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laura_pc's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a quick read. It was pretty depressing too. I'm not sure if people who have not been around horses much would understand the powerful emotions in this book.
fxtrtr's review against another edition
5.0
Never have I read a book that I have connected with on such a personal level as I did with Chosen by a Horse. This true story of a broken down horse and an equally broken woman, that through fate, came into each others lives and brought healing. I could relate with Ms. Richards on so many levels in this story - horses, mothers, death and dying. I saw myself in her story. You don't have to like horses to enjoy this book, but I do think you need to be a horse lover to appreciate the bond that a person develops with a horse.
tashabye's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
The book itself was about a 3 star read but the emotions it packed at the end gave me more. I just finished reading [b:Seabiscuit: An American Legend|546489|Seabiscuit An American Legend|Laura Hillenbrand|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320499704s/546489.jpg|17572] and wasn't ready to let go of a horse story, my childhood obsession with horses was reignited (not an obsession now though just more of a wonderful fascination). So, as this book has been on my radar it seemed a perfect time to pick it up. A nice memoir but I was more into the connection the author had with the horse Lay Me Down rather than her personal journey. It also had the power to connect me with the loss of my beloved dog several years ago which was unexpected and frankly cathartic.
The book itself was about a 3 star read but the emotions it packed at the end gave me more. I just finished reading [b:Seabiscuit: An American Legend|546489|Seabiscuit An American Legend|Laura Hillenbrand|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320499704s/546489.jpg|17572] and wasn't ready to let go of a horse story, my childhood obsession with horses was reignited (not an obsession now though just more of a wonderful fascination). So, as this book has been on my radar it seemed a perfect time to pick it up. A nice memoir but I was more into the connection the author had with the horse Lay Me Down rather than her personal journey. It also had the power to connect me with the loss of my beloved dog several years ago which was unexpected and frankly cathartic.
sarafloerke's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quick read. If you have ever rescued an abandoned animal then you will understand this story. She finds so many connections with this horse and her dysfunctional, traumatic childhood.
Not too deep, just an interesting story.
Not too deep, just an interesting story.
jfwhitton's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book, probably because I have loved horses in my life.
mmwatkins's review against another edition
2.0
I think this is really a 2.5, I didn't find it that entertaining. It was slow and kept going over the same emotional issues the whole book.
miles862's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. This book felt disjointed and lacked a really strong narrative core. At first I was willing to overlook the questionable writing, until I read that blurb about the author on the back and found that she teaches English and writing at a college level. In that case, the writing was sub-par at best. I had a variety of issues with it:
1) She assumes that any reader who picks this up and doesn't know anything about horses needs to be told in parentheses that a horse's hocks are their elbows (not strictly true, either). And yet, she doesn't feel the need to explain what an "Arabian face" is in her Morgan? Extremely inconsistent. The horse details that she felt the need to expound on were rudimentary to people familiar with horses and unnecessary to comprehension for those who aren't.
2) The "main" horse of the book actually has a fairly boring story. And the author doesn't make it clear that this *particular* horse heavily influenced the great changes in her life - instead, it is a series of horses. The story narrative would have been stronger if this was a memoir about the *horses* who healed her broken heart - that would have been a story worth reading.
1) She assumes that any reader who picks this up and doesn't know anything about horses needs to be told in parentheses that a horse's hocks are their elbows (not strictly true, either). And yet, she doesn't feel the need to explain what an "Arabian face" is in her Morgan? Extremely inconsistent. The horse details that she felt the need to expound on were rudimentary to people familiar with horses and unnecessary to comprehension for those who aren't.
2) The "main" horse of the book actually has a fairly boring story. And the author doesn't make it clear that this *particular* horse heavily influenced the great changes in her life - instead, it is a series of horses. The story narrative would have been stronger if this was a memoir about the *horses* who healed her broken heart - that would have been a story worth reading.
skullfullofbooks's review against another edition
2.0
By the end of the book I can say I enjoyed it. I'm still annoyed about the random jumps in narration and the sometimes overly indulgent and random descriptions. Considering I didn't realize that this was a memoir until she talked about buying Georgia in upstate New York, I can say that I feel less disappointed in her character and the characterizations of the horses. I thought the references to Ithaca were pretty hilarious, and the reverence for Cornell's veterinary institute was well deserved. In fact, the only other part that made me close to tearing up besides the end was the worker telling her that if something were wrong with her own horse, Cornell would be the first place she sent him.
My main problem with the book is her mentioning of Natural Horsemanship, and then turning to show Georgia as an insane mare brought up on that idea. The only thing that saved it was her realizing that the mare's behavior is insane, but she never actually does anything about it. In fact, all she ever really does in the book is try to save Lay Me Down.
I would have liked to see the story of Georgia more than the story of Lay Me Down, as I don't really see how Lay Me Down changed her. I see the events leading up to where she is at the end, and I understand them. I realize that Lay Me Down did change her lifestyle, but her personality basically remained static.
In fact, I would say her relationship with Hank is basically the catalyst for her emotional change and discovery of self worth, which is totally unrelated to Lay Me Down. Hank is a jerk, and I don't blame the woman for wanting a relationship for the idea of feeling wanted, because she basically never had that feeling sober. She needed it to be able to realize that she was actually worthwhile when the men around her weren't drunk, and that she could also be social when not drunk. As bad of a person she probably seems, Hank shouldn't have done that to her. Good for her to sit down and confront him and not let him convince her it was OK because it wasn't. You're supposed to end a relationship before starting a new one- period. Although she should have known that a man who would start dating before being divorced from his wife wouldn't care about ending one relationship before getting a newer, younger replacement. He probably said the same thing to his poor ex-wife about her when they went on that "not a date."
I'm not sure if I would recommend this book, though. It's a hodgepodge of a pity party and an attempt to rescue a mare that ultimately fails (of course, it's a horse book). There are some interesting moments, but they aren't very gripping and don't last long. It was more of a story about the woman with sprinklings of the horses and musings about their behavior that made them all too human.
My main problem with the book is her mentioning of Natural Horsemanship, and then turning to show Georgia as an insane mare brought up on that idea. The only thing that saved it was her realizing that the mare's behavior is insane, but she never actually does anything about it. In fact, all she ever really does in the book is try to save Lay Me Down.
I would have liked to see the story of Georgia more than the story of Lay Me Down, as I don't really see how Lay Me Down changed her. I see the events leading up to where she is at the end, and I understand them. I realize that Lay Me Down did change her lifestyle, but her personality basically remained static.
In fact, I would say her relationship with Hank is basically the catalyst for her emotional change and discovery of self worth, which is totally unrelated to Lay Me Down. Hank is a jerk, and I don't blame the woman for wanting a relationship for the idea of feeling wanted, because she basically never had that feeling sober. She needed it to be able to realize that she was actually worthwhile when the men around her weren't drunk, and that she could also be social when not drunk. As bad of a person she probably seems, Hank shouldn't have done that to her. Good for her to sit down and confront him and not let him convince her it was OK because it wasn't. You're supposed to end a relationship before starting a new one- period. Although she should have known that a man who would start dating before being divorced from his wife wouldn't care about ending one relationship before getting a newer, younger replacement. He probably said the same thing to his poor ex-wife about her when they went on that "not a date."
I'm not sure if I would recommend this book, though. It's a hodgepodge of a pity party and an attempt to rescue a mare that ultimately fails (of course, it's a horse book). There are some interesting moments, but they aren't very gripping and don't last long. It was more of a story about the woman with sprinklings of the horses and musings about their behavior that made them all too human.