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tinkbeadlebooks's review against another edition
DNFing as I feel the effort required to finish this book will not equate to the reward/satisfaction of the story for me personally, Im sure it's a great read but, almost 100 pages in I've not connected to one character and at 650 pages, I'm not willing to find out if I will 😊
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/day-1188-horse-heaven/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/day-1188-horse-heaven/
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
5.0
I adore this book: it is officially my favorite book of all time. I seriously felt like it was made especially for me. The book is so gorgeously detail oriented and Smiley did an especially beautiful job of weaving a complex and connected tapestry of human emotion and relationships. It was in a word, gorgeous. I was so engrossed by the writing, the style and the impeccable attention Smiley paid to the intense world of horse racing.
Not a book I would recommend to the casual reader, but for a horse person this is truly a masterpiece; Smiley is a genius.
Not a book I would recommend to the casual reader, but for a horse person this is truly a masterpiece; Smiley is a genius.
beckyroy19's review against another edition
4.0
Excellant book for horse lovers. The whole book revolves around several different (ficitional)horse owners, trainers, riders, breaders. They all have their own stories going on and sometimes they intertwine. I loved just to read about the horse/human relationships and I was able to identify with a lot of it. The horse stuff was authentic based on my horse owning expereince, so the book really hit home with me. Defintiely a must read for a horse owner. The only reason it's not 5 stars is one overly graphic love scene and a few really odd psychic or alternative type things I justed wasn't buying.
rebeccarennerfl's review against another edition
Smiley covered the entire world of horse racing in a single book.
blackberryjambaby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Ableism, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Body shaming, Classism, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism, Excrement, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Child abuse, and Homophobia
dllh's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second Smiley book I've read, and both have been oddly very slow and very compelling, drawing me in until I was fully absorbed less in the people than in the bits of culture or history the books reveal. In this one, the people are a lot less interesting than the horses (and one dog). This almost paradoxical slow/compelling trick Smiley pulls off in these books is sort of a marvel.
alexamariareader's review against another edition
2.0
After attending the Kentucky Derby last year I have been fascinated by the horse world. It was a slow read for me because there were so many characters I couldn't follow the narrative all the time but overall I liked it.
anitaofplaybooktag's review
3.0
It was hard for me to rate this book because if I was rating it sheerly on how much I personally enjoyed it - - it would have 4 stars. But I had to factor in some other, more objective criteria - - and that knocked it down a bit.
This book is 650 pages of 3-5 pages "chapters". It follows at least four major storylines with a few minor ones thrown in for good measure. And it features at least 30 characters, all of whom appear and reappear. This makes for some challenging reading!
The stories do connect and intersect and their commonality is the world of horse racing. If you don't know a thing about horse racing, you'll know quite a lot after reading this book. It definitely is soap operaesque! And in that way, I enjoyed the book. It just has wonderful details about a world which I knew nothing about. It also brings horses to life in a way that you actually sympathize with their trials and tribulations.
My major criticisms of the book are:
1. If you don't like horses, at least a bit, I'm afraid you really should NOT read this book.
2. There's a few storylines that are a bit far fetched - - like one about an animal communicator that I found both dull and silly. Fortunately, those storylines are not prominent.
3. It's so darn long! But each chapter is so short that it really isn't tough to read like some lengthy books.
What I loved was the detail of the writing and the voice of Jane Smiley. She just has a great way with words and characters. I found these characters to be fascinating and delightful, and I was glad to spend 650 pages with them.
This book is 650 pages of 3-5 pages "chapters". It follows at least four major storylines with a few minor ones thrown in for good measure. And it features at least 30 characters, all of whom appear and reappear. This makes for some challenging reading!
The stories do connect and intersect and their commonality is the world of horse racing. If you don't know a thing about horse racing, you'll know quite a lot after reading this book. It definitely is soap operaesque! And in that way, I enjoyed the book. It just has wonderful details about a world which I knew nothing about. It also brings horses to life in a way that you actually sympathize with their trials and tribulations.
My major criticisms of the book are:
1. If you don't like horses, at least a bit, I'm afraid you really should NOT read this book.
2. There's a few storylines that are a bit far fetched - - like one about an animal communicator that I found both dull and silly. Fortunately, those storylines are not prominent.
3. It's so darn long! But each chapter is so short that it really isn't tough to read like some lengthy books.
What I loved was the detail of the writing and the voice of Jane Smiley. She just has a great way with words and characters. I found these characters to be fascinating and delightful, and I was glad to spend 650 pages with them.