characters to create a compelling story that is fascinating & memorable. The relationships here are exquisite, the author's engagement with slavery/racism is powerful, the structure is just right & the ending .... be ready.
pickWhat do you do when you have to do 2 days of prep for your 1st colonoscopy (I have family w/colon cancer and had to get it done- early detection is key!)- you read a LOT. I enjoyed this book. Not usually interested in horse racing but really liked this and the light it shines on racism. 4⭐
I also finished a James Patterson book 'The Noise' and watched season 8 of Love is Blind, and the movie It Ends With Us (the book was so much better!)
Starting this one today on my old, but adequately functioning Kindle Oasis.
Wait, I think that description also applies to me 🤣
pickThis book introduces us to Lexington, one of the greatest race horses of all time. Based loosely on real people throughout history comes a fictional story that captivates you into the race horse world and connects three time lines in history to one amazing horse. This book starts out strong, but then hits a lull in the middle, then finishes strong. Just like a race horse should lol
To say my reading has fallen off the past several days would be an accurate statement. 😳
Be that as it may, I‘m pivoting to Horse today ahead of tonight‘s book club meeting. It‘s good so far!
I bailed on Starling House. It just wasn‘t working for me. With seven weeks left in the year, I do expect to finish the rest of these plus some others. My Goodreads goal is 80 and I‘ve read 74 to date.
#TenBeforeTheEnd
pickKept seeing this and resisted reading it. Saw someone said how they were learning and made myself pick up the paperback. 🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎. Art history, equine science, horse racing in the antebellum South, 3 timelines and a bit of a romance…Loved this Read. Not a horse person but now I am closer to being one. Based on the stud Lexington.
pickWow, what a ride! I perhaps wouldn‘t have picked up this novel just based on a blurb or plot synopsis, but I know the author writes books I love to read and this one is no exception. My heart was captured by the characters, humans and horses. Highly recommended although not for the faint of heart—brutal treatment of humans and horses.
so-soIf you are looking for a dramatic book with lots of twists and turns…this is not it. While an interesting story, it was one I mustered through rather than being excited to read.
Couldn‘t pass up this one by a must-read author for me! #coverlove #horse
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Expertly researched & written, I really enjoyed this! Brooks is a master at weaving a story through so many timelines - this one set in 1850, 1950, & 2019 - and five different narrators. The 5 readers who made up the audiobook were excellent, too.
I knew nothing about the history of horse racing, the horse Lexington, or all the lost stories of the Black trainers, grooms, & jockeys of the USA‘s antebellum time period.
Definitely recommend!
pickI only like the idea of horses in real life, but this Horse and the other characters, particularly Theo and Jarret, tugged at my heartstrings and brought tears to my eyes. Who knew the story of a horse (Lexington) would have such an impact on me? This is a story about horse racing and race in America, and it is extremely well done. The book is both sad and triumphant in turns, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. 🐎🎧
pickGreat story, stellar writing, and interesting. characters. Historical fiction at its best. 5*
ETA: the audio was excellent
pickMaking the most of the daily commutes!
This was such a delightful read, had no idea this was based on a real horse until the very end!
H for A to Z challenge!
The author of the tagged book will be discussing with PBS Books her book Horse 🐴
January 31, 2024, 8pm
If you have a Facebook, here‘s the link to the event https://facebook.com/events/s/pbs-books-readers-club-horse-a/1552134388661481/
pickLittens—I finally finished Horse!! After picking it for my church book club a few mths ago, I read about half, skimmed ahead a bit, & let my mom read it because our library didn‘t have enough copies.
I really enjoyed this story, esp since I live near Lexington, Ky. I learned new things about horse racing & the horse, Lexington. My book club have all been interested in learning more & need to go see the museum soon. #doublespin for October
pickI enjoyed learning what this book has to teach, I had no previously knowledge of this subject at all! I‘m looking forward to reading more of this author.
pick🐎 📚 🏆
The novel Horse was selected for the 2023 Anisfield-Wolf Literary Award. Looking through prior year‘s winners reveals many excellent fiction experiences which I was excited to see I had read — and now am eager to read the ones I have still on my yet-to-read list.
The audiobook for Horse was well done, probably due to having 4 narrators involved. I thought the interwoven storylines, across decades, involving art 🖼️ history & ⬇️
pickThis is the second book I've read by Geraldine Brooks, and it won't be the last! I'm impressed by how she weaves together several storylines, both historical and present day, bringing together common themes and making topics I'm not that interested in completely fascinating. Horse racing in the antebellum South is not a topic that prompts me to pick up a book (which is one reason this languished in my Libby queue for so long)… ⤵️
“We suffered enough on account of slavery already. I don‘t plan on laying my life down to end it. You folk who made this mess, I reckon you owe us to clean it up.”
On a Labor Day 2023 Road Trip! #KansasMissouri Just finished #BookClub book: Going Zero, starting Horse for #ToFavorites2023
Listening to the ocean while reading a book. There‘s truly nothing better
1. Tagged
2. I started a book of short stories in February 2021 that I‘m still reading.
3. My family
@Eggs #wondrouswednesday
so-soUnpopular opinion here, but I have mixed feelings. Obviously a lot of excellent research and interesting ideas here with horse racing, race, and science, etc. but it was so ridiculously long-winded, the ending was wrapped up clumsily and hastily, and the race issues were presented with so little nuance. Just felt like I should be wowed, and I just wasn‘t.
I'm a bit late to this party (as usual!) but here are my best books of the year so far. #2023readingbracket
May vs June was pretty must a toss up between TMTSOT&L and Swan Light.
pickA story of a boy & his horse, laced with historical facts, tinged with racial tension, & complemented by strong characters. The weaving together of different factual events - a painting recovered from the curb, the rediscovery of a horses skeleton, the death from a car wreck of a famous painter - all so skillfully researched & embellished. From the afterword, “this novel could not merely be about a racehorse, it would also need to be about race.”
pickA beautifully written story of the real life race horse, Lexington and his relationship with his groomer, trainer and best friend, Jarrett, a Black slave in the South. This is a painting of the record-breaking thoroughbred that is at the Smithsonian Institution, painted by Thomas J. Scott in 1857. Well researched, the author moves between the past and modern times to tell how racism was a part of horse racing and how it continues in America now.
pickThis week I read Horse. This historical fiction novel weaves important American horse racing history together with a story of devotion and love while addressing race and racism. This was my first by Brooks and I will definitely be reading more by her.
🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎
📚 Book 2/14 for #14Books14Weeks2023
🐎 Enjoy the Belmont Stakes today if you‘re watching!
🐴 Photo taken last weekend with a bronze sculpture called War Pony by Allan Houser.
Three chapters in and already falling under the spell of this exquisite writing. Wishing that I could just read all day.
pickI had no idea what this was about, but I listened to it because it was so highly recommended. I also had never read Brooks before…. But woah. This was absolutely fascinating and so well written! I was nervous about multiple narrators, but it was so well handled…. And the research that had to have gone into this! I‘m blown away.
pickWow!! I loved Brooks‘ past novels, but this one may be my favorite! Centered around Lexington, once considered to be the world‘s best racehorse, Brooks reveals the horse‘s life & legacy. 2019 tracks the rediscovery of the horse‘s skeleton & authentication of a junk-picked painting, the 1950s covers another painting in the hands of a collector & in the 1850s, the life of the horse. Heartbreaking & engaging- this is more than a story of a horse!
pickThis book hooked me from the very first page and kept me hooked until the very last! Such a solid historical fiction book about a topic I know very little about! Highly recommend!!
Happy Friday, Litsy peeps! 🎉🎉🎉 I hope everyone has a fun and exciting bookish weekend to look forward to! 💕📚 I'm really happy to FINALLY be starting this one today! I love Geraldine Brooks (The People of the Book was SO GOOD!) and I'm finally ready to dive into this one! #catsoflitsy #chaplin
#TemptingTitles #WithHorse
I started it on audio shortly after it came out but got distracted. I want to try again.
A dual timeline historical fiction story about the people who actually worked with the horses in horse racing (not just the owners and jockeys). Geraldine Brooks is such a solid author!
#temptingtitles #withhorse @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
pick“Another book about horses?”I thought.I‘m glad I read this one.I really liked the “horse history”.I also appreciated most if the messages spoken in the pages.I‘ll be honest, it was a little bit too political for me at times, as my views are likely a bit different than the authors.But this didn‘t take away from the story. I loved discovering Lexington,and I really admired Jarret. Jarret was willing to give up everything for that horse, even freedom
This week‘s plans!
Keep plugging along in Dragon Reborn #serieslove2023
#chunksterchallenge2023
Read Redshirts #LMPBC
Make some progress in Horse for my irl book club
#weeklyforecast
pickThis is my bookclubs March pick.
This book had me completely hooked. Even though I know absolutely nothing about horses or horse racing and I could not read this fast enough to find out what was going to happen!
#LiteraryLadiesBookClub
