Nov 24, 2009

The Horse Whisperer

by Nicholas Evans

Tragedy happens when Grace goes out riding early one winter morning with her best friend. Their horses slip on an icy slope and collide with a semi truck on the road below. Grace and her horse barely survive, the animal so badly injured the vet wants to put it down. But Grace's mother Annie begs him to keep it alive, fearing that her  daughter will loose her own hold on life if her beloved horse dies. The horse is so traumatized and crazed with pain that he becomes vicious and unapproachable, and seeing him in that state throws Grace into a black depression. Desperate to find healing for daughter and horse, Annie drives them across the country to Montana, where she's heard of a horse trainer that can connect to frightened and troubled horses, calming them with his understanding. So The Horse Whisperer leads them on the rocky path to healing. Made even more difficult when Annie falls in love with the horse trainer, and the daughter discovers her mother's betrayal. The ending is tragic, in a fitting kind of way. It's quite different from the movie version, which I've also seen and liked, though the book is better. Incidentally, I believe it was this book that made the term "whisperer" popular (as in dog whisperer, baby whisperer, etc).

Rating: 3/5                      404 pages, 1995

3 comments:

  1. The Horse Whisperer has been on my tbr list for awhile now. I need to just pick it up an read it.

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  2. I read this book several years ago and really enjoyed it. I've never seen the movie.

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  3. Susan B Evans- It's a good story. I don't think you'll regret it.

    Bermudaonion- Glad to know you did too! The movie was good, but lots of things were different- especially the ending.

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