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wordsofclover's review
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
3.0
When Susan Richards received a call from the SPCA about an emergency case, and that there were horses in need of a foster home, she didn't hesitate to bring one of them to her farm - a gentle mare in need of some TLC called Lay Me Down.
In this book, Susan Richards talks about her relationship with Lay Me Down and how the mare's sweet nature and trust in people, despite everything she had been through, inspired Susan to think about her own abusive childhood and her first marriage in which she suffered domestic abuse, and let herself believe for the first time that she also deserved a second chance at happiness and love.
I enjoyed all the horse bits in this book - Lay Me Down's story is such a sad one, but I'm so happy that she received a beautiful home for the last period of her life, and the love she received from Susan. The way Susan described all her horses was done very well but in particular, Lay Me Down and Georgia - one peaceful, and gentle, the other fiery and headstrong. I don't think Susan always portrayed Georgia in the best light - a real you have to know her to love her situation - but I think it makes more sense for anyone who knows horses, and is aware that mares can be a real, well, 'mare.
Some of my issues with this book were definitely the elements of Susan's life that she added into her book that I felt unnecessary. I liked that she had a lot of female friends in her life, and they all supported and loved one another through life's ups and downs, and I also appreciate that Susan's early childhood and the emotional and sometimes physical abuse she suffered from the hands of relatives following her mother's traumatic death obviously severely impacted her into middle-age - but only ever get real quick glimpses into her childhood, just flashes and quick explanations implying what was going on but nothing was ever really given a deep dive. And then her dating life in the book was honestly hard to read because she was such an eyeroll. What a waste of time reading but also what a waste of her time dating Hank who she didn't like from the moment she met him for their first date but she kept seeing him, simply to avoid being completely alone. And then when she did decide they were done, she still didn't break up with him, found out he was cheating, but still waited months later until he dumped her. It was nonsensical and I don't think she had the character growth that she thought she had in this book - at least not from my point of view.
I do actually agree with another reviewer that perhaps Susan should have written a different book about her alcoholism in her twenties and thirties, and how her first mare Georgia helped her in her battle to overcome that and escape her abusive marriage. And then this book could have been a nice sequel, with the readers reacquainting themselves with Georgia and her attitude, and meeting the cool balm that is Lay Me Down and learning her story, and perhaps seeing more steps that Susan had taken to make the life she wanted.
In this book, Susan Richards talks about her relationship with Lay Me Down and how the mare's sweet nature and trust in people, despite everything she had been through, inspired Susan to think about her own abusive childhood and her first marriage in which she suffered domestic abuse, and let herself believe for the first time that she also deserved a second chance at happiness and love.
I enjoyed all the horse bits in this book - Lay Me Down's story is such a sad one, but I'm so happy that she received a beautiful home for the last period of her life, and the love she received from Susan. The way Susan described all her horses was done very well but in particular, Lay Me Down and Georgia - one peaceful, and gentle, the other fiery and headstrong. I don't think Susan always portrayed Georgia in the best light - a real you have to know her to love her situation - but I think it makes more sense for anyone who knows horses, and is aware that mares can be a real, well, 'mare.
Some of my issues with this book were definitely the elements of Susan's life that she added into her book that I felt unnecessary. I liked that she had a lot of female friends in her life, and they all supported and loved one another through life's ups and downs, and I also appreciate that Susan's early childhood and the emotional and sometimes physical abuse she suffered from the hands of relatives following her mother's traumatic death obviously severely impacted her into middle-age - but only ever get real quick glimpses into her childhood, just flashes and quick explanations implying what was going on but nothing was ever really given a deep dive. And then her dating life in the book was honestly hard to read because she was such an eyeroll. What a waste of time reading but also what a waste of her time dating Hank who she didn't like from the moment she met him for their first date but she kept seeing him, simply to avoid being completely alone. And then when she did decide they were done, she still didn't break up with him, found out he was cheating, but still waited months later until he dumped her. It was nonsensical and I don't think she had the character growth that she thought she had in this book - at least not from my point of view.
I do actually agree with another reviewer that perhaps Susan should have written a different book about her alcoholism in her twenties and thirties, and how her first mare Georgia helped her in her battle to overcome that and escape her abusive marriage. And then this book could have been a nice sequel, with the readers reacquainting themselves with Georgia and her attitude, and meeting the cool balm that is Lay Me Down and learning her story, and perhaps seeing more steps that Susan had taken to make the life she wanted.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
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