Naomi Weisman is a Canadian, Australian and mother of three, who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.
Geraldine Brooks is an award-winning Australian-American novelist. I've read all her novels and have loved them so much that they have pride of place on my bookshelves. She usually chooses an obscure moment in history and creates a riveting story. And boy, is she meticulous in her research!
Horse is set in three different time periods, 1850, 1956, and 2019. It is about many things: the stain and legacy of slavery in the U.S.A., our love for the animals around us, and our sacrifices for those we love.
It highlights the often unacknowledged integral roles played by enslaved black groomsmen and trainers, such as Harry Lewis and his sensitive son, Jarret, who forms a deep connection of affection and trust with the most remarkable American horse Lexington, also known for being the most outstanding stud sire in horse racing history.
There are so many reasons why I love Geraldine Brooks' work. Imaginative and impeccably researched historical fiction, wonderfully written and skillfully structured. There is the sheer power of her storytelling, the way the narrative never stalls, the profoundly deep characters, and in this case, even the horses and dogs have vivid and moving personalities.
This is everything I could ask for in a novel. I learned so much about a little-known fact: the history of horse racing in the United States is filled with uncelebrated jockeys, trainers, and breeders that were themselves the property of the plantations that the horses were raised on; some of the finest horses racing today can trace their bloodlines back to the champion horses that were trained by slaves in the 1850s.
I highly recommend this book. It is filled with truth, art, and imagination.
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