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shmarol's review
4.0
The art style is not my jam, but the story is lovely and has a wonderful ending.
amdame1's review
3.0
This is the true story of a woman who bought a race horse with another person - but that person was a lawyer and he brought in a number of other people without telling her and changed the terms of their agreement, resulting in disaster for both her and the horse. In order to save the horse from the cruel treatment and from bodily harm, she "stole" him (he was 20% hers after all) and took him to a safe place. The other owners then took her to court and took away her training license and her livelihood, costing them much more than the price of the horse itself.
A fascinating story with a horrifying look at the cruelty inherent in the world of horse racing. Personally, I wasn't fond of the sepia tones used for the illustrations, but it worked. A good story but won't jump of the shelves; will need to be hand sold most likely. People do need to read this - and something needs to be done about this issue!
3.5 stars
A fascinating story with a horrifying look at the cruelty inherent in the world of horse racing. Personally, I wasn't fond of the sepia tones used for the illustrations, but it worked. A good story but won't jump of the shelves; will need to be hand sold most likely. People do need to read this - and something needs to be done about this issue!
3.5 stars
elna17a9a's review
4.0
What a wonderful, frustrating story! Gail, who has always had a passion for horses, learned horse racing in Europe, where drugs are banned and humane treatment encouraged. But when she came to the US, where the focus is on winning rather than the horses (meaning: it’s the norm to drug them, run them too young, etc.) and tried to race her way (and attempt to prove that it’s not just possible, but better), everyone thought she was out of touch and too soft.
She chooses a horse and names him Urgent Envoy, but can’t afford the $5000 herself, so has to partner with a group of investors. Soon, they’re pressuring her to race him too early, and when she refuses, they push her out. Upon finding out that not only have they been drugging him, but wanting him to race on a hairline fracture, Gail knows she has to kidnap him to save his life.
From there follows a years-long saga of the investors throwing so much more money than they spent trying to get Urgent Envoy back, suing Gail and even taking it to the Supreme Court! And Gail is so devoted to him, and goes through so many personal troubles, that eventually she’s living in her car with all of her money going to his boarding.
There is a happy ending, but it’s really about the journey there, and emphasizing the terrible treatment of racehorses in the US. It’s incredibly affecting and frustrating that all of this happens and keeps happening.
Side note: it’s incredible that Gail is a (single, basically) woman with no children who still lives a fulfilling and rich life, and it’s never an issue that she doesn’t have a traditional family. We need more books that normalize this.
She chooses a horse and names him Urgent Envoy, but can’t afford the $5000 herself, so has to partner with a group of investors. Soon, they’re pressuring her to race him too early, and when she refuses, they push her out. Upon finding out that not only have they been drugging him, but wanting him to race on a hairline fracture, Gail knows she has to kidnap him to save his life.
From there follows a years-long saga of the investors throwing so much more money than they spent trying to get Urgent Envoy back, suing Gail and even taking it to the Supreme Court! And Gail is so devoted to him, and goes through so many personal troubles, that eventually she’s living in her car with all of her money going to his boarding.
There is a happy ending, but it’s really about the journey there, and emphasizing the terrible treatment of racehorses in the US. It’s incredibly affecting and frustrating that all of this happens and keeps happening.
Side note: it’s incredible that Gail is a (single, basically) woman with no children who still lives a fulfilling and rich life, and it’s never an issue that she doesn’t have a traditional family. We need more books that normalize this.
bethmitcham's review
3.0
Fascinating story (based on real life -- the rider was his cousin!) of a horse trainer going up against an unscrupulous lawyer and the corrupt Californian riding authority. Really well down, but the drawing were a bit too detailed for me; I found them hard to parse and sometimes had trouble telling who was who. And it got a bit bogged down in details. But a suspenseful and inspiring read.
bookwormmichelle's review
4.0
I have made a goal to read at least two graphic novels a month, and this was my first one for January. It was delightful! I got so engrossed in the story I stayed up late reading. Had to find out what happened. I spent some time thinking about if I would have liked the story better as a traditional book--but I think not. The illustrations definitely made a difference. Very fun, I'm looking forward to more.
lesley's review
4.0
Fascinating and maddening true story about an unbelievably strong woman and her love for her horse. Gail's determination against the organized corruption of California's horse racing organization is inspiring and I'm glad that Neri found this story to tell us. Wilkins art is wonderful and conveys the emotion of the story perfectly.
gladiolus's review
5.0
I am not usually a fan of graphic novels, but I very much enjoyed this one. It had great tidbits about the racing industry and the law.
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