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Hestehviskeren
Den skarpe, klare luften biter i kinnene, himmelen er høy og blå, og solen er nettopp kommet opp. Det eneste som beveger seg i vinterlandskapet, er to ryttere. Mot dem, på glatte isdekte veier, kommer en stor, tung trailer. I løpet av et skjebnesvangert sekund blir livet til Grace og hesten hennes, Pilgrim, forandret for livet.
Tom Booker er en hestehvisker. En mann som helbreder hester ved å kommunisere med dem. Han er den eneste som kan hjelpe Anne i hennes fortvilte kamp for å få datteren tilbake i livet. En kamp som må begynne med å helbrede datterens hardt skadede hest - Pilgrim.
For Annie betyr kampen at hun må forlate sin glamorøse karriere som redaktør for anerkjente New York-magasin, og reise tvers over kontinentet for å overtale Tom Booker til å hjelpe henne.
Møtet mellom Tom og Annie bringer frem ukjente og lidenskapelige følelser i dem begge. Følelser de begge forsøker å undertrykke. Men i Montanas vakre og ville landskap tvinges Annie til å ta et oppgjør med seg selv, og hun gjør valg som dramatisk vil forandre livet til alle rundt henne.
Tom Booker er en hestehvisker. En mann som helbreder hester ved å kommunisere med dem. Han er den eneste som kan hjelpe Anne i hennes fortvilte kamp for å få datteren tilbake i livet. En kamp som må begynne med å helbrede datterens hardt skadede hest - Pilgrim.
For Annie betyr kampen at hun må forlate sin glamorøse karriere som redaktør for anerkjente New York-magasin, og reise tvers over kontinentet for å overtale Tom Booker til å hjelpe henne.
Møtet mellom Tom og Annie bringer frem ukjente og lidenskapelige følelser i dem begge. Følelser de begge forsøker å undertrykke. Men i Montanas vakre og ville landskap tvinges Annie til å ta et oppgjør med seg selv, og hun gjør valg som dramatisk vil forandre livet til alle rundt henne.
394 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 1995
1076 people are currently reading
18287 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Evans
84 books1,538 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Nicholas Evans was born and grew up in Worcestershire, England. He studied law at Oxford University, graduating with first class honors, then worked as a journalist for three years on the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He then moved into televsion, producing films about US politics and the Middle-East for a weekly current affairs programme called Weekend World. It was during this time that he traveled a lot and got to know the United States.
In 1982 he started to produce arts documentaries - about famous writers, painters and film-makers, several of which won international awards (films about David Hockney, Francis Bacon, Patricia Highsmith). In 1983 he made a film about the great British director David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, etc). Lean became a friend and mentor and persuaded Evans to switch from fact to fiction.
For the next ten years, Evans wrote and produced a number of films for television and the cinema. In 1993 he met a blacksmith in the far South-West of England who told him about horse whisperers - people who have the gift of healing traumatized horses. Evans started work on what was to be his first novel.
Published in the fall of 1995, The Horse Whisperer has now sold about fifteen million copies across the world. It has been the number one bestseller in about 20 countries and has been translated into 36 languages. It was also made into a movie, starring, produced and directed by Robert Redford.
The Loop and The Smoke Jumper, Evans's second and third novels, were again an international bestsellers, topping the bestseller lists in many countries. The Smoke Jumper was published in a paperback edition on July 30, 2003. Evans lives in London and Devon, England.
- Nicholas Evans' Website
Nicholas Evans was born and grew up in Worcestershire, England. He studied law at Oxford University, graduating with first class honors, then worked as a journalist for three years on the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He then moved into televsion, producing films about US politics and the Middle-East for a weekly current affairs programme called Weekend World. It was during this time that he traveled a lot and got to know the United States.
In 1982 he started to produce arts documentaries - about famous writers, painters and film-makers, several of which won international awards (films about David Hockney, Francis Bacon, Patricia Highsmith). In 1983 he made a film about the great British director David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, etc). Lean became a friend and mentor and persuaded Evans to switch from fact to fiction.
For the next ten years, Evans wrote and produced a number of films for television and the cinema. In 1993 he met a blacksmith in the far South-West of England who told him about horse whisperers - people who have the gift of healing traumatized horses. Evans started work on what was to be his first novel.
Published in the fall of 1995, The Horse Whisperer has now sold about fifteen million copies across the world. It has been the number one bestseller in about 20 countries and has been translated into 36 languages. It was also made into a movie, starring, produced and directed by Robert Redford.
The Loop and The Smoke Jumper, Evans's second and third novels, were again an international bestsellers, topping the bestseller lists in many countries. The Smoke Jumper was published in a paperback edition on July 30, 2003. Evans lives in London and Devon, England.
- Nicholas Evans' Website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,536 reviews
September 6, 2018
Grace was riding her horse Pilgrim in the snow which resulted in an accident–a horrible accident that cost someone their life. Both Grace and her horse are physically and mentally damaged from the accident and it will take some time for both to heal. Her mother, Annie, finds a man by the name of Tom Booker who begins working with Grace and Pilgrim. As time moves on, he and Grace’s mom, Annie, find an attraction for one another. The problem is that Annie is still married to Grace’s dad and they are having problems of their own. The accident with Pilgrim has now put even more strain on their relationships.
This is one of my favorite books by Nicholas Evans. It’s written beautifully with a gripping plot I fell in love with from the very first page. I loved the setting in Montana and nearly everything about it. There were a few characters that I didn’t particularly care for, but it was still good. After watching the movie, I’d highly recommend the book most.
4.5****
This is one of my favorite books by Nicholas Evans. It’s written beautifully with a gripping plot I fell in love with from the very first page. I loved the setting in Montana and nearly everything about it. There were a few characters that I didn’t particularly care for, but it was still good. After watching the movie, I’d highly recommend the book most.
4.5****
April 7, 2007
This is your classic page-turner and bestseller. Cliched, predictable both in terms of plot and characters. Uninspiring rehashing of themes like overcoming tragedy and adversity; the contrast between the ruthless, stress-filled corporate environment and the simpler, idealised fulfillment found in a ranching/farming life. New York magazine editor supermom just has to go over to Wyoming to find meaning and of course end up the arms of our well muscled, handsome cowboy with his homespun philosophy and wisdom. The sad fact is that I, along with millions of other people not only bought the book but consumed it - not read but consumed - and in one four and half hour sitting no less. If you have a copy, do yourself a favour - save the time and dump the book now, before you too fall prey to this hogwash.
October 22, 2018
”There was death at its beginning as there would be death again at its end. Though whether it was some fleeting shadow of this that passed across the girl’s dreams and woke her on that least likely of mornings she would never know. All she knew, when she opened her eyes, was that the world was somehow altered.”
”There was snow. The first fall of winter. And from the laterals of the fence up by the pond she could tell there must be almost a foot of it. With no deflecting wind, it was perfect and driftless”
When Grace and Pilgrim, her horse, end up riding with her friend and her friend’s horse, on this morning of first snow, two will return damaged, and two lives are lost. Grace’s life is physically forever altered, and Pilgrim’s as well, but the physical is easier to see and make plans to manage. The mental and emotional toll is harder to see and treat.
Grace’s mother, Annie, is determined to control and fix the situation. To her mind Grace will never truly return to her former self until and unless Pilgrim is also healed. She can’t rest until she finds a way, which ultimately leads to a discovery that there are men and some women - although few of them - who can soothe these wounded animals.
”For secrets uttered softly into priced and troubled ears, these men were known as Whisperers.”
And so Annie sets out to find, and then convince Tom Booker, a horse whisperer, to help Pilgrim, and by extension help Grace. It takes more than a little convincing, but she is not a woman who is used to, or willing, to taking no for an answer.
I loved the setting of this story, I loved Booker’s view of boiling things down to the essentials of life, and how easy that seemed. I saw the movie many years ago, and loved it, as well, but I no longer remember the details of the movie, only that Robert Redford was the horse whisperer.
”There were such moments, he knew, when the world chose thus to reveal itself not, as it might seem, to mock our plight or our irrelevance but simply to affirm, for us and for all life, the very act of being.”
There is, within this story, a love story, although there are several individual stories which are about love in its many forms. A mother’s fierce, protective love for her child. A father’s tender, devoted love for his child. A man’s love that allows him to let go of those he loves for what he sees as their sake. A girl’s love for her horse that becomes a burden that she carries with her, unable to see anything but that moment, that day, and the damage to this splendid creature. A man’s love so great that he would risk all to protect those he loves.
”And she thought, but didn’t say, what a perilous commodity love was and that the proper calibration of its giving and taking was too precise by far for mere humans.”
Many thanks to my goodreads friend, Mischenko, whose review prompted me to move this one up!
August 20, 2007
I was sucked in for almost the entire book, I have to say. Loved both the jilted academic husband and the sensitive, manly cowboy horse-guru. But the ending was so ridiculously bizarre that it ruined the whole thing for me. Am I just a terrible cynic?
September 21, 2022
SPOILER ALERT: Details of the novel are revealed in this review.
First of all, I saw the film before I read the book. With many works, that would prejudice my reaction somewhat, but I believe that this book and movie are so much alike that I can offer an unfiltered opinion.
This is the story of a family that has been fractured by a monumental accident. Grace Maclean is a twelve year old girl, the daughter of very wealthy New Yorkers. Her father, Robert, is a lawyer and her mother Annie is a magazine editor, an Englishwoman. Grace's embrace of life is fulsome and the reader is drawn to her immediately. Robert Maclean is also an extremely sympathetic character. Annie, however is a driven woman. After taking over at the magazine, she has instituted a "bloodletting" by firing old staffers and has alienated not only those she works with, but her husband and daughter as well.
The first unfortunate decision Nicholas Evans made was to feature the most despicable character in the book and set her up as the centerpiece of the action.
But the book still begins with tremendous promise. The writing is excellent, the descriptions so precise as to engender the feeling that one is living in the moments and places he creates. Grace is riding her horse, Pilgrim, with her friend Judith at the country estate that the Macleans own. Her father has come down from New York with her, while Annie works away in the Big Apple. On an icy road, the horses panic as a tractor-trailer advances on them, skidding on the ice. Grace is thrown off as her horse Pilgrim turns to face the oncoming semi and literally leaps at it trying to protect his rider.
Judith and her horse are both killed, Pilgrim is severely wounded, and Grace's leg is mangled so badly that it must be amputated. There is severe psychological trauma for both Grace and Pilgrim. The horse is crazed and completely uncontrollable. While Robert reacts in much the way one would expect a parent to, Annie controls her emotions completely, but becomes obsessed with finding a cure for Pilgrim.
That cure comes in the form of Tom Booker, a cowboy and rancher in Montana who is a "horse whisperer". He has the ability to calm and cure horses with psychological problems. At first, he refuses to work with Pilgrim. Annie's persistence, which includes driving her daughter and the horse to Montana, finally pays off once Tom meets Grace and sees that the problem runs deeper than just an injured horse. He takes on Pilgrim as a project and Annie and Grace move to the spare house at the ranch so that Grace can work with Tom as he slowly brings both horse and girl back to life.
At this point, the story has been told so expertly that a reader cannot disengage no matter what. The story has been wonderfully drawn as the tale of a family that has fallen apart, a girl and horse painfully and perhaps permanently wounded and the calm man who can supply the solutions to cure them both.
Unfortunately, it is also at the point that Evans strays from his story and inserts a romance that has no business being in this book. By having Annie fall for Tom, the reader comes to vilify her and see her as a selfish, arrogant bitch. Further, the character of Tom, initially so strong and admirable, becomes a parody -- the cowboy who can't help falling in love with city women. How on earth could this calm and centered human being fall in love with one of the most unlikable characters ever written? It is a complete mystery that has no answer, except that it adds a level of melodrama that brings the book to a complete halt. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if it had merely been a flirtation that Tom turned his back on (in order to work on the horse, which is what the story is really about), but Evans does not stop when given the chance. He creates a little vacation for Tom's ranch family -- to Disneyland of all places -- so that Tom can spend a week having sex with Annie.
At this point, the story has become so thoroughly disgusting that all of the promise has permanently departed. After the week of sex, Grace finds out, of course, and takes Pilgrim out on some kind of crazy ride. It says a great deal that the reader finds their own disgust reflected in Grace. In rescuing Grace, Tom allows himself to get killed. Now, what's going on with that is also a complete mystery.
Lost in this tawdry little subplot is the final cure of Pilgrim, which should have been built correctly so that it provided the denouement of the story that Evans so carefully set up during most of the book. It becomes almost a little side show as Tom and Annie wallow in lust and self-pity.
I guess the bottom line is that every author should have an editor with a steady hand who can say, "Stop -- you're going in the wrong direction." But with the state of publishing any more, it may even have been an editor who said, "You need some romance in this book."
It's a great pity to see a story with so much promise flushed down the drain.
First of all, I saw the film before I read the book. With many works, that would prejudice my reaction somewhat, but I believe that this book and movie are so much alike that I can offer an unfiltered opinion.
This is the story of a family that has been fractured by a monumental accident. Grace Maclean is a twelve year old girl, the daughter of very wealthy New Yorkers. Her father, Robert, is a lawyer and her mother Annie is a magazine editor, an Englishwoman. Grace's embrace of life is fulsome and the reader is drawn to her immediately. Robert Maclean is also an extremely sympathetic character. Annie, however is a driven woman. After taking over at the magazine, she has instituted a "bloodletting" by firing old staffers and has alienated not only those she works with, but her husband and daughter as well.
The first unfortunate decision Nicholas Evans made was to feature the most despicable character in the book and set her up as the centerpiece of the action.
But the book still begins with tremendous promise. The writing is excellent, the descriptions so precise as to engender the feeling that one is living in the moments and places he creates. Grace is riding her horse, Pilgrim, with her friend Judith at the country estate that the Macleans own. Her father has come down from New York with her, while Annie works away in the Big Apple. On an icy road, the horses panic as a tractor-trailer advances on them, skidding on the ice. Grace is thrown off as her horse Pilgrim turns to face the oncoming semi and literally leaps at it trying to protect his rider.
Judith and her horse are both killed, Pilgrim is severely wounded, and Grace's leg is mangled so badly that it must be amputated. There is severe psychological trauma for both Grace and Pilgrim. The horse is crazed and completely uncontrollable. While Robert reacts in much the way one would expect a parent to, Annie controls her emotions completely, but becomes obsessed with finding a cure for Pilgrim.
That cure comes in the form of Tom Booker, a cowboy and rancher in Montana who is a "horse whisperer". He has the ability to calm and cure horses with psychological problems. At first, he refuses to work with Pilgrim. Annie's persistence, which includes driving her daughter and the horse to Montana, finally pays off once Tom meets Grace and sees that the problem runs deeper than just an injured horse. He takes on Pilgrim as a project and Annie and Grace move to the spare house at the ranch so that Grace can work with Tom as he slowly brings both horse and girl back to life.
At this point, the story has been told so expertly that a reader cannot disengage no matter what. The story has been wonderfully drawn as the tale of a family that has fallen apart, a girl and horse painfully and perhaps permanently wounded and the calm man who can supply the solutions to cure them both.
Unfortunately, it is also at the point that Evans strays from his story and inserts a romance that has no business being in this book. By having Annie fall for Tom, the reader comes to vilify her and see her as a selfish, arrogant bitch. Further, the character of Tom, initially so strong and admirable, becomes a parody -- the cowboy who can't help falling in love with city women. How on earth could this calm and centered human being fall in love with one of the most unlikable characters ever written? It is a complete mystery that has no answer, except that it adds a level of melodrama that brings the book to a complete halt. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if it had merely been a flirtation that Tom turned his back on (in order to work on the horse, which is what the story is really about), but Evans does not stop when given the chance. He creates a little vacation for Tom's ranch family -- to Disneyland of all places -- so that Tom can spend a week having sex with Annie.
At this point, the story has become so thoroughly disgusting that all of the promise has permanently departed. After the week of sex, Grace finds out, of course, and takes Pilgrim out on some kind of crazy ride. It says a great deal that the reader finds their own disgust reflected in Grace. In rescuing Grace, Tom allows himself to get killed. Now, what's going on with that is also a complete mystery.
Lost in this tawdry little subplot is the final cure of Pilgrim, which should have been built correctly so that it provided the denouement of the story that Evans so carefully set up during most of the book. It becomes almost a little side show as Tom and Annie wallow in lust and self-pity.
I guess the bottom line is that every author should have an editor with a steady hand who can say, "Stop -- you're going in the wrong direction." But with the state of publishing any more, it may even have been an editor who said, "You need some romance in this book."
It's a great pity to see a story with so much promise flushed down the drain.
November 28, 2008
I don't know about others but writing the review of The Horse Whisperer has proved to be immensely difficult. What I'm writing here is a review about a book that couldn't have been written any better.
Nicholas Evans spins a heart wrenching epic love story that thrives and dies amid sorrow and pain. Tom Booker comes as a healer to a family in grief and heals the wounds that have gone deep into the very souls.
Buy it, borrow it or steal it. But don't miss this gem for anything.
"Sometimes what seems like surrender isn't surrender at all. It's about what's going on in our hearts. About seeing clearly the way life is and accepting it and being true to it, whatever the pain, because the pain of not being true to it is far, far greater."
Nicholas Evans spins a heart wrenching epic love story that thrives and dies amid sorrow and pain. Tom Booker comes as a healer to a family in grief and heals the wounds that have gone deep into the very souls.
Buy it, borrow it or steal it. But don't miss this gem for anything.
"Sometimes what seems like surrender isn't surrender at all. It's about what's going on in our hearts. About seeing clearly the way life is and accepting it and being true to it, whatever the pain, because the pain of not being true to it is far, far greater."
August 20, 2022
Yesterday, Annie had stood beside Grace and watched [Tom Booker] get Pilgrim from the [training] pool. The horse hadn't wanted to come out, had feared a trap, so Tom had walked down the ramp till he was up to his waist. Pilgrim...reared up over him. But Tom was totally unfazed. It seemed miraculous to Annie how the man could stand so calmly close to death....Pilgrim too had seemed baffled by this lack of fear and soon staggered out and let himself be ushered to the stall.
Tom...stood dripping before [Grace and Annie]. He took off his hat and poured the water from its brim. Grace started to laugh and he gave her a wry look....
"She's a heartless woman this daughter of yours," he said [to Annie]. "What she doesn't know is next time she's the one going in." p202-203
Don't worry, Tom never makes a disabled teenager get into a training pool with an unstable horse. But what I loved about this scene, at this location, was where this story had come from, how much ground it had covered, and where it appeared to be going. I was incredibly invested in the story of a girl and her horse, both brutalized and traumatized in the same accident, turning to the same semi-magical beast master for healing.
What I was not ready for was the turn the narrative took, even though I was completely expecting it at some point. I mean, this book is known as a romance, even though it isn't written like one. The whole thing is just terribly constructed. Messy. Miserable ending.
I don't want to spent too much more time on this book review, as I really feel like I've spent enough time reading 450 pages of GOTCHA! and I know jack all about horses. But I have to say, I know an animal torture scene when I read one. I don't care how many apologies Evans pumped into those paragraphs. And I did research it after the fact, because I wanted to know, and it turns out that the horse training climax scene *does* depict highly controversial "training methods." The kind known for breaking horses' bones. Yuck.
So this isn't a great book; there's a lot wrong with it. But I didn't hate it either; he didn't baby his disabled character and that is really amazing. (You have no idea.) In fact I really enjoyed the middle 200 pages. But the last 150 was a bit of a chore to finish.
Rating 3 stars, Spicy factor 🌶🌶
Finished August 2022
Recommended to fans of modern romance, westerns, forbidden love stories, tragedies, animal stories; readers seeking narratives with disabled characters; horse lovers
TW animal abuse, animal cruelty, car accident, loss of limb, infidelity, probably more I'm not thinking of
✔️August Pick 3/10
✔️52 Book Club Summer Genre Challenge: Romance
✔️52 Book Club 52 Book Challenge: a wealthy character
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
Tom...stood dripping before [Grace and Annie]. He took off his hat and poured the water from its brim. Grace started to laugh and he gave her a wry look....
"She's a heartless woman this daughter of yours," he said [to Annie]. "What she doesn't know is next time she's the one going in." p202-203
Don't worry, Tom never makes a disabled teenager get into a training pool with an unstable horse. But what I loved about this scene, at this location, was where this story had come from, how much ground it had covered, and where it appeared to be going. I was incredibly invested in the story of a girl and her horse, both brutalized and traumatized in the same accident, turning to the same semi-magical beast master for healing.
What I was not ready for was the turn the narrative took, even though I was completely expecting it at some point. I mean, this book is known as a romance, even though it isn't written like one. The whole thing is just terribly constructed. Messy. Miserable ending.
I don't want to spent too much more time on this book review, as I really feel like I've spent enough time reading 450 pages of GOTCHA! and I know jack all about horses. But I have to say, I know an animal torture scene when I read one. I don't care how many apologies Evans pumped into those paragraphs. And I did research it after the fact, because I wanted to know, and it turns out that the horse training climax scene *does* depict highly controversial "training methods." The kind known for breaking horses' bones. Yuck.
So this isn't a great book; there's a lot wrong with it. But I didn't hate it either; he didn't baby his disabled character and that is really amazing. (You have no idea.) In fact I really enjoyed the middle 200 pages. But the last 150 was a bit of a chore to finish.
Rating 3 stars, Spicy factor 🌶🌶
Finished August 2022
Recommended to fans of modern romance, westerns, forbidden love stories, tragedies, animal stories; readers seeking narratives with disabled characters; horse lovers
TW animal abuse, animal cruelty, car accident, loss of limb, infidelity, probably more I'm not thinking of
✔️August Pick 3/10
✔️52 Book Club Summer Genre Challenge: Romance
✔️52 Book Club 52 Book Challenge: a wealthy character
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
October 21, 2019
I read this not long after it came out and had to read the book everyone was talking about!
While I very much enjoyed the story, it wasn't one I knew I would "have to reread" at a future point in time.
If you missed it, then you may want to consider this story. The writing was well done, there is a drama which unfolds with some romance. If you love horses, this is for you.
While I very much enjoyed the story, it wasn't one I knew I would "have to reread" at a future point in time.
If you missed it, then you may want to consider this story. The writing was well done, there is a drama which unfolds with some romance. If you love horses, this is for you.
April 24, 2012
This book would have gotten one star, except for the fact that I actually enjoyed reading about the slow, tandem recovery of the horse and his rider.
What I DIDN'T enjoy was the main character, Annie. I can honestly say I disliked her intensely. She drags her family along by the nose, so certain that EVERYTHING SHE DOES is the best solution for everything, and the fact that the author makes her decisions work somehow makes the character even more irritating. She comes across as self-centered, more concerned with "fixing" her daughter and her horse than actually caring for them.
Okay, that last bit probably isn't fair; it's been a while since I read the book, so I may be remembering my annoyance with the character more than the character herself. Regardless, she runs roughshod over everyone, and then seems willing to throw it all away for someone who struck me as a male fantasy about a female's fantasy version of the ultimate "sensitive guy". And then? The ending. Oh dear, the ending. I can't believe Annie's family was even speaking to her at that point, but again, she seemed to believe that everyone was just going to go along with what SHE really wanted anyway.
My sister says the movie is MUCH better. It would have to be.
What I DIDN'T enjoy was the main character, Annie. I can honestly say I disliked her intensely. She drags her family along by the nose, so certain that EVERYTHING SHE DOES is the best solution for everything, and the fact that the author makes her decisions work somehow makes the character even more irritating. She comes across as self-centered, more concerned with "fixing" her daughter and her horse than actually caring for them.
Okay, that last bit probably isn't fair; it's been a while since I read the book, so I may be remembering my annoyance with the character more than the character herself. Regardless, she runs roughshod over everyone, and then seems willing to throw it all away for someone who struck me as a male fantasy about a female's fantasy version of the ultimate "sensitive guy". And then? The ending. Oh dear, the ending. I can't believe Annie's family was even speaking to her at that point, but again, she seemed to believe that everyone was just going to go along with what SHE really wanted anyway.
My sister says the movie is MUCH better. It would have to be.
September 11, 2023
Love this book! It's the kind of book one reads and still several years later remember much about. Fabulous story and I think that the ending is the book is way better than the movies ending!
August 14, 2020
Η ιστορία μιας δεκατετράχρονης κοπέλας που σε ιππικό ατύχημα χάνει την καλύτερή της φίλη και το ένα πόδι της και που η μητέρα της, σκληρή μεν αλλά συγκλονισμένη απ' αυτό που συνέβη, βάζει τα δυνατά της για να σώσει το άλογο που επέζησε -αλλά με μεγάλα σωματικά και ψυχικά τραύματα-, δίνεται με ευαισθησία και εξελίσσεται πολυεπίπεδα. Η καταφυγή της κλονισμένης οικογένειας σε κάποιο ράντσο της αμερικανικής εξοχής, όπου ένας ειδικός, ένας γητευτής αλόγων, με δισταγμό προσπαθεί να επαναφέρει το ζωντανό, και η ανεξάρτητη πια ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων που δεν τους δένει πλέον η πνιγηρή και πιεστική καθημερινότητα της μεγάλης πόλης που άφησαν πίσω, συμβαίνουν σταδιακά, τεκμηριωμένα και ομαλά. Η αντίθεση μεταξύ της ζωής στην πόλη και της επιστροφής στην φύση, η απώλεια και το πώς πραγματώνεται με τρόπους εκτός του αναμενόμενου, μια άλλης μορφής κατάθλιψη και η αποξένωση σκιαγραφούνται εύγλωττα μέσα από το λογοτεχνικό πατρόν της αντιμετώπισης της κρίσης, και συνυφαίνονται με την αφήγηση, που είναι αργή και μελαγχολική, για να κλιμακωθούν σταθερά και με αληθοφάνεια προς μια κορύφωση που την περιμένεις μεν, αλλά σε συγκινεί. Θεωρώ πως το τέλος υστερεί σε σχέση με το υπόλοιπο βιβλίο (η αντίδραση της Γκρέις αναφορικά με ό,τι συνέβη δεν μου φάνηκε ιδιαίτερα προσγειωμένη), ωστόσο επιλέγω να κρατήσω ό,τι προηγήθηκε και να σταθώ εκεί. Ήταν, συνολικά, ένα μυθιστόρημα με απόλυτη συνείδηση και αυτοσεβασμό.
August 19, 2017
نیکلاس ایوانز در حال حاضر در سراسر جهان به عنوان نویسنده از اسب نجوا کن شناخته شده است.
این اولین رمان اوست که به 35 زبان مختلف ترجمه شده است
آنی گریوز با شوهرش، رابرت، و دختر 14 ساله خود، گریس در یک آپارتمان در نیویورک زندگی می کند.
یک روز صبح آفتابی، گریس sneaks را از سوار شدن به اسب با دوستان خود باز میدارد ولی سودی نمیدهد و این سواری با تراژدی به پایان میرسه
در تصادف دوستان گریس و اسب او می میرد ولی بعدا مشخص میشود بصورت معجزه مانندی اسب زنده مانده است
چند هفته پس از حادثه آنی با تام بوکر که در مونتانا زندگی می کند تماس میگیرید چرا که او به معنای واقعی کلمه قادر به "صحبت" با اسب میباشد
این اولین رمان اوست که به 35 زبان مختلف ترجمه شده است
آنی گریوز با شوهرش، رابرت، و دختر 14 ساله خود، گریس در یک آپارتمان در نیویورک زندگی می کند.
یک روز صبح آفتابی، گریس sneaks را از سوار شدن به اسب با دوستان خود باز میدارد ولی سودی نمیدهد و این سواری با تراژدی به پایان میرسه
در تصادف دوستان گریس و اسب او می میرد ولی بعدا مشخص میشود بصورت معجزه مانندی اسب زنده مانده است
چند هفته پس از حادثه آنی با تام بوکر که در مونتانا زندگی می کند تماس میگیرید چرا که او به معنای واقعی کلمه قادر به "صحبت" با اسب میباشد
December 13, 2011
Adultery is not romantic. Will men quit writing this shit!
November 26, 2012
If Nicholas Sparks could write well, or if "The Bridges of Madison County" had had a horse in it, the result might be something like this book. I liked reading this book despite the fact that it reads like a movie script rather than a true multi-layered story, I mean it read like a pretty good movie script most of the time. But, I am not a fan of adultery, nor of explicit sex in a book. Nor am I fan of big, cheesy, ridiculous ending scenes that are supposed to tie everything up nicely. I can see why people would like this book; it is emotional and dramatic, well-plotted and paced, even well-written for what it is. But what it is is a melodramatic, manipulative, deliberate emotional roller-coaster ride with this cowboy who is really good with horses and everyone loves him - too much - cue soap opera! (Robert Redford in the movie, looking nearly as decrepit as Clint Eastwood in Bridges of Madison County)
July 27, 2017
4.5 Tragic Stars!
I will never forget this one, this one gutted me, just the title induces tears & butterflies...and yet I Ioved it too...
I will never forget this one, this one gutted me, just the title induces tears & butterflies...and yet I Ioved it too...
February 10, 2020
L'uomo che sussurrava ai cavalli è un romanzo del 1995. Nicholas Evans in questo libro racconta l’esperienza negativa di una mamma giornalista chiamata Annie, sua figlia Grace, il cavallo Pilgrim, Tom Booker e qualche altra persona; questa ultima figura maschile rimane il fulcro del racconto poiché, l’uomo che sussurra ai cavalli, ha la facoltà di comprendere e placare i traumi dei cavalli quando questi sono malati o feriti. [...] Ma il finale del racconto ha un colpo di coda inaspettato finendo nella peggiore delle ipotesi. Ovviamente ciò accade quando nel racconto ci sarebbe potuta essere la serenità di un nucleo familiare.
A parere personale la narrazione del libro ritrova vigore nella sua seconda parte: quando il cavallo della ragazzina si ferisce, ho trovato che inizia il sostegno che a seguito reggerà il titolo del libro.
Con la prima neve, la tredicenne Grace insieme alla mamma escono coi cavalli: quella che sarebbe dovuta essere una cavalcata si trasformò in uno scenario terrificante. La piccola perderà la speranza di vivere e il suo cavallo Pilgrim durante l’incidente riporta traumi e ferite incurabili. Di quella situazione la mamma Annie non può fare niente per alleviare le pene e i dolori. Per riprendersi dal terrificante incidente ricorrono a Tom Booker, l’uomo che nel Montana riusciva a sussurrare ai cavalli; fra Annie e Tom nasce intimità e passione, ma l’uomo che sussurrava ai cavalli facendosi colpire dagli zoccoli di uno stallone porrà fine alla sua vita e la loro relazione.
A parere personale la narrazione del libro ritrova vigore nella sua seconda parte: quando il cavallo della ragazzina si ferisce, ho trovato che inizia il sostegno che a seguito reggerà il titolo del libro.
Con la prima neve, la tredicenne Grace insieme alla mamma escono coi cavalli: quella che sarebbe dovuta essere una cavalcata si trasformò in uno scenario terrificante. La piccola perderà la speranza di vivere e il suo cavallo Pilgrim durante l’incidente riporta traumi e ferite incurabili. Di quella situazione la mamma Annie non può fare niente per alleviare le pene e i dolori. Per riprendersi dal terrificante incidente ricorrono a Tom Booker, l’uomo che nel Montana riusciva a sussurrare ai cavalli; fra Annie e Tom nasce intimità e passione, ma l’uomo che sussurrava ai cavalli facendosi colpire dagli zoccoli di uno stallone porrà fine alla sua vita e la loro relazione.
March 20, 2008
i would never have expected to like this novel, but i LOVE it. I liked the movie a lot, but it isn't one i'd watch again, especially. The book is really well written, very intelligent and full of real emotion. It's very moving without making you feel depressed. Evans obviously did a LOT of research before writing this book, the kind of research you do with real people, not with library books or online searches, but he mixes all this information in with the storyline so skillfully that you feel like he MUST have been a Montana cowboy at some point...
Anyway, this is a lovely book and is especially wonderful for mothers and daughters. I read it while my mother was in her last days, and while my daughter was/is sick with a mysterious ailment; and even though I felt (as I always do with movies and films) that the parents and children resolved their insurmountable problems too easily... at the same time, i was happy and encouraged for them that they did. I mean, i really felt like they were real people. Also, his descriptions of an angry teenager (which are paralleled by his descriptions of angry, petulant horses)are spot on.
He also is very funny and tosses out little descriptions or word combinations that make you laugh, and which surprise you because you were otherwise so caught up in the emotions of the story and the beauty of the landscape he paints.
****
I wrote most of this review before I'd read the last few chapters, and i'm sorry to say it does deteriorate quite a bit at the end. Where everything else in the book feels very "true," the end is kind of unsatisfying and lazy. Nonetheless, it's still worth reading!
Anyway, this is a lovely book and is especially wonderful for mothers and daughters. I read it while my mother was in her last days, and while my daughter was/is sick with a mysterious ailment; and even though I felt (as I always do with movies and films) that the parents and children resolved their insurmountable problems too easily... at the same time, i was happy and encouraged for them that they did. I mean, i really felt like they were real people. Also, his descriptions of an angry teenager (which are paralleled by his descriptions of angry, petulant horses)are spot on.
He also is very funny and tosses out little descriptions or word combinations that make you laugh, and which surprise you because you were otherwise so caught up in the emotions of the story and the beauty of the landscape he paints.
****
I wrote most of this review before I'd read the last few chapters, and i'm sorry to say it does deteriorate quite a bit at the end. Where everything else in the book feels very "true," the end is kind of unsatisfying and lazy. Nonetheless, it's still worth reading!
February 13, 2025
L'uomo che sussurrava ai cavalli es una novela de 1995. Nicholas Evans en este libro cuenta la experiencia negativa de una madre periodista llamada Annie, su hija Grace, el caballo Pilgrim, Tom Booker y otras personas; esta última figura masculina sigue siendo el punto de apoyo de la historia porque, el hombre que susurra a los caballos, tiene el poder de comprender y aplacar el trauma de los caballos cuando están enfermos o heridos. [...] Pero el final de la historia tiene un fin inesperado que termina en el peor de los casos. Obviamente esto sucede cuando largo el cuento podría haber habido la serenidad de una familia unida.
De opinión personal, la narración del libro encuentra vigor en su segunda parte: cuando el caballo de la niña está herido descubrí que comienza el texto que luego va a dar el título al libro.
Con la primera nevada, Grace, de 13 años, con su madre sale con los caballos: lo que debería haber sido un paseo se convirtió en un escenario aterrador. La niña perderá la esperanza de vivir y su caballo durante el accidente sufre heridas incurables. De esa situación, la madre Annie no puede hacer nada para aliviar el dolor. E para recuperarse del terrible accidente recurren a Tom Booker, el hombre que en Montana puede susurrar a los caballos.
Entre Annie y Tom nace la intimidad y la pasión. Pero el hombre que susurró a los caballos siendo golpeado de uno semental acabará con su vida y su relación con esa mama.
De opinión personal, la narración del libro encuentra vigor en su segunda parte: cuando el caballo de la niña está herido descubrí que comienza el texto que luego va a dar el título al libro.
Con la primera nevada, Grace, de 13 años, con su madre sale con los caballos: lo que debería haber sido un paseo se convirtió en un escenario aterrador. La niña perderá la esperanza de vivir y su caballo durante el accidente sufre heridas incurables. De esa situación, la madre Annie no puede hacer nada para aliviar el dolor. E para recuperarse del terrible accidente recurren a Tom Booker, el hombre que en Montana puede susurrar a los caballos.
Entre Annie y Tom nace la intimidad y la pasión. Pero el hombre que susurró a los caballos siendo golpeado de uno semental acabará con su vida y su relación con esa mama.
January 27, 2022
Jautri istorija apie iš naujo atrastą 13-ametės Greisės ir jos žirgo Piligrimo pasitikėjimą savo jėgomis po nelaimingo nutikimo.
Labai įdomu buvo skaityti, kada buvo rašoma apie draugystę tarp žmogaus ir arklių, kaip svarbu suprasti arklio psichologiją padedant jam išgyti po traumų - tai buvo atskleista per veikėjo - išmintingo arklių užkalbėtojo Tomo mintis, veiksmus.
Labai norėjosi daugiau apie pačią mergaitę, bet čia daug buvo pasakojama ir apie Greisės mamą Anę ir jos meilės istoriją - vienu metu man ji patiko, lyg ir supratau jos veiksmus, bet visumoje ji pasirodė savanaudiška veikėja.
Knyga baigiasi liūdnai. Nežinau kodėl, bet visad pykstu, kai taip yra. 🙈
3/5⭐️ Patiko
N-18 - kelios sekso scenos
Labai įdomu buvo skaityti, kada buvo rašoma apie draugystę tarp žmogaus ir arklių, kaip svarbu suprasti arklio psichologiją padedant jam išgyti po traumų - tai buvo atskleista per veikėjo - išmintingo arklių užkalbėtojo Tomo mintis, veiksmus.
Labai norėjosi daugiau apie pačią mergaitę, bet čia daug buvo pasakojama ir apie Greisės mamą Anę ir jos meilės istoriją - vienu metu man ji patiko, lyg ir supratau jos veiksmus, bet visumoje ji pasirodė savanaudiška veikėja.
Knyga baigiasi liūdnai. Nežinau kodėl, bet visad pykstu, kai taip yra. 🙈
3/5⭐️ Patiko
N-18 - kelios sekso scenos
March 8, 2017
El libro me gustó bastante, al igual que la película, con una jovencísima Scarlett Johansson.
April 20, 2025
another review that Goodreads ate.
I read this years ago ('22 I think?) and the thing that still sticks with me is the scene at the end when the mmc "trains" Pilgrim in a method by and large considered torturous by horse professionals.
I never forget an animal in pain and I'll never forget this book. But I did not like it.
Surprised I'm an outlier? Yeah, me neither.
I read this years ago ('22 I think?) and the thing that still sticks with me is the scene at the end when the mmc "trains" Pilgrim in a method by and large considered torturous by horse professionals.
I never forget an animal in pain and I'll never forget this book. But I did not like it.
Surprised I'm an outlier? Yeah, me neither.
May 17, 2015
Read this because best friend wrote the screenplay. Although I'm probably biased I preferred the movie with Robert Redford. Always interesting to see how the book transfers to the big screen. My friend, Eric, also wrote the screenplay for Forrest Gump for which he took home an Oscar.
January 22, 2009
I almost liked this book. Almost.
I did enjoy the 'meeting-of-two-worlds' aspect of the story. It was heartwarming to read about two East Coasters trying to fit in at a Montana ranch. Annie and Grace do eventually become near-family to the Booker clan who own and operate the ranch. It was interesting to see outsiders gradually becoming welcome. It felt real.
I also enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the Montana land, sky and wildlife. It makes you wish the book had been illustrated. One suspects their own vision of the land wouldn't near match its true beauty.
However, there are things about this book that I most certainly did not like.
I didn't care for the descriptions of Annie "thinking that somehow the horse's fate and her daughter's fate were related" (paraphrase). Cliché! Thankfully, that sort of muck is kept to a minimum.
I thought the story should have focused more on the rehabilitation of Grace and her horse. Don't get me wrong, the author included quite a bit of that story, but didn't make it important enough. Poor Pilgrim the horse isn't very well developed as a character. We don't get to find out just what went on with him and how he came around. It's hinted at, but not enough for me.
The biggest fault I have with the book is the unnecessary romance between Annie and Tom the "horse whisperer." I saw this coming a mile away, even though it wasn't mentioned on the back of the book. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but I don't think every single male and female main character need to fall in love. This is not the real world. At most, the two characters might share an attraction, but that does not mean they would necessarily act upon it.
Romance and love are important, but they are not all that life can be. Sometimes people treat each other like fellow human beings, not potential marriage partners. What would be wrong with a story in which a man and a woman interact as two normal people, without falling in love? As I said, the main story should have been Grace and Pilgrim.
I also disagree with the author's implication that cheating is sort of okay, under the right circumstances. Once Tom learned that Annie was married, that should have been the end of it.
I also expected Tom to have more magic than he did. He turned out to be just a guy who's really good at dealing with horses.
I'm not sure if I would recommend this book, or to whom I would recommend it. Some parts of the story are very good, showing the fragility of human relations. Some parts are heartwarming. You want to join these folks at their barbecues and cattle drives. But the forced romance nearly ruins those warm feelings.
Also, as a warning to anyone who cares about horses - this novel can be very intense where horses are concerned. May be traumatizing to some.
I did enjoy the 'meeting-of-two-worlds' aspect of the story. It was heartwarming to read about two East Coasters trying to fit in at a Montana ranch. Annie and Grace do eventually become near-family to the Booker clan who own and operate the ranch. It was interesting to see outsiders gradually becoming welcome. It felt real.
I also enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the Montana land, sky and wildlife. It makes you wish the book had been illustrated. One suspects their own vision of the land wouldn't near match its true beauty.
However, there are things about this book that I most certainly did not like.
I didn't care for the descriptions of Annie "thinking that somehow the horse's fate and her daughter's fate were related" (paraphrase). Cliché! Thankfully, that sort of muck is kept to a minimum.
I thought the story should have focused more on the rehabilitation of Grace and her horse. Don't get me wrong, the author included quite a bit of that story, but didn't make it important enough. Poor Pilgrim the horse isn't very well developed as a character. We don't get to find out just what went on with him and how he came around. It's hinted at, but not enough for me.
The biggest fault I have with the book is the unnecessary romance between Annie and Tom the "horse whisperer." I saw this coming a mile away, even though it wasn't mentioned on the back of the book. Maybe it's because I'm a man, but I don't think every single male and female main character need to fall in love. This is not the real world. At most, the two characters might share an attraction, but that does not mean they would necessarily act upon it.
Romance and love are important, but they are not all that life can be. Sometimes people treat each other like fellow human beings, not potential marriage partners. What would be wrong with a story in which a man and a woman interact as two normal people, without falling in love? As I said, the main story should have been Grace and Pilgrim.
I also disagree with the author's implication that cheating is sort of okay, under the right circumstances. Once Tom learned that Annie was married, that should have been the end of it.
I also expected Tom to have more magic than he did. He turned out to be just a guy who's really good at dealing with horses.
I'm not sure if I would recommend this book, or to whom I would recommend it. Some parts of the story are very good, showing the fragility of human relations. Some parts are heartwarming. You want to join these folks at their barbecues and cattle drives. But the forced romance nearly ruins those warm feelings.
Also, as a warning to anyone who cares about horses - this novel can be very intense where horses are concerned. May be traumatizing to some.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2026
The author worked in the film industry as a screenwriter prior to writing his debut novel. And as we all know, debuts can be hit or miss and rare when opti0ned for a film that stars and is directed by Robert Redford!
Nicholas Evans captures our hearts and soul with a story about the McClean family in NY whose teen daughter Grace is in a tragic accident while riding Pilgrim on snow covered hills. While she and her best friend climb toward a highway, Gulliver slips and falls backward into Grace killing his owner and breaking a leg. Pilgrim makes a bold attempt to climb toward the highway while dragging Grace and jumps in front of an 18 wheeler on the highway and nearly killed.
The emotional and physical damage to Grace and Pilgrim is immeasurable; as doctors discuss the options with parents Robert and Annie, the decision is made to amputate the lower part of Grace's right leg. Traumatized by the event, Grace slips into a coma while her mother struggles, weeps and prays. The editor of a popular magazine, Annie's workaholic focus becomes an issue while distance between her and Robert grows. Local vets suggest Pilgrim is put down due to the insurmountable damage and trauma. Knowing the love Grace has for her horse, Annie uses resources to hunt for a solution and stumbles across Indian horse healers called 'whisperers'. When she learns of Tom Booker in Montana whose renown with horses is unrivaled, Annie makes up her mind Booker will heal Pilgrim.
Annie's calls to Tom are fruitless; a take no prisoners type, she loads their pickup and horse trailer and drives Grace and Pilgrim to Montana. Unfamiliar with traditional rural lifestyles, the author uses Annie, Tom and Grace as metaphor to demonstrate how humans overcome differences and 'heal' emotionally, physically and behaviorally. Over the course of time, Booker's humanity and love heals both Grace and Pilgrim while Annie falls head over heals for the Whisperer.
Driven by redemption, healing and love, the narrative mirrors the award winning film while filling in back story that deepens engagement. Romantic, visual and evocative its a story unlike any other.
For those who have seen the Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Chris Cooper movie, you'll enjoy reading the story it was adapted from. And for those that have not seen the film, I urge you to add this beautiful, heart wrenching book to your list.
Nicholas Evans captures our hearts and soul with a story about the McClean family in NY whose teen daughter Grace is in a tragic accident while riding Pilgrim on snow covered hills. While she and her best friend climb toward a highway, Gulliver slips and falls backward into Grace killing his owner and breaking a leg. Pilgrim makes a bold attempt to climb toward the highway while dragging Grace and jumps in front of an 18 wheeler on the highway and nearly killed.
The emotional and physical damage to Grace and Pilgrim is immeasurable; as doctors discuss the options with parents Robert and Annie, the decision is made to amputate the lower part of Grace's right leg. Traumatized by the event, Grace slips into a coma while her mother struggles, weeps and prays. The editor of a popular magazine, Annie's workaholic focus becomes an issue while distance between her and Robert grows. Local vets suggest Pilgrim is put down due to the insurmountable damage and trauma. Knowing the love Grace has for her horse, Annie uses resources to hunt for a solution and stumbles across Indian horse healers called 'whisperers'. When she learns of Tom Booker in Montana whose renown with horses is unrivaled, Annie makes up her mind Booker will heal Pilgrim.
Annie's calls to Tom are fruitless; a take no prisoners type, she loads their pickup and horse trailer and drives Grace and Pilgrim to Montana. Unfamiliar with traditional rural lifestyles, the author uses Annie, Tom and Grace as metaphor to demonstrate how humans overcome differences and 'heal' emotionally, physically and behaviorally. Over the course of time, Booker's humanity and love heals both Grace and Pilgrim while Annie falls head over heals for the Whisperer.
Driven by redemption, healing and love, the narrative mirrors the award winning film while filling in back story that deepens engagement. Romantic, visual and evocative its a story unlike any other.
For those who have seen the Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Chris Cooper movie, you'll enjoy reading the story it was adapted from. And for those that have not seen the film, I urge you to add this beautiful, heart wrenching book to your list.
May 30, 2021
Atceros, ka ļoti sen lasīju, un neatceros, ka man būtu īpaši patikusi, bet,tā kā tolaik gados biju tuvāk galvenās varones meitai, kā galvenajai varonei, nolēmu dot otru iespēju. Jā, pilnīgi noteikti šī nav grāmata jauniešiem, jo ko viņi saprot no nobridušu cilvēku jūtām un problēmām.... Grāmatas valodas plūdums un notukumu attelojums ir labs, saprotu, kāpēc savulaik tā sansiedza tādu popularitāti un patika tik daudziem (-ām droši vien būtu precīzāk). Tomēr jāsaka, ka sižeta līnijas, kurās galvenā varone ir precēta (vai pat vienkārši stabilās attiecībās), un tad satiek to liktenīgo, kurš izsit korķus, arvien vairāk man sāk nepatikt, jo laikam jau neskrīt ar manu iekšējo morāles kompasu - ja kaut kas nav labi, sākumā tiec skaidrībā ar to, kurš jau tev ir. Tāpēc īsti nejutu līdzi tam mīlasstāstam.
May 11, 2017
I am always cautious when picking up a book in which animals figure prominently in the story. I am a HUGE animal lover and I have found that the treatment of animals in stories can be very disturbing and heart breaking to me. Nevertheless, the premise of this story sounded fascinating and I wasn't disappointed.
On a cold December day, Grace Graves goes riding on her horse Pilgrim with a friend. There is a terrible accident... Grace's friend and her horse are killed... and Grace and Pilgrim are horribly injured... both physically and emotionally. Grace loses a leg in the accident and although Pilgrim's physical injuries will eventually heal; emotionally, the two.... girl and her beloved horse... are wounded spirits in need of healing. Grace's mother, Annie Graves, becomes aware of a man in Montana.. Tom Booker... who has the reputation of being 'gifted'... he has a voice that can soothe and heal the broken spirits of the horses he comes into contact with. Annie is desperate to make her daughter whole again and she recognizes the connection between her daughter's health and Pilgrim's health; so Annie, Grace and Pilgrim set out on a journey to Montana and it is there that their lives are changed forever.
This beautiful story is about the complexities of relationships... between mothers and daughters and even between human beings and animals. The story is a moving one about love, acceptance and trust.. the necessary ingredients of ALL relationships. Although the ending was not what I had hoped for, I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a 'sweet spot' for animals.. especially horses and anyone who has the ability to marvel at the resilience of the spirit.. whether human or animal.
On a cold December day, Grace Graves goes riding on her horse Pilgrim with a friend. There is a terrible accident... Grace's friend and her horse are killed... and Grace and Pilgrim are horribly injured... both physically and emotionally. Grace loses a leg in the accident and although Pilgrim's physical injuries will eventually heal; emotionally, the two.... girl and her beloved horse... are wounded spirits in need of healing. Grace's mother, Annie Graves, becomes aware of a man in Montana.. Tom Booker... who has the reputation of being 'gifted'... he has a voice that can soothe and heal the broken spirits of the horses he comes into contact with. Annie is desperate to make her daughter whole again and she recognizes the connection between her daughter's health and Pilgrim's health; so Annie, Grace and Pilgrim set out on a journey to Montana and it is there that their lives are changed forever.
This beautiful story is about the complexities of relationships... between mothers and daughters and even between human beings and animals. The story is a moving one about love, acceptance and trust.. the necessary ingredients of ALL relationships. Although the ending was not what I had hoped for, I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a 'sweet spot' for animals.. especially horses and anyone who has the ability to marvel at the resilience of the spirit.. whether human or animal.
January 7, 2011
A friend of mine kept bugging me to read Nicholas Evans, and I finally gave in and got his first novel - The Horse Whisperer. It was made into a movie with the everbeautiful Scarlett Johansonn which I saw years ago and enjoyed, though it didn't leave any lasting impression. When it came to the book I wasn't impressed.
With an interesting premise - girl coming back to health after an accident during horse riding, a "whisperer" called to heal the horse - it soon became cliched and predictable. The interesting process with the girl coming back to health after the accident, and the dreamy cowboy is trying to heal the horse and make it trust people again was soon switched by Evans for a corny Hollywood romance. The story moves to focus on the girl's unlikable mother, who is said to love her husband dearly, but for some reason just has to hump the dreamy cowboy who soon realizes that the lady is hot for him and he's hot for her.
There's little here that wasn't done before and it is not done in any spectacular way. The ending to the story is so bizarrely ridiculous that I wouldn't really recommend this novel to anyone.
With an interesting premise - girl coming back to health after an accident during horse riding, a "whisperer" called to heal the horse - it soon became cliched and predictable. The interesting process with the girl coming back to health after the accident, and the dreamy cowboy is trying to heal the horse and make it trust people again was soon switched by Evans for a corny Hollywood romance. The story moves to focus on the girl's unlikable mother, who is said to love her husband dearly, but for some reason just has to hump the dreamy cowboy who soon realizes that the lady is hot for him and he's hot for her.
There's little here that wasn't done before and it is not done in any spectacular way. The ending to the story is so bizarrely ridiculous that I wouldn't really recommend this novel to anyone.
September 14, 2014
Απο την εισαγωγη αυτο το βιβλιο με συνεπηρε. Οι κινηματογραφικες περιγραφες που για ενα περιεργο λογο δεν βαριομουν να διαβαζω αλλα απολαμβανα, τα συναισθηματα και οι σκέψεις ολων των σημαντικων ηρωων που μοιραζονταν τοσο ομορφα στις σελιδες και η πολυπλοκοτητα των χαρακτηρων ειναι κατι που εκτιμω ουτως η αλλως στα αναγνωσματα. Η Αννυ ειναι μια ηρωιδα που στο μισο βιβλιο αναρωτιεσαι τι παιδικο τραυμα κουβαλαει κ ειναι τοσο ξεροκεφαλη, κ αυτο το λατρευω!!! Διαβαζα τις ρεαλιστικες περιγραφες, τις ατακες και σκεφτομουν επιτελους ενα υπεροχο ρεαλιστικο μυθιστορημα, κ τοτε ερχεται το τελος!!! Μα γιατι?? Ποιος ο λογος??? Μας κανει πλακα?? Σε ολο το εργο μας πετουσε ατακες οπως "πρεπει να διαλεξεις... θα ζησεις??" κ μετα αυτο!!! Και ολες αυτες οι υπονοιες του τυπου ηξερε που θα χτυπησει αλλα δεν εκανε πισω, που αποσκοπουν, εχει καποιο κρυφο μηνυμα? καποια φιλοοφια? καποιου ειδους διδαχη??? Μειον ενα αστερακι για το τελος!!! Μας την εφερε ο κ. Evans!!!
May 2, 2025
I read this book ages ago and also saw the movie way back when. While listening to this I couldn’t help but picture Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas and a young Scarlett Johansen in my mind and that might have influenced my enjoyment in the best way. However, I forgot about the different endings somehow and was sad with how the book ended, though it somehow also suited and seemed the only way this story could end. I was impressed by this author’s knowledge about horses and he certainly has a feel for people’s characters and emotions. I truly loved it and am happy I gave it another chance after all these years.
July 13, 2017
Sono passati anni dalla prima lettura, ma ancora mi ricordo l’emozione fortissima che mi travolse quando finalmente Grace riuscì a ritrovare il suo Pilgrim! È un libro che mi ha fatto riflettere molto, che mi ha trascinato nella vita dei nuovi cowboy, che mi ha mostrato un’America diversa, nuova e bellissima.
Evans scrive benissimo, con poche righe riesce a emozionare ad arrivare al cuore!
Questo libro è e rimarrà uno dei miei preferiti!
Evans scrive benissimo, con poche righe riesce a emozionare ad arrivare al cuore!
Questo libro è e rimarrà uno dei miei preferiti!
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