Dante: Horses of the Maury River Stables

Horses of the Maury River Stables #3

by Gigi Amateau

Handsome but headstrong, a retired racehorse finds a second chance in this affecting, fast-paced novel told straight from the horse’s mouth.

When Dante’s Inferno is born early, on a February night, there are already great expectations for him. He may be the grandson of the greatest racehorse in modern times, but Dante’s start proves a rough one, both in life and on the track. When Dante fails as a racehorse, he ends up at a Thoroughbred rescue facility run by rehabilitating prisoners before being adopted as a project horse at the Maury River Stables. It’s not easy for Dante to make friends—horse or human—but slowly horses Daisy and Napoleon let him into the fold, and a student named Ashley begins to work with him to learn dressage and jumping in hopes that he’ll find redemption as an eventing horse. Can Dante put his fears aside and succeed on the cross-country course? Narrated from Dante’s point of view, this is a story that animal lovers will cherish.

Genres: Animals, Middle Grade, Horses, Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

Gigi Amateau was born in northeastern Mississippi and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia, just outside of Richmond. Her first young adult novel, Claiming Georgia Tate (Candlewick Press, 2005), described as “a moving first offering” by School Library Journal, was selected as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, Voice of Youth Advocates Review Editor’s Choice, and a Book Sense Summer Pick. It was also nominated for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Children’s Book Award and the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults list.

Among other upcoming titles, Chancey of the Maury River will be published by Candlewick Press in May 2008.

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in a series but I didn't realize that when I checked this out of the library. There were some bits of the book that were foggy because I had not read the previous two books, but overall I could figure out what was going on.



This is yet another book where the horse is the narrator. As much as I love Anna Sewell's Black Beauty I do wish writers would stop trying to copy it. Our narrator is lively and goofy and a bit spaced out at times. In my head, Dante's voice was Kevin Costner's.



It's hard not to realize who Dante's Paradiso is supposed to be (a shadowy version of Secretariat) and how the dead grandsire affects his grandcolt's life is done well. Even an atheist like me found nothing to make my eyes roll here. The book takes a realistic look at the darker side of horse racing without getting too graphic.

Dante's mission throughout the book is to pass the "three tests" -- and how he manages this was unpredictable and satisfying to me.

Some problems with the book include:

1) Too much of the book's plot is given away in the author's bio. Cut it out, yeah?
2) Dante claims that he wants to start a "thoroughbred revolution" but this theme is never pursued
3) What the heck was the deal with the girl jockey from the island of wild horses? That was confusing.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider them both, the horse and the man; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself?

Another great addition to the Maury River series by equine genius Gigi Amateau.

[Krista Mc]

It was definitely a different book than the other two Maury River stories. While it was hard to connect to Dante (as a character) in the same way I connected to the previous horsey-charaacters, I found that he had some very relatable things that he dealt with. This book would lend itself well to a group where some of these things could be talked about and processed in company rather than simply read alone. Just as Dante needed a supportive community (and it didn't just suddenly appear), in the same way many of us will walk through a similar process.

I enjoyed the cameo appearances from the previous Maury River books. It was fun to look at the scene from different angles. I also enjoyed learning more about the worlds of thoroughbred racing and dressage and even the different breeds of horses--there were a lot of things I looked up because I was curious about them.

I would definitely be interested in more Maury River stories!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. I loved the way I was told from the horses point of view and encouraged real horsemanship. It has a slight black beauty vibe but less sad. Definitely a new favorite of mine.

[Wendy Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can look past the anthropomorphism this is just beautiful. Emotional, insightful and well done. Dante gives a glimpse into the eyes of the OTTB.

[Ananiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and can’t wait to read the other ones

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a big fan of stories told from the point of view of an animal which don't manage to capture the alien nature of such a point of view. Horses are not people in horse costumes. They have their own interests, concerns, and ways of approaching problems. The main way they differ from humans is in language. There is some evidence that dogs understand the meaning of some words, but that is still very limited, and they are the animals most closely tied to humans. There is no evidence in either science or direct observation that a horse can comprehend everything that is said to them.

Now, I realize there's a fantasy element here, but I find the visit with his ancestors easier to swallow than the idea that a newborn foal would hear, understand, and remember human speech from day one. Even human newborns aren't born with language and don't form memories for a couple of years after birth. Having the story told in first person makes this even harder for me to accept. Maybe if I hadn't studied comparative psychology in school and beyond, this wouldn't have stuck out so much for me. It's like being a gun aficionado and reading a book by someone who had never shot a gun. There are bound to be details you get hung up on, and for me it's the approach to the horse's "voice" that failed for me. Since the whole book hangs on that voice, I struggled with this one.

Maybe a younger me would have been entranced, and the story does move along fairly well after a certain point. But, for me, it fails at a pretty basic level.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from the horse’s point-of-view, this is the story of Dante’s Inferno -- a racehorse whose grandfather was the greatest racehorse of all time. Dante, however, fails as a racehorse and ends up at a rescue facility run by rehabilitating prisoners before achieving adoption at Maury River Stables where his is a project horse. Dante slowly befriends other horses, Daisy and Napoleon, when he lowers his guard. Can he succeed on the cross-country course? Readers will race through the book to find out.

Some readers may find the use of dialect off-putting, but animal lovers will embrace this engaging horse story. While not packed with action, it offers emotional depth and Dante is an appealing character. Readers who enjoy the book will be delighted to learn that it is part of a series, although this volume can stand on its own.

[American Mensa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dante, a horse with a low- social life, is the grandson of the best horse. Along the way of completing the "three tests" he needs to run to live up to his bloodlines, Dante finds a few friends he'll do anything for. His life has lots of ups and downs in everything he does: racing, jumping, and dressage.

While most people can learn to love this book, horse lovers will cherish this read more. I recommend all horse lovers, children and adults, to read this wonderful book. This story is a great character study. It lacks what it needs to become a great action- packed book though, which is what I prefer.

I rate this book 2 stars.
Reviewed by Madeleine L., age 9, Nebraska/Western Iowa Mensa

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was hard to rate because in some ways I am quite ambivalent about it. So I'm going for a list:

Pros
- Lovely and lovingly realistic portrait of horse life (people cry, it's not all easy, there is abuse, there are pushy horses)
- Like the main characters (both horse and human) were multi-dimensional and not all good or bad

Cons
- Written in 1st person from horse POV which lends itself to an overly anthromorphic story
- Too much dialect
- Occasionally the plot veered off into a flight of fancy

I haven't decided if I will read others in this series, but it is a good horse story and worthy of a place in "horse girl cannon."

[Hannah H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante of the Maury river is about a foal (Dante's inferno) who was destined to become a great racehorse. All of his ancestors were great racehorses. The problem is he doesn't have the will to become a racehorse, He is moody and unpredictable. He gets passed on to many owners finally he's found the one. Will he mess it up or will it become home sweet home.
Theme: Keep trying and never give up till you have found the right choice.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book