Horse Heaven

Rating:
Summary: I'm in "Horse Heaven"
Review: What a good book this is! I have never read Jane Smiley before and have nothing to compare this to, but I found the writing to be excellent, the characters to be extemely well-developed and accurate, and her grasp of horse-racing and the horse world in general to be masterful. The amount of research it must have taken for her to so correctly capture the little nuances of everyday life with horses is boggling, and perhaps that is why some -- people who are not "horse people", as we call them -- found the story and characters confusing and hard to follow. Ms. Smiley must have immersed herself in the racing scene to prepare for writing this book, and her readers do not have the same luxury. Those that already know what it's like (and that could mean from any "horsey" discipline, like the hunter/jumper world) have a head start and therefore a great advantage in reading this book. I found her characterizations of ALL creatures, be they human, equine, or canine, to be right on target. Wonderful reading for the equestrian-minded!

Rating:
Summary: Heavenly
Review: As a rider and owner myself, I usually shy away from horse related novels because the inaccuracy annoys me. This book was extensively researched, and a pleasant relief for those who actually are familiar with how the horse industry operates. At the same time, I'm sure it can be understood and enjoyed by those with just a simple interest in horses, rather than a working knowledge. Understandably, the seemingly endless parade of characters can be a little confusing, but it serves a point. In the circle of the horse industry, there is rarely a simple tale to be told of a horse, rider or owner. The dysfunctionally enmeshed lifestyle in which we lead puts us in a clique where everyone does thread to everyone else somehow, even when they don't know it. This work is not a light read, but well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Perfecta
Review: There are parts of this book that are just so well put together that I will return to it from time to time. Jane Smiley is a fine writer and she spins a horsey "tail" (sorry) that will involve you even if you never go to the track and think of a daily double as a happy hour special. Her cast is large, but every character is distinct and finely drawn. And the horses! They are the stars of this show. She brings them alive as individuals. I don't think I'll ever look at horses the same way again. The story is truly moving, but never pretentious, melodramatic or patronizing. The race sequences were breathtaking. She got her facts right too. The whole tempo of racing life. The circuits, the training, the track. I don't like animal stories as a rule, but this book is a rewarding exception. Smiley's style is so smart, and her intelligence so insightful that I did that thing that only books can let you do, I read my favorite passages over, and paged back from time to time to examine a point well made or to just enjoy the luxury of excellent writing. If you like horses, want to like horses or just enjoy first class writing, this book is a winner.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful read
Review: Beautifully written, humane, quirky, and utterly engrossing. I don't know horses from hoarseness, but still was captivated by this novel.

I always read for two hours every night in a big armchair and "Horse Heaven" was a big treat I looked forward to after a long, hectic day with three kids. Thank you, Jane Smiley, for this superb book.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't be more true of the real world of racing!
Review: This book made me a fan of the author's for life. Jane Smiley writes this to the point I cannot believe it's a work of fiction(including even the anthropomorphism of the animals in the story). I having grown up on the fringe of the racing community in Illinois and in being a "horse person" myself, I would say Ms. Smiley has created characters from those I have known personally. The story reads so closely to the real thing, you can't help but become completely engrossed. The characters are so well developed and the storyline moves along so well, I don't think there's a better story written about the world of Thoroughbred racing, fiction or non! One of my favorites. I was sad to have to have read the last chapter...not one you want to see end.

Rating:
Summary: Won Over
Review: This book is everything I look for in a great read - an engrossing story well told. The only great challenge was catching up on all of my work - which I put off to finish the book. I was actually surprised that it was so consistently enthralling from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Horses as Stars
Review: I didn't realize until near the end of this wonderful book that the horses were the real characters with the stories that tracked through the book to resolution. It was kind of a secret, hidden in full view, among the details of all the activity and people -- as vibrant, unpredicatable and eclectic as a day at the races. I followed Smiley along for the ride enjoying her brash style, often laughing out loud. I assumed the humans mattered -- they do in most books. I got them all mixed up, but carried on, and then at the end the light dawned ... it was really about the horses. Each main character (horse) represented a racehorse outcome. I was so enamoured with this discovery at the end that I started the book over to read with a keener eye. I won't give away the ending of course, but I'll give away the beginning. Read for the horses, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Horse Heaven a Heavenly Read
Review: This is such a lovely, entertaining, fascinating, moving book that I hated to finish it. I got so fond of all the characters (including the horses) and wanted to continue to track them and their fortunes. I haven't had such fun since I was mad about Black Beauty as a child. And it stirred up my affection for horses, their intelligence, they fortitude, their dignity and their beauty and their close relationships with people -- that there is a whole world out there in which people are fixated on horses is rendered absolutely real and compelling in Smiley's novel. It made me sorry not to be a trainer or a groom or a horse masseuse or at the very least, an owner. This book has everything -- pathos, satire, great characters, wonderful insight into horses and people abound. This novel has it all.