A Book Review - Sort of

 About a month ago, I read Horse by Geraldine Brooks. The book was a detailed, thought-provoking, historical fiction story. I wanted to mention it here on my blog; however, I haven't been able to do that. Why? I would say perfectionism was rearing its ugly head. I wanted to do the book justice, but it is complex, and that was going to require more effort than I was able wanted to make when I thought about writing a post. So instead of writing a simple, "Horse is a good book. You might give it a try." I played games of Quordle, worked online jigsaw puzzles, and checked my email.

So here is the compromise that I made with myself. I will reprint a previously published summary. Below is from the Geraldine Brooks website.

KENTUCKY, 1850

An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union.

On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.

NEW YORK CITY, 1954

Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.

WASHINGTON, DC, 2019

Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred, Lexington, who became America's greatest stud sire, Horse is a gripping, multi-layered reckoning with the legacy of enslavement and racism in America.

The book has been well-received by both readers and critics. I was amazed by the detail with which the book was written. I wondered how any one person could do enough research to write expertly about the diverse subjects the book covers. Sometimes, I am not in the mood to deal with heavy material, and this book had its fair share of that. However, the story between the horse and Jarret transcended those.

 So much more could be said, but I'll just say, "I recommend Horse to you as an interesting, well-written book."

Note: My sister-in-law recommended this book to me along with this story. When she was growing up, there was a neighbor girl who galloped everywhere. Literally, galloped everywhere on a horse. The neighbor eventually went into art but still had a passion for horses. She is listed in the credits as one of the experts who helped the author with research for the book.