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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
This was a lovely bit of history that I had never been exposed to before this book. I loved how well written this book was on top of the background research cited. I never found myself bored and am thankful that this will live on in my mind now.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
During World War II, Hitler and his minions kidnapped thousands of horses, hoping to breed the perfect German equine. Among the horses stolen were the horses at the Polish national Arabian stud farm and the famous white Lipizzaner of Vienna. Alois Podhajsky, then head of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, did everything he could to protect the dancing white stallions, though he could do nothing when Gustav Rau, Hitler's head of horse breeding, moved the Lipizzaner mares from the stud farm at Piber to Hostau, Bavaria.
Eventually, Podhajsky, a former Olympic rider, crossed paths with Col. Hank Reed of the 2nd Cavalry, part of the Third Army of the United States. Reed was a horse-lover, and had joined the US Cavalry when it was still a mounted division. He and Podhajsky understood each other on a deep level when it came to horses, and in a daring move, Reed sought Gen. Patton's assent to cross into Bavaria and rescue the horses there. The rest, as they say, is history.
When I was a girl, I saw a movie called The Miracle of the White Stallions. It was a Disneyfied version of this true story (well, it was a Disney film, after all). But that tale stuck with me, and when I came across this book, I knew I had to read it, especially since I'd read Letts' Eighty-Dollar Champion and I was pretty sure she could tell an excellent horse story. The Perfect Horse has it all: drama, tension, emotion. It reads like a novel, and it's really hard to put down. If you like horses at all, or you're into World War II history, this is definitely a must-read.
Eventually, Podhajsky, a former Olympic rider, crossed paths with Col. Hank Reed of the 2nd Cavalry, part of the Third Army of the United States. Reed was a horse-lover, and had joined the US Cavalry when it was still a mounted division. He and Podhajsky understood each other on a deep level when it came to horses, and in a daring move, Reed sought Gen. Patton's assent to cross into Bavaria and rescue the horses there. The rest, as they say, is history.
When I was a girl, I saw a movie called The Miracle of the White Stallions. It was a Disneyfied version of this true story (well, it was a Disney film, after all). But that tale stuck with me, and when I came across this book, I knew I had to read it, especially since I'd read Letts' Eighty-Dollar Champion and I was pretty sure she could tell an excellent horse story. The Perfect Horse has it all: drama, tension, emotion. It reads like a novel, and it's really hard to put down. If you like horses at all, or you're into World War II history, this is definitely a must-read.
Fascinating history. Everybody's watched the Disney movie about the Lipizzaners---this tells their story, plus the story of Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and other pure blood horses under Nazi rule. The U.S. Army saved many of them---and even brought some back to the states.
I finished my latest adventure today! This one comes highly recommended, especially if you are an equine lover. It is a beautifully written non-fiction that reads like fiction, on the horses of WWII, all of their loving handlers (regardless of their uniforms) and their heroic journey to safety.
I tried to read this twice because I am a horse lover and a historical fiction addict, but I just couldn’t do it. The writing was just so dull.
*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I've always been interested in the history surrounding WWII and being a horse owner and lover increased my interest in this book. This was a piece of history that I hadn't ever heard much about and I wanted to know more.
While I enjoyed this, it wasn't quite as powerful as I had hoped. The focus was more on the people involved in the rescue than the horses, which was a bit of a surprise. I did like reading about them and there were some powerful moments, but I would liked more about the horses.
The style was somewhat disjointed to me. I felt it hopped from person to person and place to place too quickly at times, jumbling certain stories and events.
Overall I enjoyed learning about this historical event. I will definitely be looking into more of the history surrounding this rescue.
Full review to come on my blog.
I've always been interested in the history surrounding WWII and being a horse owner and lover increased my interest in this book. This was a piece of history that I hadn't ever heard much about and I wanted to know more.
While I enjoyed this, it wasn't quite as powerful as I had hoped. The focus was more on the people involved in the rescue than the horses, which was a bit of a surprise. I did like reading about them and there were some powerful moments, but I would liked more about the horses.
The style was somewhat disjointed to me. I felt it hopped from person to person and place to place too quickly at times, jumbling certain stories and events.
Overall I enjoyed learning about this historical event. I will definitely be looking into more of the history surrounding this rescue.
Full review to come on my blog.
Such a well-researched account of the heartbreaking story of Europe's equine royalty under the Nazis. I was aware of the Nazi's hunt for rare art in WWII, but I had no idea there was a similar round-up of Europe's purest-bred and most valuable horses. Naturally the Nazis were trying to breed their idea of the "perfect horse" and they were willing to trample on centuries of breeding history to do so. This book was really eye opening for me, and the cherry on top is Letts' skillful writing which brought these beautiful horses to life. It brought tears to my eyes!
An interesting story from both a horse and WWII perspective. At times the action was either a bit too slow or the narrative dragged out a bit too much but on the whole it was an enjoyable read.
If you loved the Disney movie "The Miracle of the White Stallions", this is a wonderful book. This is a more in depth story of the Nazi Germany's plan to create the "Perfect Horse".
Trigger alert. There are horses harmed and killed during the course of this story, even as there are horses saved.
Trigger alert. There are horses harmed and killed during the course of this story, even as there are horses saved.