Rating: 
Summary: NEIGH...NEIGH...
Review: I can't believe I finally got through this overdone, boring book. I guess if you were one of those people who drew horses during art class in school you might like it. I wasn't one of them. I like Lidie Newton and Moo, but this book??? NEIGH...NEIGH....
Rating: 
Summary: improbable sweetness
Review: As a kid, I read everything about horses I could find at my local library and garage sales. (Couldn't afford full price then, either.) I wish this great big romping book had been written then. I've grown somewhat disillusioned with horse racing, since even the good tracks have allowed some really brutal, money-hungry things to happen in recent years. (For instance, almost all of them now allow people to run their horses on Butazolidin, an anti-inflammatory that makes lame horses run faster than their delicate bones would otherwise allow and masks other illegal substances.) Had put horses pretty much out of my mind years ago because I can't afford to be involved with them and it was too much like pressing my nose to the candy store window.Then I got this book as a present. The size of it made me think I would need to wait to read it until I really had time. So it sat for a while. But then I read Jane Smiley's book "Moo" and just had to read more of her work. Sorry I waited. The characters in this book are absorbing and full of foibles that anyone can relate to. She hits real notes when she shows horses being used up and thrown out as they often are in real life, but then, when your tissue box is near empty, she brings redemption to these unfortunate souls, too. Particularly lovable is the old-fashioned young trainer, Farley, who stands for what is honorable in the horse world. His story comes out OK and so you are left feeling that there is some decency in the world. And, by the way, this book does NOT take long to read. After a couple of chapters, you will find yourself devouring the rest.
Rating: 
Summary: I loved it so much after the last page I started it again
Review: And when I get tired of the mysteries and thrillers I've been reading on the subway, I will read it for the third time. I loved this book. I am a racing fan, so maybe that accounts for maybe 10% of my bias, but I recommend it for everybody.
Rating:
Summary: The Mane Event is a Fun Tail...
Review: Once you get past the fact that this book has enough characters to fill the stands at Churchill Downs...(ok, it is not that many) the book itself is a great read.
I caution however that you should bear some knowledge of the horse industry. Knowing the difference between a gelding and a stallion and the fact that a healthy horse has "cold legs" is a good enough start. And don't let the cover illustration fool you...this book takes place at the modern day track, and has references to such names and Lukas, Storm Cat, Baffert, and AP Indy.
I myself am not a huge follower of racing, but I knew enough and can certainly relate to the scene where Epic Steam "discovers his talent" as my horse has done the same thing and ended up coming straight to the barn door with the look of "I was lonely out there". (Needlesstosay, Elliot now has a turn-out buddy)
Horse Heaven has multiple stories going on at once, so as to be never boring...and at the same time has as many horse characters as there are human counterparts. I must admit that I did skim a few pages here and there, except I read with utter enjoyment the scenes on that little brown horse bred in California...because he is "Justa Love". Read and you will see what I mean!
Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Justa book? No -- an epic!
Review: I can't remember the last time I read a book that began with a two-page list of characters! But, at 561 pages of prose, in small type, some readers might feel the need to refer back to that list, from time to time. I admit to being intimidated, at first, but as I got deeper into the multiple story lines, I just decided to relax and enjoy the delightful atmosphere Jane Smiley was creating. Eileen is a dog that loves her mistress and deliberately makes life hellish for her master (urinating in his best shoes is only one of Eileen's little tricks). But the best characters in the book, I think, are the horses. From the viewpoint of Justa Bob, Froney's Sis, Limitless, Epic Steam, and the other Thoroughbreds, humans exist to keep them supplied with hay & oats. Many of the horses have genuine affection for their trainers and handlers, and some, like Mr. T., reward those humans they like best by passing on racing tips much more valuable than those found in the Daily Racing Form. By the end of the book, I was praying that Justa Bob would be rescued from the glue factory and Residual would recover and be put out to pasture. You'll fall in love with these animals, believe me. Smiley's central human characters will hold your interest, too. For example, she made me genuinely care whether Al and Rozzy's marriage would recover from the strain of the separate lives they were leading. However, some of the peripheral ones could have been edited out with no loss to the book's coherence. Overall, this book gave me enormous pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific book - beautifully written, funny, poignant
Review: Can't say enough good things about this book. I loved every story line. Smiley's language is so evocative - I drank in each phrase. And I have to admit - I enjoyed Eileen just about as much as the horses. So what if it's a little difficult keeping everyone accounted for - it's worth it!
Rating:
Summary: Horses, Humans & Other Animals
Review: Horse Heaven is insightful, funny and complex. It offers us fascinating equine, human (& canine) characters, & is insightful, funny and complex. It may be best when read aloud for it has, at times, a rambling, conversational tone. Through each character it presents different facets of living and working in the racing world. It has definitely changed how I relate to my animals (horses, dog & cat)-- I "listen" to them more carefully, enjoy everything about them that isn't human-like, and try to see the world through their eyes, minds & souls, while paying more attention to my own. It is all about connection and disconnectedness, motives pure and impure, striving of many kinds -- also not-striving, just being. Read it, or listen to a good recording of it (Recorded Books is wonderful!), and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Such a terrific read! I sent 2 already as gifts!
Review: Okay, so I love horses. You probably should at least like them to read this book. This was such a fun read, I envy those of you who haven't read it yet. Justa Bob is a horse whose character and circumstances will break your heart. I read 8 pages, loved it, bought 2 (from Amazon!)for my sister and my father, and stayed up until 2 a.m. three nights in a row because I had to find out what happened. Justa horse book, indeed!
Rating: 
Summary: Horse Heaven ad Infinitum
Review: If you are a dyed-in-the-wool horse lover, this is probably the book for you, as it goes into infinite detail about the training, breeding, care, and running of racing thoroughbreds, not to mention the multi-faceted work and social world of high stakes racing. However, the number of characters and personal situations is almost overwhelming. It is difficult to keep track, even by the end of the book, of the different sets of characters and their horses. Some characters introduced at the beginning of the book, such as Skippy and Mary Lynn Hollister, are more or less neglected or dropped, while others, such as Curtis Doheny, come in at the end with almost no purpose but to add endless lines of introspection and speculation. On the other hand, there are certain characters with such charm and appeal that the reader is quickly caught up in their stories. One very appealing aspect of the book is the detailed description of the actual horses and their personalities. The intelligence, charm, and distinctive differences in horses is an interesting facet of the book. In addition, there is a horse communicator; a woman who actually claims to be able to read a horse's mind and share information. Through this aspect of the book, one learns to appreciate how very intelligent and sensitive horses can be, and along these lines it is easy to understand the passion that many people have for horses.
Rating:
Summary: Everything About Racing
Review: This is a good book, not great, but good. There are a multitude of characters and it whips along at a quick pace. The only drawback is that the author had too many stories to tell about this subject and just put 'em in here anyway - even if it did not necessarily advance the narrative.
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