Horse - Geraldine Brooks

I read a lot. Have read all of Geraldine Books and loved them but this book stands out. The historic information and the cleaver way characters are woven into the story at different times in history made the book hard to put down. The details in training the horse and of life at that time in history was like seeing it happen. Outstanding. Descriptions made my heart ache or I was elated with joy at outcomes. So so good.

Geraldine Brooks has written a fascinating story about the champion American racehorse, Lexington. She traces the life of the stallion from birth in 1850, through success on the racetrack to retirement as a stud. All this against a backdrop of slavery and the American Civil War. At the same time, she links the history of Lexington with current day research into its articulated skeleton and to several original paintings of the stallion.Many of the characters depicted in the novel were real people involved in the training, ownership and painting of Lexington. Those conducting current day research into the horse are fictional. Geraldine Brooks interweaves their different stories by adroitly switching back and forth between past and present.Importantly, this is not ... MoreGeraldine Brooks has written a fascinating story about the champion American racehorse, Lexington. She traces the life of the stallion from birth in 1850, through success on the racetrack to retirement as a stud. All this against a backdrop of slavery and the American Civil War. At the same time, she links the history of Lexington with current day research into its articulated skeleton and to several original paintings of the stallion.Many of the characters depicted in the novel were real people involved in the training, ownership and painting of Lexington. Those conducting current day research into the horse are fictional. Geraldine Brooks interweaves their different stories by adroitly switching back and forth between past and present.Importantly, this is not just a story about a famous racing horse. The key thread running through the book is about racial inequality and discrimination. The author paints a picture of life for slaves prior to the American Civil War; the inhumane way they were often treated and their absence of human rights. In contrast, racism in the present day is shown to be be more subtle but still pervasive. This theme adds weight and depth to a great yarn.

I was pleased to find that Brooks actually knows about horses and is not afraid to point out the cruelties in exploitative horse racing.Her style is clear, rather than poetic, and the structure is expertly managed. Each chapter begins by plunging the reader directly into an incident, achieving powerful immediacy, though she sometimes has to backtrack to explain.While I commend her tackling racism, by the conclusion, I did feel somewhat hit over the end with the author's message.