Despite her gift with horses and her success at having won the Triple Crown, sixteen-year-old Tricia continues to doubt the God who has allowed her father to die
Award-winning and bestselling author Lauraine Snelling has over 80 books published with sales of over 4.5 million. Her original dream was to write horse books for children. Today, she writes adult novels about real issues centered on forgiveness, loss, domestic violence and cancer in her inspirational contemporary women’s fiction titles and historical series, including the favorite, Blessing books about Ingeborg Bjorklund and family.
Lauraine enjoys helping others reach their writing dreams by teaching at writer’s conferences across the county. She and her husband Wayne have two grown sons, and a daughter in Heaven. They live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a Basset named Sir Winston ob de Mountains, Lapcat, and “The Girls” (three golden hens).
I had read this book before & it still held my interest...cried part way through it!
Tricia Evanston was 16, and won the Triple Crown almost the same time her father died! She cried because everything hurt. She was staying in California, at least they had fresh oranges! She was listening for the song "...raise you up on eagle's wings..." When she heard it, it brought a measure of peace. She had a red Chrysler convertible that was presented to her when she & her colt, Spitfire, had won the Kentucky Derby. She wasn't able to pay attention in her Chemistry lab & earned an F! She was crying so hard she could hardly see to drive! Talking to Martha Finley, wife of breeder/trainer Adam Finley, who she was staying with, she admitted that she wanted her dad back. Martha comforted her. In the morning fog made driving difficult. She went through the track, paying attention to those around her. When she talked to Adam, he noticed that she was doing better. A black horse reminded her of Spitfire, which made her think of home. When she tried to call home there was no answer, so she tried her best friend, Rhonda, where she left a message. She cleaned up, but smiling was too much effort. Would she ever stop crying?
After a summer-long losing streak, sixteen-year-old Trisha Evanston is ready to give up racing. Once the winner of the Triple Crown, now it seems her desire for racing died along with her father, and no amount of tears will bring either of them back. Trish decides that if she doesn't win Firefly's last race, she will quit the racing scene altogether and go home. Trish's sympathetic chemistry tutor offers to help but Trish is caught off-guard when his solution is a handful of pills. Trish shoves them into her purse. THe drugs seem like they'd be such an easy way out of her darkness. Richard promised they would make her feel better - but at what price?
I really enjoyed this book, but it's nowhere near as good as the first few.
I enjoyed this series very much. A girl who lives on a horse farm in Oregon wants to be a jockey. Finally, her dream is coming true. Just as it has come true, her father dies of cancer. After this, she learns to cope with his death by turning to God. The one thing I did not appreciate about this book was the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing throughout the series. But, overall, I definately enjoyed them.
This book is a great companion to the last in the series as Trish's grief becomes manageable and she starts to live again. Good for all to have a real look at grief and its stages.
I love how the author continues to take the characture through situations that most girls in her age bracket face, and shows them the right way to deal with them, and that there's always forgiveness.