Horse: A Novel

Love the eloquent way Geraldine Brooks writes. Her stories are works of art to me, the beauty she portrays through her words. The story of Horse was also fascinating and had me enthralled. While the end was hard, it fit totally plausible and fit. Recommend all her books!

Great book! Mostly based on facts and real people. So sad to see how the slaves were treated.

Terrific book on the greatest American racehorse in the pre-Civil War era, and the people connected with him. The history of the horse (Darley and Lexington are two of the names for him) is chronological, from birth to death, as is that of his (fictionalized) trainer, enslaved Jarrett, and an accomplished equine artist, Thomas Scott. However, this account is interwoven with a dual timeline story about the skeleton of the horse at the Smithsonian Museum showing how it was discovered and studied. Another timeline story about the paintings of the horse could confuse the story, but doesn’t. The dual stories interconnect in a way that makes sense (not always true in dual timeline stories). The author does a superb job of keeping everything straight for the reader.All the story lines are interesting and you learn a lot about horse training and racing, about what a skeleton can tell about the living animal, and more. Because the story takes place mainly in Kentucky in the pre-Civil War era, the story must include a lot about enslavement. The author, who is a well-known white woman from Australia (living in the USA for many years), portrays all the black characters as real, complex figures. She is as sensitive in this portrayal as I reckon a white person can be. I especially enjoyed relationship between Jarrett (Lexington’s trainer) and the horse. They really loved each other. Also the budding romance between the Smithsonian Museum worker and the art history Phd candidate was well done.I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good yarn. It’s well-researched, but reads like a novel ( a really good one). No swearing, minimal grisly violence (only one brief war scene I can think of), and a good romance with no lurid sex scenes. Great for adults who like a complex story with multiple themes and timelines.

Geraldine Brooks has written a resounding book about American horse racing in the deep south, 1850-1861. The narrative goes back and forth in time from the 1800's to the present and encompasses many themes - slavery, art, love, and horses.In the present time, Jess, an Australian osteologist, finds the bones of what she thinks is the greatest race horse of all time, Lexington. She is able to identify the horse because of its stature and an unusual bone growth on its head. Jess meets Theo, a Nigerian-American, who is studying the art of horses as his PhD dissertation. He finds a painting of a horse in his neighbor's trash which turns out to be an important piece of art. Slowly, Jess and Theo form a friendship that becomes a romantic attachment.In the 1800's, Jarret, a slave on a large southern plantation, becomes very close to a newborn foal who later turns out to be America's greatest race horse - Lexington. Jarrett is raised with his father but later sold to a very manipulative slave owner. However, throughout his life, and Lexington's, they remain bonded.Jarrett becomes a 'sort of' assistant to Thomas Scott, a painter, who does several portraits of Lexington and Jarrett. They form a friendship of sorts though it was unusual in those days for a white man to befriend a black slave.Meanwhile, in the present, Martha Jackson, an art gallery owner, comes into contact with a painting of a horse. Her gallery is known for showing contemporary painters like Jackson Pollack and horse portraits are not really her thing. She says she'll evaluate the painting as a favor to her house maid.All these people and themes are interwoven in 'Horse' and the narrative is fascinating and beautifully written. It was sad to read about the conditions of slavery and lack of any agency a slave had. I also was saddened about the way some horses were treated by their wealthy white owners who cared more about making money than caring for the health and well-being of their race horses.This is a book to savor. It blossoms as it moves into the second half. I rooted for Jarrett the whole time I was reading it and loved the characters of Theo and Jess. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who treasures literary and historical fiction.

I greatly enjoyed Horse: A novel. I liked the way the author moved between contemporary and historical times to keep the story moving forward, but never giving away what was to come. The multiple story lines of racial tensions now and during the pre-civil war times was well done, and a necessary part of the story of the famous racehorse that was the key to all of the story lines as they came together. I highly recommend the novel.

Hard to put down as we follow the story of a great racing horse, from origins, to modern times and the rediscovery of his greatness. Explore the relationship of boy, then man, to horse, and the artists that paint them. The art that ensures through hundreds of years, and even war. This book has it all.