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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I feel like this was the longest book I’ve ever read. Certainly, there is some interesting history here that was new to me. The writing has a lot of narrative flourishes to make it less dry. However, I’d only recommend to those who are particularly interested in WWII military history AND horses.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Excellent story, that I knew only the basics of from a Disney movie. In depth research, into not just the story of the Lipizzaners, but also the Arabians and Thoroughbreds taken by the Nazis, as well as the people who cared for them. Good writing, and knowing a fair amount of horses, I wasn't bored with the information the author puts forth. Even not knowing much information about horses, the reader would also find the book enjoyable, and informative. A somewhat unknown story, showing the humanity displayed by men in horrifying conditions.
I love diving into a good horse book, as well as a good history book, and this book is both. It's been years since I saw the Disney movie "Miracle of the White Stallions" or read my beloved Marguerite Henry's [b:White Stallion of Lippiza], so my early knowledge of the events surrounding the Lippizaner in World War II was pretty hazy. I'm glad, because I learned SO MUCH from this book! (And it was very interesting to see that what I thought I remembered as having happened, and where, was pretty much totally wrong!) Not only does Letts explain about the Lippizaner breed and the famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna, but also about Cossack horses and Polish Arabians, with side trips into discussions of eugenics and how that horrid practice related to horse breeding (ick!), and the history of the U.S. Cavalry's transition from horses to mechanized transport, and much more. I loved the format the author used, of focusing on several main human and horse characters, giving us in depth backgrounds and personalities, and then following them through the action, showing how they intersected with each other or how they just missed connecting as the story played out. Fascinating. There are some heartbreaking scenes and some touching scenes, beautifully described. Plenty of black and white photographs sprinkled throughout the book at the right places added to the "you are there" aspect of history. Excellent book, highly recommended for lovers of horses as well as fans of World War II who may not know much of this particular history.
Elizabeth Letts tells a great story! Looking forward to reading her book “The Eighty-Dollar Champion”.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which weaves detail-heavy info with a powerful narrative. I am not even a particular horse lover, but as one interested in history, this was so good. I imagine horse lovers would really love it.
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
I think this suffered for me because I read it at the same time as Survivors Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz. It's an interesting story, and well written. But it's also about people working together to save horses. While the soldiers and people in the history were brave, I just had trouble mustering up much sympathy for the horses' plight. This isn't to say the rescue wasn't worth it, or that the horses weren't national treasures deserving of safety. But as a reader who just read about Jewish families and children being tortured and starved and killed, I had trouble switching gears to horses that are described repeatedly as "pampered" and the Nazi regime that was sheltering them for breeding purposes. Obviously, that's like comparing apples to oranges, but it meant that I didn't connect with this story the same way I did with Letts' earlier book.