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mary_soon_lee's review
5.0
Summer reading book reviews, book #10, "Falling From Horses" by Molly Gloss.... This is a beautifully written tale centered around Bud, a boy growing up on a ranch in the 1920s and 1930s, who then moves to Hollywood in 1938 to work with horses in cowboy movies. The spare, poetic style reminds me both of other work by Molly Gloss and of the Norwegian author, Per Petterson. The book shifts from sections narrated by Bud (starting with his bus journey to Hollywood in 1938), and third-person sections set in the 1920s and 1930s that concern Bud's parents at least as much as Bud. I particularly love the voice of Bud-as-narrator, who, many years later, looks back on himself as a boy. I love the prose, the characters, the story itself. This is easily the best book I have read so far this summer, but it is deeper, harsher, less straightforwardly pleasurable than Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series. I note that characters in Molly Gloss's earlier book, "The Hearts of Horses," resurface here, but "Falling From Horses" can be read on its own.
heidisreads's review
5.0
It took me a while to make a connection with the characters, but once I did, I couldn't stop reading this book. And by the end of the book, a few tears were even shed.
lizaroo71's review
4.0
Oh my heart. Initially, I didn't like the first person narrative of the story. I kept thinking, "Show, don't tell" through the first thirty pages or so. But once I got into the story of Bud and his sister Mary Claudine, I was all in.
Bud travels to Hollywood after a terrible loss on the farm where he worked along side his parents and his sister. He is set on making it as a cowboy in film. This is a tough career and one that is tough on the body and soul. Bud finds his way to Gower Gulch and finds himself a job with a man that rents out horses for the movies. Bud finds this will be an easy way to get himself on a movie set.
On the bus to Hollywood, Bud befriends Lily Shaw. She is a young woman that is focused on becoming a screen writer. She and Bud represent two different parts of Hollywood. Lily is up against the patriarchy of filmmaking (still in place today) and Bud hangs his hopes that this will be his big break to the dream of stardom.
The story also flashes back to the reason for Bud's sudden departure from Echol Creek (his parent's farm in Oregon). We get the relationship between Bud and his sister, Mary Claudine. We also see the machinations of a working farm. Bud knows about hard work and his parents are not prone to sentimentality. We also come to better understand Bud's all in attitude when it comes to falling off horses. It's not just about making the scene work, it is really about a physical punishment Bud owes to himself.
As the story unfolds, there is a reckoning coming for which I felt prepared because Gloss creates a gossamer-like protective dome over me. The portions narrated in the first person by Bud are told from the perspective of a life well lived; one where he is ready to see the value of his experience in Hollywood. The portions that take place in Echol Creek are good at showing us how the family works together. We get a feeling for the love that envelops the family.
I am so glad I didn't give up on this one. Her last book, [b:The Hearts of Horses|795163|The Hearts of Horses|Molly Gloss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441235668l/795163._SY75_.jpg|3244488], is so good also. Falling From Horses is considered a sort of sequel to that book.
Bud travels to Hollywood after a terrible loss on the farm where he worked along side his parents and his sister. He is set on making it as a cowboy in film. This is a tough career and one that is tough on the body and soul. Bud finds his way to Gower Gulch and finds himself a job with a man that rents out horses for the movies. Bud finds this will be an easy way to get himself on a movie set.
On the bus to Hollywood, Bud befriends Lily Shaw. She is a young woman that is focused on becoming a screen writer. She and Bud represent two different parts of Hollywood. Lily is up against the patriarchy of filmmaking (still in place today) and Bud hangs his hopes that this will be his big break to the dream of stardom.
The story also flashes back to the reason for Bud's sudden departure from Echol Creek (his parent's farm in Oregon). We get the relationship between Bud and his sister, Mary Claudine. We also see the machinations of a working farm. Bud knows about hard work and his parents are not prone to sentimentality. We also come to better understand Bud's all in attitude when it comes to falling off horses. It's not just about making the scene work, it is really about a physical punishment Bud owes to himself.
As the story unfolds, there is a reckoning coming for which I felt prepared because Gloss creates a gossamer-like protective dome over me. The portions narrated in the first person by Bud are told from the perspective of a life well lived; one where he is ready to see the value of his experience in Hollywood. The portions that take place in Echol Creek are good at showing us how the family works together. We get a feeling for the love that envelops the family.
I am so glad I didn't give up on this one. Her last book, [b:The Hearts of Horses|795163|The Hearts of Horses|Molly Gloss|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441235668l/795163._SY75_.jpg|3244488], is so good also. Falling From Horses is considered a sort of sequel to that book.
geeisforgrace's review
5.0
This was an incredible read. It’s just the type of book I’ve been searching for, and happened upon it by accident. I was worried when reviewers said it was sad and they were bawling; this book is filled with emotion, and I suspect it has to settle with me longer to fully express how it made me feel. The writing was beautiful, the story and characters and setting- it was all perfect and poignant. It was a book about horses, but not a trite romance novel or cliche western, which was different and engaging and surprising. I will be reading all of Molly Glass’s works. This was memorable and the best book I’ve read this year, one of the best I’ve read in a while.
heathersbike's review against another edition
Read this for a book group but didn't get to discuss it.
redroofcolleen's review against another edition
3.0
Loved that much of this story took place in Oregon! While Gloss is a fine writer, I felt it was overly detailed in describing the technicalities of film making, yet could use more heft fleshing out the main characters and their inner lives.
hmuraski27's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
wubledoo's review
4.0
Great storytelling. Lovely beach read. Nothing deep, but good character development- enough to make me want to read more from the author.
jennyshank's review
4.0
https://www.hcn.org/issues/47.5/hollywood-horse-havoc
Hollywood Horse Havoc
Modern movie directors are expected to go to extremes to earn the disclaimer that “No animals were harmed” in the making of their films. It’s easy to chuckle at the thought of studios hiring, say, cockroach wranglers. But the latest novel by Oregon writer Molly Gloss might make readers appreciate the need to enforce standards for humane treatment, not just for animals but for human beings as well.
Falling From Horses is set largely in Hollywood in the late 1930s, when the movie industry cared little for the welfare of animals or even human stuntmen. In a folksy, easy cadence, narrator Bud Frazer looks back on his life, recalling the months he spent trying to succeed as a movie cowboy when he was 19 years old. “Well, I was foolheaded in those days, looking for ways to get myself into trouble — carrying too much sail, as we used to say,” Bud reports.
Bud grew up in Echol Creek, Oregon, on a ranch that his parents later lost. His little sister died for reasons that become clear as Bud’s story unfolds, in chapters that alternate between his life in Oregon and in Hollywood.
On the bus to Hollywood, Bud meets Lily Shaw of Seattle, who is determined to become a great screenwriter, an aim she only achieves after many hard knocks. As Bud and Lily scramble to gain a toehold in the movie industry, they maintain their platonic friendship, which is based mostly on seeing movies together and discussing them.
Bud learns that the cowboy film heroes he grew up admiring aren’t what they appear to be — many of them are “fakes who couldn’t ride worth applesauce.” He also discovers how dangerous filming horse scenes is, especially on shots of battlefields rigged with trip wires and cliff-jumping scenes. Dozens of horses are killed in the business, and several riders are severely injured.
Gloss’ detailed picture of Hollywood’s Golden Age is rich and enlightening, capturing the struggles of low-level movie cowboys as well as those of ambitious women like Lily. Bud’s family’s ranch life and hardships serve as a stark counterpoint to the glossy Western myth that filmmakers created. It’s as though Gloss has flipped over the burnished surface of classic Hollywood Westerns to show the messy stitching underneath.
Hollywood Horse Havoc
Modern movie directors are expected to go to extremes to earn the disclaimer that “No animals were harmed” in the making of their films. It’s easy to chuckle at the thought of studios hiring, say, cockroach wranglers. But the latest novel by Oregon writer Molly Gloss might make readers appreciate the need to enforce standards for humane treatment, not just for animals but for human beings as well.
Falling From Horses is set largely in Hollywood in the late 1930s, when the movie industry cared little for the welfare of animals or even human stuntmen. In a folksy, easy cadence, narrator Bud Frazer looks back on his life, recalling the months he spent trying to succeed as a movie cowboy when he was 19 years old. “Well, I was foolheaded in those days, looking for ways to get myself into trouble — carrying too much sail, as we used to say,” Bud reports.
Bud grew up in Echol Creek, Oregon, on a ranch that his parents later lost. His little sister died for reasons that become clear as Bud’s story unfolds, in chapters that alternate between his life in Oregon and in Hollywood.
On the bus to Hollywood, Bud meets Lily Shaw of Seattle, who is determined to become a great screenwriter, an aim she only achieves after many hard knocks. As Bud and Lily scramble to gain a toehold in the movie industry, they maintain their platonic friendship, which is based mostly on seeing movies together and discussing them.
Bud learns that the cowboy film heroes he grew up admiring aren’t what they appear to be — many of them are “fakes who couldn’t ride worth applesauce.” He also discovers how dangerous filming horse scenes is, especially on shots of battlefields rigged with trip wires and cliff-jumping scenes. Dozens of horses are killed in the business, and several riders are severely injured.
Gloss’ detailed picture of Hollywood’s Golden Age is rich and enlightening, capturing the struggles of low-level movie cowboys as well as those of ambitious women like Lily. Bud’s family’s ranch life and hardships serve as a stark counterpoint to the glossy Western myth that filmmakers created. It’s as though Gloss has flipped over the burnished surface of classic Hollywood Westerns to show the messy stitching underneath.