4.06k reviews for:

Horse

Geraldine Brooks

4.17 AVERAGE

kateseamons's review against another edition

4.75

informative fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

betsybarc's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

jinxlerai's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

k8tea's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

maddiejharper's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

demartinez's review against another edition

4.25

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

hannahanderson's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Loved this.

erikaln's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

knp4597's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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There is so much to unpack here. While the horse at the center of the narrative serves as the thread that weaves the stories together, it ultimately feels like a red herring. What Brooks is really doing is showing the stark juxtaposition between Jarrett’s life as a Black man in the mid-19th century—enslaved, then navigating tenuous freedom around the Civil War—and Theo’s life as a Black man in the 21st century, still battling both overt racism and the subtle sting of microaggressions.

The parallels are devastating, culminating in an ending that is both shocking and, sadly, not surprising at all. Alongside these stories, Brooks exposes the blindness, ignorance, and casual cruelty of privileged whites—Thomas Scott, Jess, Catherine, Mary Barr—across both centuries. I especially loved the way she highlighted how the elite white classes projected themselves into their prized racehorses, as if ownership of greatness bestowed it upon them.

There’s also an unexpected layer in Theo’s assumptions about his neighbor—a kind of “reverse prejudice,” perhaps—that he tragically never gets the chance to see corrected. That thread, left unresolved, was one of the most quietly heartbreaking touches of all.

This is such an incredible, important book. Quiet, layered, and devastating in the best way.

blairn's review against another edition

3.5

emotional informative reflective fast-paced