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The Forever Horse
An enchanting and inspiring stand-alone novel from the author of The Princess and the Foal.
Maisie has always loved horses. She is also a talented artist. When the opportunity arises for her to study in Paris, her two worlds collide. There, in the heart of the city, Maisie finds the childhood diary of famous horse artist, Rose Bonifait, and meets the beautiful black stallion, Claude.
As the two girls’ stories emerge, tragedies unfold – both past and present – and Maisie realises that she can’t begin to imagine life without her forever horse…
Maisie has always loved horses. She is also a talented artist. When the opportunity arises for her to study in Paris, her two worlds collide. There, in the heart of the city, Maisie finds the childhood diary of famous horse artist, Rose Bonifait, and meets the beautiful black stallion, Claude.
As the two girls’ stories emerge, tragedies unfold – both past and present – and Maisie realises that she can’t begin to imagine life without her forever horse…
240 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2020
14 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Stacy Gregg
80 books207 followersAs a young girl living in New Zealand Stacy Gregg wanted to be two things when she grew up – a horse rider and a writer. She now considers herself very, very lucky to be both at once!
Becoming a writer was the easy part – all she needed was an exercise book and a pen. Stacy wrote loads of poetry and short stories at school and then became a journalist, writing features for magazines and newspapers and working as a fashion writer (v. glamorous and lots of fun!) before her first book in the Pony Club Secrets series was published in 2007.
Extract from author's web page
Becoming a writer was the easy part – all she needed was an exercise book and a pen. Stacy wrote loads of poetry and short stories at school and then became a journalist, writing features for magazines and newspapers and working as a fashion writer (v. glamorous and lots of fun!) before her first book in the Pony Club Secrets series was published in 2007.
Extract from author's web page
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 31, 2021
This is a Middle Grade Dual Timeline book. In this book there is one timeline that is now and one that is Historical timeline. I have to say I loved this book. This middle grade book touched my heart so much. This book shows the feel love so well. This is about horses, art, love, and overcoming. This book is written so well, and the characters are just the best. This is a most read for any kid that loves horse or art. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Harper Collins Children’s Books) or author (Stacy Gregg) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
October 4, 2021
An excellent read, it was good to see French language among the passages. This book is good for young readers because there are definitions to words like scholarship and prodigy. An interesting read where this book has two story running parallel, one in the current day and the other took place in 1852-1853 via a diary. Rose’s diary was a fantastic read! She’s awesome especially with gender issues. I loved getting to know Rose and Maisie. They were both well liked characters as well as Oscar, Nicole, and Francoise. I don’t grow up with horses but this story with a horse so loving like Claude made me love them and I cried when Claude got hurt.
This book started at an auction house. Art collectors were bidding for arts from graduates of the Parisian school. One of the paintings up for auction was from Maisie, 13 and she’s standing in the back worrying about raising her hands to scratch herself and mistakenly taken as a bid. She painted her favorite horse Claude and the bidding went beyond the price she was expecting. But she left during the bidding war to go spend remaining precious time with Claude because Claude’s in pain. Then the story began, one year earlier, told in the first person point of view. Maisie loved horse and painting starting at the age of 5 when her dad took her to an art gallery that has a painting of a horse that was worth 13 million pounds. As her art skills progressed, her dad applied to an art school in Paris and she got accepted. Her education into the art world in Paris was not easy especially when she’s a 13 year-old from England attending classes with college students in Paris. There’s an epilogue at the end of the book that reads like an author’s note.
The Forever Horse was well written and a page turner. I don’t know much about art even though I have visited many museums so I loved getting to know about artists and how they work. Child prodigy are amazing in general and it’s good to read about them in books. I’m the same way with Maisie in that I don’t find the new contemporary art beautiful, especially that ridiculous banana that was duct taped to a wall that was sold for $120k in 2019! I was not expecting a terrorist attack scene so it was good to be reminded of it because nowadays, covid is the main worry. The ending didn’t mentioned about why the painting in Paris showed Rose standing on her legs when the diary stated otherwise. A great read nonetheless and I recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to HarperCollins 360 for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
This book started at an auction house. Art collectors were bidding for arts from graduates of the Parisian school. One of the paintings up for auction was from Maisie, 13 and she’s standing in the back worrying about raising her hands to scratch herself and mistakenly taken as a bid. She painted her favorite horse Claude and the bidding went beyond the price she was expecting. But she left during the bidding war to go spend remaining precious time with Claude because Claude’s in pain. Then the story began, one year earlier, told in the first person point of view. Maisie loved horse and painting starting at the age of 5 when her dad took her to an art gallery that has a painting of a horse that was worth 13 million pounds. As her art skills progressed, her dad applied to an art school in Paris and she got accepted. Her education into the art world in Paris was not easy especially when she’s a 13 year-old from England attending classes with college students in Paris. There’s an epilogue at the end of the book that reads like an author’s note.
The Forever Horse was well written and a page turner. I don’t know much about art even though I have visited many museums so I loved getting to know about artists and how they work. Child prodigy are amazing in general and it’s good to read about them in books. I’m the same way with Maisie in that I don’t find the new contemporary art beautiful, especially that ridiculous banana that was duct taped to a wall that was sold for $120k in 2019! I was not expecting a terrorist attack scene so it was good to be reminded of it because nowadays, covid is the main worry. The ending didn’t mentioned about why the painting in Paris showed Rose standing on her legs when the diary stated otherwise. A great read nonetheless and I recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to HarperCollins 360 for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
May 2, 2021
🐴🎨
Stacy Gregg delivers again with another one of her standalone, horse based historical fiction novels. I have loved every one of these. This one mainly in France -- Paris for the present day story, and a few locations for the past, including Camargue. Both of the young women we follow are artists. I liked that Stacy Gregg broke her own mould a bit here with the focus less on riding horses and more about them being a kind of artistic inspiration. Maisie spends more time watching and painting horses than anything else, though her historical counterpart Rose is wealthy, and does ride, .
I'm so pleased that each of Stacy Gregg's books continue to live up to my expectations, and always inspire me to learn more about the breeds featured in the books. As well as looking forward to her new releases, I plan to reread to two series', Pony Club Secrets and Pony Club Rivals soon.
Stacy Gregg delivers again with another one of her standalone, horse based historical fiction novels. I have loved every one of these. This one mainly in France -- Paris for the present day story, and a few locations for the past, including Camargue. Both of the young women we follow are artists. I liked that Stacy Gregg broke her own mould a bit here with the focus less on riding horses and more about them being a kind of artistic inspiration. Maisie spends more time watching and painting horses than anything else, though her historical counterpart Rose is wealthy, and does ride, .
I'm so pleased that each of Stacy Gregg's books continue to live up to my expectations, and always inspire me to learn more about the breeds featured in the books. As well as looking forward to her new releases, I plan to reread to two series', Pony Club Secrets and Pony Club Rivals soon.
December 30, 2020
The Forever Horse is another cracking Stacy Gregg read, following her previous formula of intertwining two stories... in this case one is set in modern day Paris and one is set in the 1800s in Paris and the Camargue region.
Maisie is a talented young English artist who is given a prestigious scholarship to Art School in Paris, where she comes across a beautiful horse named Claude who works for the gendarmerie. As Maisie struggles to find depth in her paintings she discovers the old diary of Rose Bonifait, who happens to have established the art school where Maisie is studying.
As Maisie reads the diary she realises that her life parallels Rose's in many ways, and she uses her words for inspiration as times get tough.
When a terror attack at the Louvre threatens everything Maisie knows and loves in Paris, she uses it as impetus and inspiration to create a very special piece of artwork.
I love Stacy Gregg's writing (even though I am NOT a horse fan.) Her stories are compelling and fascinating... even if the manner in which the two stories are weaved together is a little contrived in this case.
Maisie is a talented young English artist who is given a prestigious scholarship to Art School in Paris, where she comes across a beautiful horse named Claude who works for the gendarmerie. As Maisie struggles to find depth in her paintings she discovers the old diary of Rose Bonifait, who happens to have established the art school where Maisie is studying.
As Maisie reads the diary she realises that her life parallels Rose's in many ways, and she uses her words for inspiration as times get tough.
When a terror attack at the Louvre threatens everything Maisie knows and loves in Paris, she uses it as impetus and inspiration to create a very special piece of artwork.
I love Stacy Gregg's writing (even though I am NOT a horse fan.) Her stories are compelling and fascinating... even if the manner in which the two stories are weaved together is a little contrived in this case.
November 8, 2020
This book follows the winning format of many of Stacy Gregg's other historical horse books. There are two intertwined stories separated in time but linked in some way. In The Forever Horse, the link is a diary written by a famous horse artist, Rose Bonifait and discovered by Maisie, a horse-loving young girl who has won a scholarship to attend the Parisian School des Beaux-Arts, While Maisie loves horses, she doesn't have one and has never even ridden a horse. Shortly after arriving in Paris to begin her scholarship, she meets a police horse called Claude and falls in love. Claude becomes her muse, the horse that she paints over and over again despite her teacher's and classmates' disdain. It isn't until tragedy strikes, that Masie paints a picture that fetches the top price in the auction of the students' work.
The first chapter ends with a cliff-hanger and then we are taken back a year in time to the beginning of Maisie's story. The reader must wait until the very end of the book to discover the resolution of the situation set up in the beginning. This technique creates a tension that keeps the reader reading. Both Maisie and Rose are well-drawn characters, who each must struggle with their own problems and issues. Chapter by chapter, the story moves between the girls, signalled by the use of different fonts.
Like the other books in this series, this story has a nugget of truth at its core. The character of Rose Bonifait is based on the famous French artist Rosa Bonheur and the police stables that Maisie visits can still be found on Boulevard Henri IV. However, those details won't matter to all the horse-loving girls who enjoy Stacy Gregg's books. They want beautiful horses, girls they can identify with and a thrilling story and they have all these in The Forever Horse.
Reviewed by Penny Guy (Bookrapt).
The first chapter ends with a cliff-hanger and then we are taken back a year in time to the beginning of Maisie's story. The reader must wait until the very end of the book to discover the resolution of the situation set up in the beginning. This technique creates a tension that keeps the reader reading. Both Maisie and Rose are well-drawn characters, who each must struggle with their own problems and issues. Chapter by chapter, the story moves between the girls, signalled by the use of different fonts.
Like the other books in this series, this story has a nugget of truth at its core. The character of Rose Bonifait is based on the famous French artist Rosa Bonheur and the police stables that Maisie visits can still be found on Boulevard Henri IV. However, those details won't matter to all the horse-loving girls who enjoy Stacy Gregg's books. They want beautiful horses, girls they can identify with and a thrilling story and they have all these in The Forever Horse.
Reviewed by Penny Guy (Bookrapt).
February 27, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this but thought the terrorism incident could have been different
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2022
This is a YA novel and I quite enjoyed it.
There are two stories told in parallel - both involving young female artists - Maisie and Rose - and horses. Rose's story is told through the pages of her old diary that Maisie finds while on scholarship in Paris. If you have tweens or teens who love horses, they'll love this book.
There are two stories told in parallel - both involving young female artists - Maisie and Rose - and horses. Rose's story is told through the pages of her old diary that Maisie finds while on scholarship in Paris. If you have tweens or teens who love horses, they'll love this book.
May 19, 2021
Thank you netgalley and harpercollins for letting me read
This book is great for middle schoolers. It's starts with a girl who wants to become a artist and the book takes place between the girl and her hero, who also wants to be a artist, from the 1850s. I thought some parts were unrealistic and I wasn't a fan of the terrorists. In the end, both girls achieve their goals.
This book is great for middle schoolers. It's starts with a girl who wants to become a artist and the book takes place between the girl and her hero, who also wants to be a artist, from the 1850s. I thought some parts were unrealistic and I wasn't a fan of the terrorists. In the end, both girls achieve their goals.
December 11, 2020
It was a sweet read.
August 16, 2021
A great read for horse or art lovers. Junior girls at my school will love this
June 11, 2021
The Forever Horse
Author, Stacy Gregg
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's books
Pub date: August 17, 2021
This was my first read of Stacy Gregg's and I absolutely loved it! The Forever Horse is a beautifully written middle grade dual timeline novel that is just perfect for girls who love horses and are adventurous, brave, and artistic.
Maisie is an exceptionally talented artist whose father is her biggest fan. He enrolls her in the prestigious School of Arts in Paris and despite her younger age, she is graciously accepted on a scholarship and cared for by Nicole Bonifait, the great- great- great granddaughter of Rose Bonifait, while she bravely attends the art school on her own. Rose Bonifait is the world famous artist who began the scholarship program at the renowned art school.
Beautifully atmospheric in Paris, Gregg paints a gorgeous stage for Maisie, who is coming of age, learning independence, how to assert herself in the classroom against her older classmates and her hypercritical teacher, and how to follow her dreams and love of painting horses.
Chance allows Maisie to spontaneously discover the childhood diary of the famous horse artist, Rose Bonifait herself. And fate allows Maisie to befriend Oscar, a Celestin police guard in Paris, who rides Claude, the most noble horse Maisie has ever seen. Claude inevitably becomes Maisie's muse.
As Rose's diary entries and Maisie's journey in Paris intertwine, tragedies unfold that teach the two girls incredibly valuable life lessons. A story of bravery and resilience, and of love and loss.
Have your children read any of Gregg's middle school novels? I can't wait to share more with my horse- riding, adventurous, brave, and artistic 11 year old. She will love reading about Maisie and Rose.
Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's books, and Stacy Gregg for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful story.
Author, Stacy Gregg
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's books
Pub date: August 17, 2021
This was my first read of Stacy Gregg's and I absolutely loved it! The Forever Horse is a beautifully written middle grade dual timeline novel that is just perfect for girls who love horses and are adventurous, brave, and artistic.
Maisie is an exceptionally talented artist whose father is her biggest fan. He enrolls her in the prestigious School of Arts in Paris and despite her younger age, she is graciously accepted on a scholarship and cared for by Nicole Bonifait, the great- great- great granddaughter of Rose Bonifait, while she bravely attends the art school on her own. Rose Bonifait is the world famous artist who began the scholarship program at the renowned art school.
Beautifully atmospheric in Paris, Gregg paints a gorgeous stage for Maisie, who is coming of age, learning independence, how to assert herself in the classroom against her older classmates and her hypercritical teacher, and how to follow her dreams and love of painting horses.
Chance allows Maisie to spontaneously discover the childhood diary of the famous horse artist, Rose Bonifait herself. And fate allows Maisie to befriend Oscar, a Celestin police guard in Paris, who rides Claude, the most noble horse Maisie has ever seen. Claude inevitably becomes Maisie's muse.
As Rose's diary entries and Maisie's journey in Paris intertwine, tragedies unfold that teach the two girls incredibly valuable life lessons. A story of bravery and resilience, and of love and loss.
Have your children read any of Gregg's middle school novels? I can't wait to share more with my horse- riding, adventurous, brave, and artistic 11 year old. She will love reading about Maisie and Rose.
Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's books, and Stacy Gregg for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful story.
August 20, 2021
At only 5, Maisie hadn’t heard the word prodigy before. But that’s what her dad called her – an art prodigy. All Maisie knew was that she liked to draw. She loved to visit the art gallery with her dad, and stare at a painting for hours, poring over each brush stroke, shadow and line.
Now 13, she sits with her dad at a parent-teacher evening. Her teacher is raging as she flicks each of Maisie’s exercise books open – all overflowing with drawings and sketches of horses. Is Dad cross at her afterwards? Not at all. In fact, he has dreams of a different future for his daughter.
An all paid art scholarship in Paris is that future, and under a guardian, Maisie attends an exclusive art school. She settles into the rooms that used to belong to the young woman over a century before, had set up the scholarship – Rose Bonifait. Rose too, was fascinated in horses, drawing and painting only them. Purely by chance, Maisie discovers Rose’s diary.
Maisie is the youngest in her art class by far, and for the first time in her life, her drawings of horses do not impress her teacher. Disheartened, she wanders along the streets and finds a stable of French Police (Gendarmerie) horses. One of these horses will change her life forever.
A story of two talented child artists, 150 years apart. Both girls love horses and spend all their waking hours painting, drawing and studying them. A diary connects the two, giving the reader concurrent stories of heartache and courage.
The two times are written in different fonts to make it easy for the reader to determine where and when they are. The horse stories entwined with the girls were equally touching and terrible, but redeeming as the story is completed – finishing where it started. Great read for art lovers, horse fans or animal lovers in general.
Now 13, she sits with her dad at a parent-teacher evening. Her teacher is raging as she flicks each of Maisie’s exercise books open – all overflowing with drawings and sketches of horses. Is Dad cross at her afterwards? Not at all. In fact, he has dreams of a different future for his daughter.
An all paid art scholarship in Paris is that future, and under a guardian, Maisie attends an exclusive art school. She settles into the rooms that used to belong to the young woman over a century before, had set up the scholarship – Rose Bonifait. Rose too, was fascinated in horses, drawing and painting only them. Purely by chance, Maisie discovers Rose’s diary.
Maisie is the youngest in her art class by far, and for the first time in her life, her drawings of horses do not impress her teacher. Disheartened, she wanders along the streets and finds a stable of French Police (Gendarmerie) horses. One of these horses will change her life forever.
A story of two talented child artists, 150 years apart. Both girls love horses and spend all their waking hours painting, drawing and studying them. A diary connects the two, giving the reader concurrent stories of heartache and courage.
The two times are written in different fonts to make it easy for the reader to determine where and when they are. The horse stories entwined with the girls were equally touching and terrible, but redeeming as the story is completed – finishing where it started. Great read for art lovers, horse fans or animal lovers in general.
March 21, 2023
The Forever Horse was a fabulous novel for younger readers. It had two intertwining stories - one set in modern-day Paris and the other in 1852. Both protagonists were young females and talented artists although neither was appreciated thanks to their gender. The first chapter was a cliffhanger! The story then went back twelve months so the reader has to wait until the end before discovering the resolution.
I did find Rose and Maisie rather obnoxious at the start but both girls grew on me and by the end, I was cheering for them both. They each had issues and problems they were struggling with but they both loved horses and spent most of their days drawing, painting and observing them.
My favourite character, however, was Claude, the beautiful, brave horse who was seriously injured in the line of duty while working for the National Gendarmerie. He became Maisie's muse but it broke my heart when he was hurt and in so much pain.
From the start, this story was compelling and I loved that it was about art, horses and overcoming obstacles. I also discovered that Rose's character was actually based on the real French artist, Rosa Bonheur so I did some research on her and her artwork once I had finished the book.
Being both a lover of art and horses, I found The Forever Horse a touching read.
I did find Rose and Maisie rather obnoxious at the start but both girls grew on me and by the end, I was cheering for them both. They each had issues and problems they were struggling with but they both loved horses and spent most of their days drawing, painting and observing them.
My favourite character, however, was Claude, the beautiful, brave horse who was seriously injured in the line of duty while working for the National Gendarmerie. He became Maisie's muse but it broke my heart when he was hurt and in so much pain.
From the start, this story was compelling and I loved that it was about art, horses and overcoming obstacles. I also discovered that Rose's character was actually based on the real French artist, Rosa Bonheur so I did some research on her and her artwork once I had finished the book.
Being both a lover of art and horses, I found The Forever Horse a touching read.
August 3, 2025
as always, loved the historical fiction and horsey elements of this book. wish i could stumble upon my forever horse as easily as maisie did haha
some other themes i loved: feminism, mentions of famous horse artists (i love rosa bonheur!!!) reminders of art being subjective (i always feel shit/like its my fault for not liking.getting some art - but artists would feel their fault - but it’s no one’s fault, we just like different things!!), maisie having such positive adults in her life (nicole and her dad etc)
“no one likes it when girls are proud. papa warns me constantly about that. and i reply that no one seems to like it much when girls do anything at all. i am working on solutions to this problem”
some other themes i loved: feminism, mentions of famous horse artists (i love rosa bonheur!!!) reminders of art being subjective (i always feel shit/like its my fault for not liking.getting some art - but artists would feel their fault - but it’s no one’s fault, we just like different things!!), maisie having such positive adults in her life (nicole and her dad etc)
“no one likes it when girls are proud. papa warns me constantly about that. and i reply that no one seems to like it much when girls do anything at all. i am working on solutions to this problem”
January 8, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this story. Sweet and uplifting. I’m pretty sure I had fallen in love with Maisie’s horse by the end. I’m probably being a little biased though considering it was dedicated to me.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews