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A review by sjgrodsky
Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards
5.0
I was reading "Quiet", a popularized but still somewhat demanding work of psychology/sociology when I took a break with this short memoir that reads fast. I gulped down this paean to the healing power of horses in two days.
If you understand the human-animal bond you will understand this book. The author uses a well-structured story of rescue, bonding, and loss to illuminate that bond, interweaving the story of the horse with her own story of loss and redemption.
I particularly appreciated that the writer is emotional without being sentimental. Yes, she loves her horses, yes, she talks baby talk to them. But she still understands that they are horses. She understands that horses connect deeply with each other. And she gets that what we see as their "unconditional love" might be anthropomorphism.
If you understand the human-animal bond you will understand this book. The author uses a well-structured story of rescue, bonding, and loss to illuminate that bond, interweaving the story of the horse with her own story of loss and redemption.
I particularly appreciated that the writer is emotional without being sentimental. Yes, she loves her horses, yes, she talks baby talk to them. But she still understands that they are horses. She understands that horses connect deeply with each other. And she gets that what we see as their "unconditional love" might be anthropomorphism.