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searobin56's review against another edition
3.0
The start was great and I was excited to keep reading. Great story. Great characters. When I had about 10% left to read it kind of lost momentum. It felt like I stepped off a cliff with nothing left. There was a quick synopsis of the characters. Nothing to finish out the stories of the horses. No depth or a feeling of good closure for the overall story or the characters individual stories. Very disappointing.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
5.0
a beautifully told story set in 1917 on oregon. martha lessen is a woman broncobuster - rare for the time. she has left home and is seeking employment to break horses. she finds employment on the bliss ranch and from there begins to lay down roots in the town.
the horses she ends up breaking all belong to various ranchers and farmers in the community so she finds herself reluctantly being pulled into the social circles of the town. we are told the story of each character and although the book is not very many pages, as a reader, you feel each character is well-developed and comes full circle.
i loved hearing about one town's response to WWI and how the various townspeople coped with the horrors happening overseas and at home.
the story unfolds at just the right pace and i really liked martha lessen's character (particularly her love for horses and treating them humanely).
the horses she ends up breaking all belong to various ranchers and farmers in the community so she finds herself reluctantly being pulled into the social circles of the town. we are told the story of each character and although the book is not very many pages, as a reader, you feel each character is well-developed and comes full circle.
i loved hearing about one town's response to WWI and how the various townspeople coped with the horrors happening overseas and at home.
the story unfolds at just the right pace and i really liked martha lessen's character (particularly her love for horses and treating them humanely).
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
3.0
Spoiler: I would say that this book is more of a "human book" rather than a "horse book" hahaha so that's why I didn't put it under the "horse books" category.
This book was decent, not amazing, but solid. I commend authors such as Gloss who write about their passions and about what they know. While I wasn't wild about writing about a fictitious country in Oregon (I knowwwww, she didn't want to have to follow the history of real counties, I get it!), it was clear to me that Gloss had done her research about homesteading in the early 20th century.
The book was sprinkled with beauty and truth and wisdom, and I definitely appreciated that. I feel like Gloss would be "my kind of lady" - a country lady with a love of horses and history. Her book didn't blow my mind, but I could feel the nuggets of truth and wisdom, even if some of her writing conventions were a bit awkward and her story didn't always have the best flow.
The Hearts of Horses was enjoyable, on a level a little bit higher than a beach or bathtub read. I appreciate the honesty and wisdom, and the genuinely solid story-telling. I would be unlikely to reread this novel, but it was a good light read.
This book was decent, not amazing, but solid. I commend authors such as Gloss who write about their passions and about what they know. While I wasn't wild about writing about a fictitious country in Oregon (I knowwwww, she didn't want to have to follow the history of real counties, I get it!), it was clear to me that Gloss had done her research about homesteading in the early 20th century.
The book was sprinkled with beauty and truth and wisdom, and I definitely appreciated that. I feel like Gloss would be "my kind of lady" - a country lady with a love of horses and history. Her book didn't blow my mind, but I could feel the nuggets of truth and wisdom, even if some of her writing conventions were a bit awkward and her story didn't always have the best flow.
The Hearts of Horses was enjoyable, on a level a little bit higher than a beach or bathtub read. I appreciate the honesty and wisdom, and the genuinely solid story-telling. I would be unlikely to reread this novel, but it was a good light read.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
May evening book club
a surprisingly good book. I didn't mind the whole tale being sort of "westerny". The love story was very light (so not a romance either) and I loved the detail about the horses that she gave. It was a fun read.
a surprisingly good book. I didn't mind the whole tale being sort of "westerny". The love story was very light (so not a romance either) and I loved the detail about the horses that she gave. It was a fun read.
robynryle's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of like a collection of long short stories strung together. I told a friend I was tired of violence and high drama, and this was on the list of books she recommended. Things happen. Important things. Nothing flashy, though. Just life, and sometimes that's what you want in a book. The most suspenseful thing being whether she successfully "breaks" all the horses or not. Also very impressed by the research/immersion she must have done in the world of horses. Lovely.
cluckingbell's review against another edition
4.0
Not what I expected, which is probably good given the somewhat cloying title. It's a little hard to explain why I enjoyed this book, as there's historical exposition interspersed throughout (often begun with "In those days..."), not a great deal of character development, and little of an identifiable plot. The premise of 19-year-old Martha Lessen gentling horses in eastern Oregon in 1917 is largely a device to introduce us to the lives of a community of people. But the author doesn't restrict herself to Martha's point of view, even within a single page, so you get these stark, sometimes startling glimpses into the hearts of people as well. The straightforward prose doesn't demand that you admire or pity or envy the characters, it only presents what is, what always is: people experience worry and laughter and grief and joy, and for most life goes on.
In a solipsist modern culture obsessed with texting and "reality" TV, it was refreshing to read a subtle story about empathy. So perhaps in some ways the novel IS told from Martha's point of view, as we perceive in her world a quiet dignity because that is in her own nature.
At the same time that I found the book affecting, I was occasionally amazed at a moment's intuition about a character and would find myself rereading a deceptively simple passage to figure out what Gloss had done to give me that insight. There's the old "show, don't tell" principle for writers, but sometimes I couldn't even figure out what she had shown me that made everything so clear in instant.
Add to that that I finished it in a couple days (and we're talking work days, not even a weekend), and I'd have to call it an understated page-turner.
In a solipsist modern culture obsessed with texting and "reality" TV, it was refreshing to read a subtle story about empathy. So perhaps in some ways the novel IS told from Martha's point of view, as we perceive in her world a quiet dignity because that is in her own nature.
At the same time that I found the book affecting, I was occasionally amazed at a moment's intuition about a character and would find myself rereading a deceptively simple passage to figure out what Gloss had done to give me that insight. There's the old "show, don't tell" principle for writers, but sometimes I couldn't even figure out what she had shown me that made everything so clear in instant.
Add to that that I finished it in a couple days (and we're talking work days, not even a weekend), and I'd have to call it an understated page-turner.
zeljana's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is topically so much out of my comfort zone. Nothing about it is what I would normally choose to read. The cover and the title also don't do it justice. This is really not what it seems!
But, I am so glad that I read this book because once again I am proven that sometimes the best things are where we least hope to find them.
The Hearts of Horses is a novel set in the winter of 1917, somewhere in the east of Oregon state. The main character is Martha, a young woman who escaped her abusive family to build herself a name as a "broncobuster". Through her experiences with horses, we get to know several families living in the area, whose horses Martha is training. I am amazed at how touched I was by these people and their struggles, even though this is not a sappy novel by any measure. There is a lot of subtle social commentary here, some big topics such as the effect of WW1 on the people who stayed behind and the myth of the American West.
Molly Gloss is just a master storyteller. The omniscient narrator works so well here and there is a great sense of time and space. Even the parts about horses were not annoying or boring, and I have zero interest in them.
But, I am so glad that I read this book because once again I am proven that sometimes the best things are where we least hope to find them.
The Hearts of Horses is a novel set in the winter of 1917, somewhere in the east of Oregon state. The main character is Martha, a young woman who escaped her abusive family to build herself a name as a "broncobuster". Through her experiences with horses, we get to know several families living in the area, whose horses Martha is training. I am amazed at how touched I was by these people and their struggles, even though this is not a sappy novel by any measure. There is a lot of subtle social commentary here, some big topics such as the effect of WW1 on the people who stayed behind and the myth of the American West.
Molly Gloss is just a master storyteller. The omniscient narrator works so well here and there is a great sense of time and space. Even the parts about horses were not annoying or boring, and I have zero interest in them.
jtlars7's review against another edition
4.0
Such a nice, good book. The author made me feel for so many different characters in rural Oregon during WWI. It wasn’t primarily a love story, but there was a romance that was understated and sweet.
birdkeeperklink's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. I didn't really feel like I got what was advertised by the name and the blurb, but I'm used to that. The worst part was that I had a very hard time connecting with the characters. It took a serious amount of effort for me to really 'get' them, which is supposed to be the author's job. I mean, of course the reader has to care enough to try to engage in the book, but I don't feel like I was met even a quarter of the way, let alone half.
Part of it can probably be attributed to the dry, distant writing style. Things and people are described in almost a muted fashion, making it seem like it's all taking place very far away.
After I made that effort, though, I did like the characters--the nice ones, anyway. The ending was a little awkward, but I didn't actually mind the main character's choice that much. It bothered me a little, but I was mostly comfortable with it.
I liked the book and would recommend it, I would just caution that it's not really about horses (or their hearts). The horses are more of an incidental factor.
Part of it can probably be attributed to the dry, distant writing style. Things and people are described in almost a muted fashion, making it seem like it's all taking place very far away.
After I made that effort, though, I did like the characters--the nice ones, anyway. The ending was a little awkward, but I didn't actually mind the main character's choice that much. It bothered me a little, but I was mostly comfortable with it.
I liked the book and would recommend it, I would just caution that it's not really about horses (or their hearts). The horses are more of an incidental factor.
vickigee85's review against another edition
5.0
Short and sweet: this novel is lovely, written in picturesque language, as we follow the work and life-adventure of Martha. A nineteen year old cowgirl, adept at breaking horses with loving guidance rather than a whip and a rope.
I loved riding along with Martha, meeting the people on her circle and “seeing” all Elwha county had to offer in 1917. My grandparents were right around Martha’s age so the facets of my understanding are clearer.
A must-read for girls who love horses or any darling who dreamt of being a cowgirl in fancy chaps.
I loved riding along with Martha, meeting the people on her circle and “seeing” all Elwha county had to offer in 1917. My grandparents were right around Martha’s age so the facets of my understanding are clearer.
A must-read for girls who love horses or any darling who dreamt of being a cowgirl in fancy chaps.