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A review by tcbueti
The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley
4.0
If you love horses, you'll LOVE this book. It's brimming with ideas about training horses. But even if you don't love horses, there is lots to like here.
Abby and her parents run a horse farm: her dad buys horses and (re)trains them so that they can be "ridden by a young girl". That's where Abby comes in: if she can't ride a horse, that claim can't be made and money will be lost. Her dad won't let anyone name the horses--the boys are all "George" and the girls are all "Jewel". Abby's parents are fundamental Protestants; her dad is so strict that he's driven her older brother away, so now all the work of riding and training their various horses falls to Abby. It was interesting and unusual to see a young girl bearing so much responsibility in the financial success of her family. She works HARD.
When one horse, "Ornery George", bucks Abby off, she begins to see, for the first time, that maybe her dad is not infallible, and so begin her first steps to some independence. This is also where the fascinating stuff about horse training comes in.
In addition, Abby is struggling with a tricky school situation--her small school has few options for friendship, and her best friend has been usurped by a new girl who likes boys, drama, plotting and all those things that can make middle school it's own special kind of h**l.
Her frustration at school is, thankfully, balanced by the satisfaction she gains form her work with horses. The two lives feel very separate--sometimes that's how you survive. Smiley very aptly captures that feeling of lonliness you can get when you start to doubt your social standing.
Horsey girls will eat this up, but others will enjoy it to.
Abby and her parents run a horse farm: her dad buys horses and (re)trains them so that they can be "ridden by a young girl". That's where Abby comes in: if she can't ride a horse, that claim can't be made and money will be lost. Her dad won't let anyone name the horses--the boys are all "George" and the girls are all "Jewel". Abby's parents are fundamental Protestants; her dad is so strict that he's driven her older brother away, so now all the work of riding and training their various horses falls to Abby. It was interesting and unusual to see a young girl bearing so much responsibility in the financial success of her family. She works HARD.
When one horse, "Ornery George", bucks Abby off, she begins to see, for the first time, that maybe her dad is not infallible, and so begin her first steps to some independence. This is also where the fascinating stuff about horse training comes in.
In addition, Abby is struggling with a tricky school situation--her small school has few options for friendship, and her best friend has been usurped by a new girl who likes boys, drama, plotting and all those things that can make middle school it's own special kind of h**l.
Her frustration at school is, thankfully, balanced by the satisfaction she gains form her work with horses. The two lives feel very separate--sometimes that's how you survive. Smiley very aptly captures that feeling of lonliness you can get when you start to doubt your social standing.
Horsey girls will eat this up, but others will enjoy it to.