What do you think?
Rate this book
Another Kind of Cowboy
Alex Ford wishes his father had seen the movie Brokeback Mountain. Because then he might understand that it’s possible to be a gay cowboy. Trouble is, Alex doesn’t even want to be a cowboy; his dream is to ditch Western-style riding and take up dressage. But with his mother long gone, his father ensconced in an RV in the driveway, his messy Aunt Grace the Hair Stylist installed in the kitchen (whose cooking tastes like her hairdressing smells), and his Kung Fu–obsessed younger twin sisters, Alex knows that his dream is highly unlikely. So when he does get the chance to try the meticulously intricate art of dressage riding and then bumps into the supremely self absorbed Cleo at a competition, it’s a whole new world for Alex.
Cleo’s been sent to a very posh, very horsey boarding school nearby because of an unfortunate incident with her handsome chauffeur. Cleo doesn’t get why Alex is so serious about everything, especially when his family is so…interesting. But now Alex is about to lose even the slender hold he has on his dream—and on the secret he’s not yet ready to reveal. Meanwhile, Cleo has fallen in with the party crowd, forgetting all about her precious horse. Does this mean Alex and Cleo’s fledgling friendship is doomed from the start?
Juby weaves growing up, coming out and fitting in into a hilarious but always compassionate story set against the fascinating world of dressage riding. Guaranteed to be a huge hit with its YA audience!
Cleo’s been sent to a very posh, very horsey boarding school nearby because of an unfortunate incident with her handsome chauffeur. Cleo doesn’t get why Alex is so serious about everything, especially when his family is so…interesting. But now Alex is about to lose even the slender hold he has on his dream—and on the secret he’s not yet ready to reveal. Meanwhile, Cleo has fallen in with the party crowd, forgetting all about her precious horse. Does this mean Alex and Cleo’s fledgling friendship is doomed from the start?
Juby weaves growing up, coming out and fitting in into a hilarious but always compassionate story set against the fascinating world of dressage riding. Guaranteed to be a huge hit with its YA audience!
352 pages, Paperback
First published December 18, 2007
7 people are currently reading
717 people want to read
About the author
Susan Juby
20 books310 followers(from her website)
I was raised in Smithers, BC, Canada and lived there until I moved to Toronto at age 20. I had a brief and unsuccessful career as a fashion design student and, after I worked at a series of low paying jobs, such as server, record store employee, etc., I began a degree in English Literature at University of Toronto, which I finished at the University of British Columbia. After graduating I became an editor at a self-help/how-to book publishing company based in Vancouver. Later, I did a master’s degree in publishing.
When I was a kid I wrote fiction but gave it up for a life of crime. Okay, that’s not true, but I did get seriously sidetracked. That time in my life is the subject of my memoir, "Nice Recovery". When I was twenty, until I got myself together and when I was about 26 I started writing, in the morning before work, first on the bus, then in a coffee shop. This writing became my first novel, "Alice, I Think", which was published by Thistledown Press in 2000.
When I first started writing my intention was to write a book about a teenager who doesn't fit in, but doesn't allow that fact to crush her. The Alice MacLeod series is my homage to oddballs. I wanted to create a character who has the courage and integrity to find her own way and define herself independently of other people. I've always admired people who can do that.
After finishing three books about Alice and her family, I decided that my goal is to write every kind of book I love to read. I’ve always loved horse books. I was a lunatic for horses when I was younger. I owned several horses over the years (for a time when I was quite young I was convinced I was a horse, but let's keep that between us) and I became obsessed with an equestrian sport called dressage. I quit riding when I left home to go to college, but part of me always thought I could have been a "contender". (In retrospect, I'm not sure why I would have thought that.) Anyway, I got a nice pay day when Alice, I Think was made into a TV series, and the first thing I did was rush out a buy a horse and start working on a book about two young dressage riders. The story was initially about two girls, but soon I fell in love with a secondary character, a boy named Alex, and the book became mainly about him. That one is called "Another Kind of Cowboy".
I’m also a maniac for detective novels, which led to "Getting the Girl", a comedy about an inept detective and a high school conspiracy he is determined to stop. Book number six is my memoir. I developed a bit of a substance abuse problem when I was thirteen and I ended up getting clean and sober when I was twenty. Nice Recovery is about that time. The book includes information for people with addiction problems and interviews with amazing young people in recovery. My love for satire and the End Is Nigh novels led me to write "Bright’s Light", which is that rarest of things: a funny dystopian novel about young dunderheads in the last fun place on earth and the alien who wants to save them.
"Home to Woefield", as it’s known in the U.S. and "The Woefield Poultry Collective" as it’s known in Canada, is a comedy about a young woman from Brooklyn who inherits a derelict farm on Vancouver Island. It’s the first of my novels published specifically for adults, though I’d say at least half the readers of my other books have been adults. I hope all my readers will like it. (It does contain quite a bit of swearing. Just be forewarned!) I’ve always wanted to be self-sustaining and able to grow my own food. All I lack is land and skill. The sequel, "Republic of Dirt", is scheduled to be published January 2015 by HarperCollins.
My next teen novel is called "The Truth Commission". It will be published March 2015 by Penguin Canada and Viking U.S. The story is about a group of teens who attend an art high school who start a truth-telling club with consequences both dire and funny.
In addition to my writing, I teach creative writ
I was raised in Smithers, BC, Canada and lived there until I moved to Toronto at age 20. I had a brief and unsuccessful career as a fashion design student and, after I worked at a series of low paying jobs, such as server, record store employee, etc., I began a degree in English Literature at University of Toronto, which I finished at the University of British Columbia. After graduating I became an editor at a self-help/how-to book publishing company based in Vancouver. Later, I did a master’s degree in publishing.
When I was a kid I wrote fiction but gave it up for a life of crime. Okay, that’s not true, but I did get seriously sidetracked. That time in my life is the subject of my memoir, "Nice Recovery". When I was twenty, until I got myself together and when I was about 26 I started writing, in the morning before work, first on the bus, then in a coffee shop. This writing became my first novel, "Alice, I Think", which was published by Thistledown Press in 2000.
When I first started writing my intention was to write a book about a teenager who doesn't fit in, but doesn't allow that fact to crush her. The Alice MacLeod series is my homage to oddballs. I wanted to create a character who has the courage and integrity to find her own way and define herself independently of other people. I've always admired people who can do that.
After finishing three books about Alice and her family, I decided that my goal is to write every kind of book I love to read. I’ve always loved horse books. I was a lunatic for horses when I was younger. I owned several horses over the years (for a time when I was quite young I was convinced I was a horse, but let's keep that between us) and I became obsessed with an equestrian sport called dressage. I quit riding when I left home to go to college, but part of me always thought I could have been a "contender". (In retrospect, I'm not sure why I would have thought that.) Anyway, I got a nice pay day when Alice, I Think was made into a TV series, and the first thing I did was rush out a buy a horse and start working on a book about two young dressage riders. The story was initially about two girls, but soon I fell in love with a secondary character, a boy named Alex, and the book became mainly about him. That one is called "Another Kind of Cowboy".
I’m also a maniac for detective novels, which led to "Getting the Girl", a comedy about an inept detective and a high school conspiracy he is determined to stop. Book number six is my memoir. I developed a bit of a substance abuse problem when I was thirteen and I ended up getting clean and sober when I was twenty. Nice Recovery is about that time. The book includes information for people with addiction problems and interviews with amazing young people in recovery. My love for satire and the End Is Nigh novels led me to write "Bright’s Light", which is that rarest of things: a funny dystopian novel about young dunderheads in the last fun place on earth and the alien who wants to save them.
"Home to Woefield", as it’s known in the U.S. and "The Woefield Poultry Collective" as it’s known in Canada, is a comedy about a young woman from Brooklyn who inherits a derelict farm on Vancouver Island. It’s the first of my novels published specifically for adults, though I’d say at least half the readers of my other books have been adults. I hope all my readers will like it. (It does contain quite a bit of swearing. Just be forewarned!) I’ve always wanted to be self-sustaining and able to grow my own food. All I lack is land and skill. The sequel, "Republic of Dirt", is scheduled to be published January 2015 by HarperCollins.
My next teen novel is called "The Truth Commission". It will be published March 2015 by Penguin Canada and Viking U.S. The story is about a group of teens who attend an art high school who start a truth-telling club with consequences both dire and funny.
In addition to my writing, I teach creative writ
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
April 8, 2024
Well, although I first read Susan Juby’s Another Kind of Cowboy in the autumn of 2010, I realised a week or two ago that I had actually never gotten around to posting a full review (or any kind of a review, for that matter).
And with regard to Juby’s presented text for Another Kind of Cowboy, I do have to say that this has definitely been a young adult themed novel I have both majorly adored and at times also been just a trifle frustrated with. For while I have indeed absolutely enjoyed reading about Alex and Cleo’s experiences both positive and negative and also oh so much do appreciate the dressage riding thematics (and especially that author Susan July always strives to point out not only the potential joys and delights of horseback riding and horse ownership, but also how much responsibility and 24/7 care and being constantly on call so to speak this all entails or at least should), I do have to point out that there most certainly is just a trifle too much alcohol and drug abuse, as well as some hyper-sexuality depicted in Another Kind of Cowboy for my personal comfort level, albeit I am of course also very glad that the author never glorifies this in any manner, that for example both Alex’s alcoholic father and Cleo’s drug abusing boarding school roommate are consistently depicted by Susan Juby with overt criticism and much condemnation (and yes, to all the book banning haters and morons who want to see stories like Another Kind of Cowboy removed and restricted, do grow up and do not be such freaking dictators, and that Another Kind of Cowboy is also and actually meant for teenaged, for young adult readers and is certainly not middle grade).
But while the above mentioned alcohol and drug use and abuse themes (alongside of issues concerning absentee parenting, lax boarding school discipline and both societal and family dysfunction) certainly do not make Another Kind of Cowboy what I would consider light reading fare, Susan Juby does in my opinion also present and have a wonderful sense for both humour and the ridiculous (and realistically so, for yes, when I was reading Cleo’s depiction of that dressage test fiasco, I was literally almost screaming with laughter, as indeed, this is precisely what can and does happen if a rider is not able or willing to control their horse whilst under saddle). An engaging and often also thoughtful and tender story, and while Another Kind of Cowboy does prominently feature horses and especially dressage, you also do not in my opinion have to be totally into horses to appreciate and enjoy both Alex and Cleo as characters (although yes, you do have to be alright with there being some very heavy duty young adult themes depicted and dissected and that Susan Juby has penned Another Kind of Cowboy in two voices, with Cleo narrating in the first person and Alex being described in the third person by an omniscient narrator).
Three solid stars for Another Kind of Cowboy, and with my main reason for not considering four stars being that while I do not have an issue with Alex realising that he is homosexual, I really do majorly wish that Susan Juby would not make ALL of the male dressage riders who appear in Another Kind of Cowboy either gay or presumed to be gay (as this is sadly a recurring stereotype that often and in particular in the USA and Canada does in reality often prevent interested male riders from even considering dressage as a potential equestrian sport choice).
And with regard to Juby’s presented text for Another Kind of Cowboy, I do have to say that this has definitely been a young adult themed novel I have both majorly adored and at times also been just a trifle frustrated with. For while I have indeed absolutely enjoyed reading about Alex and Cleo’s experiences both positive and negative and also oh so much do appreciate the dressage riding thematics (and especially that author Susan July always strives to point out not only the potential joys and delights of horseback riding and horse ownership, but also how much responsibility and 24/7 care and being constantly on call so to speak this all entails or at least should), I do have to point out that there most certainly is just a trifle too much alcohol and drug abuse, as well as some hyper-sexuality depicted in Another Kind of Cowboy for my personal comfort level, albeit I am of course also very glad that the author never glorifies this in any manner, that for example both Alex’s alcoholic father and Cleo’s drug abusing boarding school roommate are consistently depicted by Susan Juby with overt criticism and much condemnation (and yes, to all the book banning haters and morons who want to see stories like Another Kind of Cowboy removed and restricted, do grow up and do not be such freaking dictators, and that Another Kind of Cowboy is also and actually meant for teenaged, for young adult readers and is certainly not middle grade).
But while the above mentioned alcohol and drug use and abuse themes (alongside of issues concerning absentee parenting, lax boarding school discipline and both societal and family dysfunction) certainly do not make Another Kind of Cowboy what I would consider light reading fare, Susan Juby does in my opinion also present and have a wonderful sense for both humour and the ridiculous (and realistically so, for yes, when I was reading Cleo’s depiction of that dressage test fiasco, I was literally almost screaming with laughter, as indeed, this is precisely what can and does happen if a rider is not able or willing to control their horse whilst under saddle). An engaging and often also thoughtful and tender story, and while Another Kind of Cowboy does prominently feature horses and especially dressage, you also do not in my opinion have to be totally into horses to appreciate and enjoy both Alex and Cleo as characters (although yes, you do have to be alright with there being some very heavy duty young adult themes depicted and dissected and that Susan Juby has penned Another Kind of Cowboy in two voices, with Cleo narrating in the first person and Alex being described in the third person by an omniscient narrator).
Three solid stars for Another Kind of Cowboy, and with my main reason for not considering four stars being that while I do not have an issue with Alex realising that he is homosexual, I really do majorly wish that Susan Juby would not make ALL of the male dressage riders who appear in Another Kind of Cowboy either gay or presumed to be gay (as this is sadly a recurring stereotype that often and in particular in the USA and Canada does in reality often prevent interested male riders from even considering dressage as a potential equestrian sport choice).
March 26, 2016
Review from March 2016:
During high school, I was part of the region wide book club that would read 10 new YA books by Canadian authors every year. Out of the many books that I read, Another Kind of Cowboy is definitely the most memorable (an accomplishment since I read this almost 10 years ago). The wittiness stands out most, and I think it may be deserving of a reread soon!
Original Review from Nov 2007
I loved this book. The characters were well developed and the plot was really fun. A lot of people dubbed it the 'gay cowboy book', but Alex being gay really isn't the most important part of the plot - it's more of a subplot. The main story was his switch to Dressage from Western riding.
As a horse person, it was refreshing to read a horse book where the author actually knew what she was talking about when it came to the horsey stuff, and be able to do so in a humourous way.
I loved it, and if you're looking for a laugh then I'd recommend it!
During high school, I was part of the region wide book club that would read 10 new YA books by Canadian authors every year. Out of the many books that I read, Another Kind of Cowboy is definitely the most memorable (an accomplishment since I read this almost 10 years ago). The wittiness stands out most, and I think it may be deserving of a reread soon!
Original Review from Nov 2007
I loved this book. The characters were well developed and the plot was really fun. A lot of people dubbed it the 'gay cowboy book', but Alex being gay really isn't the most important part of the plot - it's more of a subplot. The main story was his switch to Dressage from Western riding.
As a horse person, it was refreshing to read a horse book where the author actually knew what she was talking about when it came to the horsey stuff, and be able to do so in a humourous way.
I loved it, and if you're looking for a laugh then I'd recommend it!
February 17, 2012
I've had very, very bad experiences with a lot of queer-themed YA lit, and with YA stories about young women with gay friends -- at least one group of characters, either the women or the gay males, end up as caricatures. So I was pretty cautious going into this book. I am pleased to say that I thoroughly underestimated it.
The characters, first of all, were lovely -- Juby manages to walk the fine line of over-the-top ~characters~ without ever completely going overboard into cardboard. Alex and Cleo, of course, are wonderfully flawed, likeable characters, but so is much of the rest of the cast: Grace, who's a flake but genuinely loves and does right by her family, and even (especially?) Alex's father, who's trying his best to deal with things he really doesn't want to deal with, and who, moreover, I'm actually rooting for.
And Cleo. Oh, Cleo. I can't lie, I adored Cleo. I was deeply concerned, because she's a character who, in the wrong author's hands, could've been absolutely awful and flat-out offensive. Again, I vastly underestimated Juby. Cleo's a rare "poor little rich girl" who manages to be genuinely endearing -- who has an odd little sense of humor that shines when she's confident enough to let it do so, and who genuinely cares for other people but doesn't have any idea how to show that concern in any constructive way, and who learns lessons without Learning Lessons. Relatedly, another example of "things that nine times out of ten don't work for me but that Juby managed to pull off here": the flashback. We know, roughly, the backstory of how Cleo ended up at Stoneleigh, but when we finally get the flashback to Cleo and her father, his reaction to the incident that, for her, started it all, it actually works. More than works, it's downright heartbreaking: we know already that this desperate loneliness and sense of worthlessness was under the surface of her relationship with her parents; Juby has done the work to build that already. But to see how it was made explicit in the flashback is an absolute punch in the gut. That, I think, is what's key, here: this flashback augments, rather than replacing, the work Juby's done with Cleo.
On a more cheerful note! There's a lovely dry humor to ANOTHER KIND OF COWBOY -- a humor that I really don't know that I'd have gotten at sixteen or seventeen, but that, ten years later, I absolutely love. It's almost Meg Cabot-ish (and reading the acknowledgments section, Juby got a fair bit of input from Cabot), and fills the PRINCESS DIARIES-shaped hole in my heart the way not even other Meg Cabot books have managed, barreling in and being not just a decent methadone, but a lovely little gem in its own right.
That said, what happened to Detroit??? DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING, JUBY, NOW I'M ALL WORRIED. I mean, no, obvs, as Alex says, he's not going to be sold for dog food, but he's SAD, he misses Alex and Turnip and saaaaaaad. :( Also I was kind of irritated by Alex's athletic younger sisters declaring that they were gay, as well, because OBVIOUSLY athletic girls who like martial arts are lesbians (says the gay girl with a black belt in tae kwon do), and had in fact been hoping that Cleo would realize that she was gay herself, but oh well. These were tiny little missteps in the wrapping up of a thoroughly enjoyable book, and this was actually one of the few books where I got it out of the library and promptly headed to Amazon to buy a copy, because I knew I'd want to read it again. There are only a very few books that have ever managed that, so well done, Juby, well done.
The characters, first of all, were lovely -- Juby manages to walk the fine line of over-the-top ~characters~ without ever completely going overboard into cardboard. Alex and Cleo, of course, are wonderfully flawed, likeable characters, but so is much of the rest of the cast: Grace, who's a flake but genuinely loves and does right by her family, and even (especially?) Alex's father, who's trying his best to deal with things he really doesn't want to deal with, and who, moreover, I'm actually rooting for.
And Cleo. Oh, Cleo. I can't lie, I adored Cleo. I was deeply concerned, because she's a character who, in the wrong author's hands, could've been absolutely awful and flat-out offensive. Again, I vastly underestimated Juby. Cleo's a rare "poor little rich girl" who manages to be genuinely endearing -- who has an odd little sense of humor that shines when she's confident enough to let it do so, and who genuinely cares for other people but doesn't have any idea how to show that concern in any constructive way, and who learns lessons without Learning Lessons. Relatedly, another example of "things that nine times out of ten don't work for me but that Juby managed to pull off here": the flashback. We know, roughly, the backstory of how Cleo ended up at Stoneleigh, but when we finally get the flashback to Cleo and her father, his reaction to the incident that, for her, started it all, it actually works. More than works, it's downright heartbreaking: we know already that this desperate loneliness and sense of worthlessness was under the surface of her relationship with her parents; Juby has done the work to build that already. But to see how it was made explicit in the flashback is an absolute punch in the gut. That, I think, is what's key, here: this flashback augments, rather than replacing, the work Juby's done with Cleo.
On a more cheerful note! There's a lovely dry humor to ANOTHER KIND OF COWBOY -- a humor that I really don't know that I'd have gotten at sixteen or seventeen, but that, ten years later, I absolutely love. It's almost Meg Cabot-ish (and reading the acknowledgments section, Juby got a fair bit of input from Cabot), and fills the PRINCESS DIARIES-shaped hole in my heart the way not even other Meg Cabot books have managed, barreling in and being not just a decent methadone, but a lovely little gem in its own right.
That said, what happened to Detroit??? DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING, JUBY, NOW I'M ALL WORRIED. I mean, no, obvs, as Alex says, he's not going to be sold for dog food, but he's SAD, he misses Alex and Turnip and saaaaaaad. :( Also I was kind of irritated by Alex's athletic younger sisters declaring that they were gay, as well, because OBVIOUSLY athletic girls who like martial arts are lesbians (says the gay girl with a black belt in tae kwon do), and had in fact been hoping that Cleo would realize that she was gay herself, but oh well. These were tiny little missteps in the wrapping up of a thoroughly enjoyable book, and this was actually one of the few books where I got it out of the library and promptly headed to Amazon to buy a copy, because I knew I'd want to read it again. There are only a very few books that have ever managed that, so well done, Juby, well done.
September 23, 2025
✰ 2.75 stars ✰
Boy, could Cleo have been any more of a self-entitled spoiled brat? 😫 Every time the pov changed to her perspective - first-person, mind you. Which can be jarring when Alex's is in the third-person, she was such an annoying twit! 'Man, when I put my mind to something, I amaze even myself.' 🤦🏻♀️ So whiny and rude, and so resplendently grating, to the point that I just wished she would just stop talking with that voice of hers was like a squeaky windshield wiper and live up to her actions, rather than feel that money can buy everything.
Can you tell I clearly was not a fan of hers? 😆
Luckily for her - and for me - money did come in to save the day, and my opinion of her. 😌 Horse are expensive, after all, and she knew just how important it was for Alex to pursue his passion, when he was so talented and committed. For had she not done a good deed for Alex or even stood up in his defense - 'that horse’s gear will never be this clean again - I doubt I would have approved of her even being a part of the story, let alone, forgiven her for some of her choice behavior. 🙄
“In this life, we only get so many chances. Some of us squander our chances. Others make the most of them. Which type are you?”
In spite of how dysfunctional his own family drama was, what with his father's disdain of his love for dressage and his son's less than masculine vibes, along with the overwhelming burden of not having the financial means for better resources, with his good hands and a really nice feel for horses, Alex was a decent protagonist. 🥺 He cared deeply for the horses he trained with and was an eager and dedicated student. He changed from a gay loner without friends, to one more assured of his sexual identity and skills as a capable rider in a rewarding light.
Being gay was a secret that weighed on him deeply, when all he wanted, more than anything, was to be like everybody else. But, it was nice to see how just by being himself, he learned to appreciate himself as another kind of cowboy who did not have to change who he was to earn the respect and love of those who liked him for who he was. 🐴🙂↔️ His relationship with his father took a turn that kinda brought tears to my eyes; it was subtle, but gentle and I thought that gradual turn with a touch of straight (lol) humor felt real and sincere. 🩶
“It’s time you figured out that there’s more to life than just riding.”
And as much as I disliked Cleo with a passion - she certainly had style and played a big part in pulling Alex out of his own shell. Even if it was cringe-y af, what he had to put up with, and her begrudging reluctance to take him seriously, their unlikely friendship was the glue that ultimately changed the trajectory of his family life and his passion to deliver the most heartwarming reunion ever. 🫂
The writing definitely was different. It was laid-back an kind of chill, that coupled with the lack of texting, it was a weirdly-paced read, with this subtly self-reproaching humor, but still had a bit of heart to it that had me at odds with myself of whether or not I disliked it, or I could just deal with it. 😮💨 I liked the training technical aspects, as well as the horses, from Turnip to Rio, each of which Alex dearly cared for. It is a competitive and selfish world, but I'm glad he still came out a winner - content to be Another Kind of Cowboy in his own way. 🤠
“Dressage is all about harmony between horse and rider—calmness, suppleness, submission, plus not getting killed. All I had to do was pretend like I had things under control.”
Boy, could Cleo have been any more of a self-entitled spoiled brat? 😫 Every time the pov changed to her perspective - first-person, mind you. Which can be jarring when Alex's is in the third-person, she was such an annoying twit! 'Man, when I put my mind to something, I amaze even myself.' 🤦🏻♀️ So whiny and rude, and so resplendently grating, to the point that I just wished she would just stop talking with that voice of hers was like a squeaky windshield wiper and live up to her actions, rather than feel that money can buy everything.
Can you tell I clearly was not a fan of hers? 😆
Luckily for her - and for me - money did come in to save the day, and my opinion of her. 😌 Horse are expensive, after all, and she knew just how important it was for Alex to pursue his passion, when he was so talented and committed. For had she not done a good deed for Alex or even stood up in his defense - 'that horse’s gear will never be this clean again - I doubt I would have approved of her even being a part of the story, let alone, forgiven her for some of her choice behavior. 🙄
“In this life, we only get so many chances. Some of us squander our chances. Others make the most of them. Which type are you?”
In spite of how dysfunctional his own family drama was, what with his father's disdain of his love for dressage and his son's less than masculine vibes, along with the overwhelming burden of not having the financial means for better resources, with his good hands and a really nice feel for horses, Alex was a decent protagonist. 🥺 He cared deeply for the horses he trained with and was an eager and dedicated student. He changed from a gay loner without friends, to one more assured of his sexual identity and skills as a capable rider in a rewarding light.
Being gay was a secret that weighed on him deeply, when all he wanted, more than anything, was to be like everybody else. But, it was nice to see how just by being himself, he learned to appreciate himself as another kind of cowboy who did not have to change who he was to earn the respect and love of those who liked him for who he was. 🐴🙂↔️ His relationship with his father took a turn that kinda brought tears to my eyes; it was subtle, but gentle and I thought that gradual turn with a touch of straight (lol) humor felt real and sincere. 🩶
“It’s time you figured out that there’s more to life than just riding.”
And as much as I disliked Cleo with a passion - she certainly had style and played a big part in pulling Alex out of his own shell. Even if it was cringe-y af, what he had to put up with, and her begrudging reluctance to take him seriously, their unlikely friendship was the glue that ultimately changed the trajectory of his family life and his passion to deliver the most heartwarming reunion ever. 🫂
The writing definitely was different. It was laid-back an kind of chill, that coupled with the lack of texting, it was a weirdly-paced read, with this subtly self-reproaching humor, but still had a bit of heart to it that had me at odds with myself of whether or not I disliked it, or I could just deal with it. 😮💨 I liked the training technical aspects, as well as the horses, from Turnip to Rio, each of which Alex dearly cared for. It is a competitive and selfish world, but I'm glad he still came out a winner - content to be Another Kind of Cowboy in his own way. 🤠
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Cleo O'Shea rides horses. Her wealthy parents work in the movie business and have raised Cleo through a series of housekeepers, drivers, and other assorted caretakers. When Cleo's poor choices lead her into troubled times, they decide to enroll her in a boarding school on Vancouver Island.
An early interest in horses prompted Cleo's mother to enroll her in riding classes. In keeping with this interest, Cleo finds herself at Stoneleigh, a school that focuses on equestrian training. As a hobby, riding had always been fun, but now that Cleo's school experience revolves around riding and competition, she is not so sure about it. Finding Alex Ford seems to improve things a bit.
Alex has never truly fit in. His early childhood was spent pretending his bicycle was a horse. His odd obsession with competitive dressage didn't win him many friends or even acquaintances. When his mother left, Alex became more and more responsible for his twin sisters. His father's interests became more focused on staying drunk and living in the driveway in an old RV. Grappling with a drunken father, a lack of money, and the possibility of being more interested in boys than girls, has Alex feeling anxious and alone. Meeting Cleo gives Alex a courage he never realized he had.
Life in ANOTHER KIND OF COWBOY revolves around dressage riding and competition. Cleo and Alex meet and then find themselves sharing the same trainers, a couple of retired horsemen living on a nearby farm. Filled with Susan Juby's refreshing humor, one-of-a-kind characters, and some serious teen issues, this book is sure to be popular with both male and female readers. As a result of the detailed dressage descriptions and interesting storylines, I found myself imagining what might be a fun film version of the book.
Cleo O'Shea rides horses. Her wealthy parents work in the movie business and have raised Cleo through a series of housekeepers, drivers, and other assorted caretakers. When Cleo's poor choices lead her into troubled times, they decide to enroll her in a boarding school on Vancouver Island.
An early interest in horses prompted Cleo's mother to enroll her in riding classes. In keeping with this interest, Cleo finds herself at Stoneleigh, a school that focuses on equestrian training. As a hobby, riding had always been fun, but now that Cleo's school experience revolves around riding and competition, she is not so sure about it. Finding Alex Ford seems to improve things a bit.
Alex has never truly fit in. His early childhood was spent pretending his bicycle was a horse. His odd obsession with competitive dressage didn't win him many friends or even acquaintances. When his mother left, Alex became more and more responsible for his twin sisters. His father's interests became more focused on staying drunk and living in the driveway in an old RV. Grappling with a drunken father, a lack of money, and the possibility of being more interested in boys than girls, has Alex feeling anxious and alone. Meeting Cleo gives Alex a courage he never realized he had.
Life in ANOTHER KIND OF COWBOY revolves around dressage riding and competition. Cleo and Alex meet and then find themselves sharing the same trainers, a couple of retired horsemen living on a nearby farm. Filled with Susan Juby's refreshing humor, one-of-a-kind characters, and some serious teen issues, this book is sure to be popular with both male and female readers. As a result of the detailed dressage descriptions and interesting storylines, I found myself imagining what might be a fun film version of the book.
March 22, 2009
I liked this book. It is another piece of literature that includes a GLBT character. I would not hesitate to recommend it not just a GLBT teen but to any teen. Though it contains drinking and drug use by both adults and teens, it is a cautionary tale in that regard. The character involved figures it out and has redeeming qualities. There really is no objectionable language and only some harmless kissing in the "sex" area. It would be appropriate for all grade levels. It is a coming-of-age tale of self-discovery that calls up all sorts of emotions and responses from the reader from the reader. The characters are memorable including from the two main characters, an unlikely pair, Alex and Cleo. They come from entirely different worlds and have very different personalities, yet become very good friends. I like that there are both flawed and strong, supportive adults in the story. I also enjoyed some of the minor characters. Placing the story in the world of horses - in both Western and dressage horsemanship is unique - and surprisingly interesting! All in all, this is a "good read."
May 29, 2008
This book turned out a bit differently than I'd thought. It's about a young boy from a poor family who has always wanted a horse, not so he can be a cowboy, but so he can learn to ride English dressage. Meanwhile, his foil is a girl from a privileged family who is being punished for a rather large misdeed by having to go to boarding school and learn dressage (she is afraid of horses). There was loads of fun information about dressage, and the family dynamics on both sides were real and interesting. What made the book different from what I expected, is that it is most definitely not a romance. Most definitely not.
May 26, 2009
One of the first authors that springs to mind when I think Canadian YA lit is Susan Juby. Her first book, Alice, I Think featuring the amazingly quirky and amusing adventures of a girl named Alice was a hit inside Canada and outside of it (giveaway of the second book of the series here). In fact the main character is so bizarre, that whether you loved her, hated her or questioned her sanity, you most definitely couldn't forget her. It was refreshing to read about a character who didn't try to fit in and preferred to revel in her strangeness. In fact, all of Susan Juby's character's ultimately choose to be themselves (no matter how strange or not strange they are).
Another Kind of Cowboy introduced to us more loveable and quirky characters. The novel is told from the point of view of two such characters, namely Alex and Cleo.
Alex has wanted to ride for as long as he could remember (in fact, as a child, he used to ride his bicycle around the neighbourhood pretending it was a horse). And, as a cowboy he's got the chance to do for years. But what he really wants to do is dressage (an English style of riding) and now, he's finally got that option.
Cleo is rich and bratty. After a rather stupid mistake, she finds herself exiled to a boarding school and enrolled in dressage lessons.
The two couldn't seem more different and yet they might just be exactly what the other one needs.
(Okay, I realize this isn't the best summary. But trust me, it's much, much better than I'm making it sound).
Don't rule this book out if you're not a horse fanatic (I'm not!), it's a fully relatable story about friendship and growing up. There's a lot going on in this book (Alex being truthful about his homosexuality, both of them dealing with family issues, alcohol and drugs, and of course, horses). Juby manages to pull all of these with relative ease-the book never seems overwhelmed.
And, of course, one of the best parts of the book (as with Juby's other books) was the sense of humour-there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.
My only qualm was that it took a little while to adjust to the shifting points of view especially since Cleo's sections were in first person and Alex's were in third.
Nevertheless, if you're looking for a fun read with a high dose of humour, this is definitely one you'll want to pick up.
Another Kind of Cowboy introduced to us more loveable and quirky characters. The novel is told from the point of view of two such characters, namely Alex and Cleo.
Alex has wanted to ride for as long as he could remember (in fact, as a child, he used to ride his bicycle around the neighbourhood pretending it was a horse). And, as a cowboy he's got the chance to do for years. But what he really wants to do is dressage (an English style of riding) and now, he's finally got that option.
Cleo is rich and bratty. After a rather stupid mistake, she finds herself exiled to a boarding school and enrolled in dressage lessons.
The two couldn't seem more different and yet they might just be exactly what the other one needs.
(Okay, I realize this isn't the best summary. But trust me, it's much, much better than I'm making it sound).
Don't rule this book out if you're not a horse fanatic (I'm not!), it's a fully relatable story about friendship and growing up. There's a lot going on in this book (Alex being truthful about his homosexuality, both of them dealing with family issues, alcohol and drugs, and of course, horses). Juby manages to pull all of these with relative ease-the book never seems overwhelmed.
And, of course, one of the best parts of the book (as with Juby's other books) was the sense of humour-there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.
My only qualm was that it took a little while to adjust to the shifting points of view especially since Cleo's sections were in first person and Alex's were in third.
Nevertheless, if you're looking for a fun read with a high dose of humour, this is definitely one you'll want to pick up.
September 26, 2009
Susan Juby has a wonderful writing style, develops an interesting plot line around the subject of show horses, and managed to create a heartwarming gay character as well as a typical female teenage angst character who does not make you want to vomit! I truly enjoyed this book.
Alex Ford has what he considers a truly dysfunctional family, but learns, as he comes into his own while pursuing the fine art and horsemanship form of dressage, that maybe the family has certain redeeming qualities. Between his alcoholic father, his ninja-desiring twin sisters, his big-haired hair dressing aunt, and the three other people who want to be his friends, Alex learns some amazing lessons, including how to "come out of the closet".
This book was so enjoyable to read. The humor laced throughout the storylines help with the parts that could cause so much pain. I highly recommend this book.
Alex Ford has what he considers a truly dysfunctional family, but learns, as he comes into his own while pursuing the fine art and horsemanship form of dressage, that maybe the family has certain redeeming qualities. Between his alcoholic father, his ninja-desiring twin sisters, his big-haired hair dressing aunt, and the three other people who want to be his friends, Alex learns some amazing lessons, including how to "come out of the closet".
This book was so enjoyable to read. The humor laced throughout the storylines help with the parts that could cause so much pain. I highly recommend this book.
November 9, 2011
This is a sweet, innocent story that very peripherally deals with some very deep, disturbing topics. I like the way the author deals with the different voices of the two main characters by giving them different depths of perspective- Cleo is first person and Alex is a slightly distant third. At times sad, and at others dry, witty and laugh-out-loud-worthy. You don't have to be a (former) horse-mad kid to enjoy this story (although, if you've had experience with horses it will add just that fillip of shadenfreude to enjoy Cleo's struggles with Tandava).
December 19, 2014
This book is super amazing! I still can't believe you can take this average setting - kind of nowheresville bc - and make the revelations about life and relationships and being yourself so relevant and heartbreaking. This book is cool and contemporary, and makes me laugh (and sometimes breaks my heart) the whole way through.
August 15, 2017
I'm not really a fan of alternating character pov but this one worked pretty well. Alex is a great kid who is dealing with both coming out and horse problems. His Turnip sounds like such a sweet horse and it also quite realistic. I wasn't as fond of Cleo's story but there is some growth there.
June 4, 2020
This was definitely a funny and quirky read. I absolutely loved Alex and his fear of making u-turns. At first, I couldn't stand Cleo, but once she got her head on straight and started caring about her horse again, she grew on me. My all time favorite character was Alex's aunt who's food you had to eat at your own risk. However, my absolute favorite part was the fact that Alex and his best friend finally get together at the end. It doesn't play out like a super dramatic soap opera, just a quiet and cute little get together. He was a true best friend, supporting Alex through the whole process of finally getting to do dressage instead of what was expected of him.
April 22, 2013
I did enjoy this book, but perhaps it just wasn't the sort of book for me. The characters were interesting enough, especially our lead male. I enjoyed reading about the horses and the training bits, because they were knowledgable and interesting to learn about. In fact, they made me want to get on a horse and try to learn something. However, I just wasn't getting as invested in the story line as I hoped that I'd be, and this had nothing to do with the writing.
Ever since he was a small child, Alex Ford knew that he liked horses. So, when his father finally bought him one, he was a little beside himself. Even though his parent's went through a rough patch and eventually separated, it was his horse that kept him going. When he was on that horse, he didn't have to worry about anything else in the world. It was just him and the horse. Nobody could judge him, and it was best this way.
From a young age Alex had always been fascinated with dressage. He finally works up the courage to seek out lessons, and eventually meets the spoiled and bratty Cleo O'Shea. Cleo's life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park either. Sure, her parents spoil her plenty. but they're never around. They just foot the bill and ship her off to places that are meant to fix her bad decision making. Little does anyone know, that this last place might actually help her gain some perspective.
The writing was nice. It was informative, especially the bits dealing with the horses, and it was very descriptive. The characters were described well enough and they did develop, but not in a mind-blowing realizational kind of way. That's not a strike against the writing, but I'll delve farther into that later. Honestly, I didn't find myself feeling attached to any of the characters, as much as I really wanted to. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the story was a bit blah, and I didn't feel like it was going anywhere. I mean, obviously things happened, but it just wasn't what I was expecting and there wasn't very much pizzazz.
Pacing-wise, things weren't bad. It wasn't that things were written slowly or all wonky, it was just that I wasn't feeling anything.
The characters were also nice and interesting enough. Their lives and backstories were described and detailed very nicely. Truly, we knew a lot about them, but even with all of this knowledge I still wasn't in overwhelming love with either of them. I don't know exactly what it was, but I just wasn't feeling either of them. They both also didn't seem to develop very much either. I found Alex, our lead male, interesting for his love and knowledge of horses, but also kind of boring. While he did come to terms with who he truly was and others found out about it, but it wasn't really because he told them. From the writing we could feel that he was a bit socially anxious and unknowledgable of what to say to most people, but even still, he didn't seem to do very much. It was a bit sad for me. I wanted him to do something, to say something, and he didn't. I was happy for him there in the final pages, but my mind still wasn't blown, you know?
Then, our lead female Cleo was a bit annoying. She was so jumpy and all over the place, that I never knew what the hell she was going to do next. Also, she was very spoiled and very bratty, and it really put me off of her character. Surely her character was supposed to come off as the uppity brat who was supposed to come into herself with being surrounded by hard workers and horses, but even there at the end, she was still uppity and annoying. While she did have a small realization, I still don't believe that she was really changed. I can't bring myself to believe it.
The synopsis makes this book sound like their meeting each other was vital and that they leaned on each other for support and everything. I didn't take this from the story at all. Sure, they did talk every now and again, and Alex's secret was revealed, but none of it seemed like integral character growth to me. They hung out, yes, but it didn't lead to any phenomenal realizations or confessions. To me they were more acquaintances than real friends as they're described as being in the book synopsis..
Overall, Another Kind of Cowboy was a decent read. The horses were fantastic, and the writing was nice. Sadly, the characters were a bit lackluster and didn't make me feel anything for them. Truly, this book was too blah and understimulating for my taste. There wasn't anything mind-blowingly awesome or any phenomenal realizations. Maybe that was the point. To illustrate that phenomenal things do not happen to everybody. I don't know, but it just didn't do very much for me.
☆☆☆/5
Recommend?: If you're a big fan of horses.
Ever since he was a small child, Alex Ford knew that he liked horses. So, when his father finally bought him one, he was a little beside himself. Even though his parent's went through a rough patch and eventually separated, it was his horse that kept him going. When he was on that horse, he didn't have to worry about anything else in the world. It was just him and the horse. Nobody could judge him, and it was best this way.
From a young age Alex had always been fascinated with dressage. He finally works up the courage to seek out lessons, and eventually meets the spoiled and bratty Cleo O'Shea. Cleo's life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park either. Sure, her parents spoil her plenty. but they're never around. They just foot the bill and ship her off to places that are meant to fix her bad decision making. Little does anyone know, that this last place might actually help her gain some perspective.
The writing was nice. It was informative, especially the bits dealing with the horses, and it was very descriptive. The characters were described well enough and they did develop, but not in a mind-blowing realizational kind of way. That's not a strike against the writing, but I'll delve farther into that later. Honestly, I didn't find myself feeling attached to any of the characters, as much as I really wanted to. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the story was a bit blah, and I didn't feel like it was going anywhere. I mean, obviously things happened, but it just wasn't what I was expecting and there wasn't very much pizzazz.
Pacing-wise, things weren't bad. It wasn't that things were written slowly or all wonky, it was just that I wasn't feeling anything.
The characters were also nice and interesting enough. Their lives and backstories were described and detailed very nicely. Truly, we knew a lot about them, but even with all of this knowledge I still wasn't in overwhelming love with either of them. I don't know exactly what it was, but I just wasn't feeling either of them. They both also didn't seem to develop very much either. I found Alex, our lead male, interesting for his love and knowledge of horses, but also kind of boring. While he did come to terms with who he truly was and others found out about it, but it wasn't really because he told them. From the writing we could feel that he was a bit socially anxious and unknowledgable of what to say to most people, but even still, he didn't seem to do very much. It was a bit sad for me. I wanted him to do something, to say something, and he didn't. I was happy for him there in the final pages, but my mind still wasn't blown, you know?
Then, our lead female Cleo was a bit annoying. She was so jumpy and all over the place, that I never knew what the hell she was going to do next. Also, she was very spoiled and very bratty, and it really put me off of her character. Surely her character was supposed to come off as the uppity brat who was supposed to come into herself with being surrounded by hard workers and horses, but even there at the end, she was still uppity and annoying. While she did have a small realization, I still don't believe that she was really changed. I can't bring myself to believe it.
The synopsis makes this book sound like their meeting each other was vital and that they leaned on each other for support and everything. I didn't take this from the story at all. Sure, they did talk every now and again, and Alex's secret was revealed, but none of it seemed like integral character growth to me. They hung out, yes, but it didn't lead to any phenomenal realizations or confessions. To me they were more acquaintances than real friends as they're described as being in the book synopsis..
Overall, Another Kind of Cowboy was a decent read. The horses were fantastic, and the writing was nice. Sadly, the characters were a bit lackluster and didn't make me feel anything for them. Truly, this book was too blah and understimulating for my taste. There wasn't anything mind-blowingly awesome or any phenomenal realizations. Maybe that was the point. To illustrate that phenomenal things do not happen to everybody. I don't know, but it just didn't do very much for me.
☆☆☆/5
Recommend?: If you're a big fan of horses.
January 4, 2015
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
I thought this book was decent. The author touches on some of the problems that teens deal with today: coming out, over-drinking, absent parents, and people who don't seem to care about anything. Juby tells the story of Alex, a guy who is gay but hasn't come out to anyone and Cleo, a rich chick who hangs around with the wrong crowd. The author writes about their problems while focusing on the sport of dressage, which brings the 2 characters together taking Dressage lessons together. Throughout the story, the characters become friends and begin to become better people.
The author effectively writes about realistic Canadian teenagers in this novel. She manages to create characters that teens can relate to in some way. There is the naive rich girl, Cleo, who seems to do the wrong thing and has parents who are never there(Let me just admit, I did want to slap Cleo in the face at times). There is the gay guy, Alex, who has made himself a social outcast because he is ashamed of himself and his family. While I found both of the characters realistic, nothing about them made me love them. I couldn't even find myself really relating to them a lot because the characters were about the polar opposite of me personality and life wise. However, I'm sure a lot of readers could relate because the author writes about these problems that do affect other teens, just not me.
This book is all about horses, as you can probably tell from the title. I've never been one to read about horses. When I was younger, I tried to but I honestly gave up after a while because I would get bored (I'm a fantasy lover so contemporary fiction is not my cup of tea). So this book was a bit hard to get through when it came to the horse terms used in the novel. When the characters were at a competition, they would describe what they were doing and I'd totally zone out and end up skimming the paragraph. So, if you're a horse fanatic, you might understand all the terms and really appreciate this novel. But the good thing about the book is that there wasn't too much of the horse terminology to read about. Yes, there was a bit of it but there wasn't too much that I gave up on the book.
The plot was a little iffy for me. It's something I couldn't identify in the story. Sometimes in other books, the characters will come out and say it throughout the novel but this was not the case. I seriously can't think of it, I'm completely stumped on that. But the plot wasn't really what made me like the book. This book didn't have any real "OMG!" factor, no cliff hangers or real suspense for me (thanks fantasy books, you have desensitized me!). I just found the pace was a good speed and it was interesting to watch the characters grow out of their shells, open their eyes and see the world and life in a different way.
I also found the ending really rushed. I was at the last maybe 30 pages and BOOM, four events happen at once. I seriously think the author just threw in those events to make the last pages not seem boring. Additionally the ending leaves a lot to the imagination (which I despise because my mind comes up with the weirdest things...). Honestly, don't throw those happenings in and leave the reader with no idea what happened afterwards.
So, as you can see this book wasn't my favourite but it was an interesting read. Maybe you will like it better than I did because you love horses, connect to the characters or like the story.
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
I thought this book was decent. The author touches on some of the problems that teens deal with today: coming out, over-drinking, absent parents, and people who don't seem to care about anything. Juby tells the story of Alex, a guy who is gay but hasn't come out to anyone and Cleo, a rich chick who hangs around with the wrong crowd. The author writes about their problems while focusing on the sport of dressage, which brings the 2 characters together taking Dressage lessons together. Throughout the story, the characters become friends and begin to become better people.
The author effectively writes about realistic Canadian teenagers in this novel. She manages to create characters that teens can relate to in some way. There is the naive rich girl, Cleo, who seems to do the wrong thing and has parents who are never there(Let me just admit, I did want to slap Cleo in the face at times). There is the gay guy, Alex, who has made himself a social outcast because he is ashamed of himself and his family. While I found both of the characters realistic, nothing about them made me love them. I couldn't even find myself really relating to them a lot because the characters were about the polar opposite of me personality and life wise. However, I'm sure a lot of readers could relate because the author writes about these problems that do affect other teens, just not me.
This book is all about horses, as you can probably tell from the title. I've never been one to read about horses. When I was younger, I tried to but I honestly gave up after a while because I would get bored (I'm a fantasy lover so contemporary fiction is not my cup of tea). So this book was a bit hard to get through when it came to the horse terms used in the novel. When the characters were at a competition, they would describe what they were doing and I'd totally zone out and end up skimming the paragraph. So, if you're a horse fanatic, you might understand all the terms and really appreciate this novel. But the good thing about the book is that there wasn't too much of the horse terminology to read about. Yes, there was a bit of it but there wasn't too much that I gave up on the book.
The plot was a little iffy for me. It's something I couldn't identify in the story. Sometimes in other books, the characters will come out and say it throughout the novel but this was not the case. I seriously can't think of it, I'm completely stumped on that. But the plot wasn't really what made me like the book. This book didn't have any real "OMG!" factor, no cliff hangers or real suspense for me (thanks fantasy books, you have desensitized me!). I just found the pace was a good speed and it was interesting to watch the characters grow out of their shells, open their eyes and see the world and life in a different way.
I also found the ending really rushed. I was at the last maybe 30 pages and BOOM, four events happen at once. I seriously think the author just threw in those events to make the last pages not seem boring. Additionally the ending leaves a lot to the imagination (which I despise because my mind comes up with the weirdest things...). Honestly, don't throw those happenings in and leave the reader with no idea what happened afterwards.
So, as you can see this book wasn't my favourite but it was an interesting read. Maybe you will like it better than I did because you love horses, connect to the characters or like the story.
Read
January 7, 2011I read somewhere that the author started to plan this book as the story of Cleo, the spoiled daughter of absentee parents who is living in a boarding school, and she ended to write about Alex, a gay teenager living in a small town where they barely know what riding is, let aside what dressage means. And sincerely it’s clear that, while Cleo is a nice supporting character, Alex is the real life of this story.
Alex’s passion for riding, and dressage, is almost an obsession; and if you read between the lines of his childhood, you will understand that is also an escape from reality. His mother divorced not only her husband, but also her children; Alex is alone in raising two little sister, since not his aunt or his father are of much help, his father even moved in a roulotte in the front garden, probably to not have to live in an house without the woman he loved. But Alex’s father is not a bad man, nor when he is sober or drunk, he is only extremely sad; he is really not able to take care of his children but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love them, and so, when he gets a chance, he brings home an horse, a real horse, for Alex (see living in a country small town? You can have a barn in the backgarden instead of a shed for a dog…).
Problem is that, a) the horse is not a dressage horse and b) even if the horse was, there is no one around there that can teach Alex dressage. And so Alex becomes a little champion of western riding, with cowboy hats and boots, all the while dreaming of tight breeches and top hats. If an external viewer can see that, other than being an escape from reality, Alex’s obsession for dressage is also a proof that he has a sensibility that is completely different, and greater, than a normal boy, it’s not until he hits puberty that Alex realizes that he is gay. But there is no “gay” in the small town, no one he knows who is, no one he can relate, same as it was for dressage: dressage and gay are “stranger” things, not “normal”, and if you like them you are not normal as well.
Alex’s luck changes when Ivan and Fergus move in town: both former dressage champion, they have a beautiful house with attached horse riding and they are willing to teach Alex. To an adult reader, it’s clear that Ivan and Fergus are a couple, but there is no hint of sex, no kiss, nothing: Ivan and Fergus are two horse lovers who are eager to share their love with the others. They are not an example for Alex of how being gay is, but maybe they are giving him an idea of what being gay and having a career related to horses can be. Alex will discover his sexuality (but only for what concerns kisses) with another teenager, finding out that he is not so strange after all, and that even in the small town where he lives there are other like him, and more than what you will expect.
Another Kind of Cowboy is a really sweet and tender story, a romance between teenagers that remains on a teenager level, not adult feelings or issues to ruin the discovery of first love; and even if you read it from an adult perspective, the sweetness is so nice that is good to lose yourself in an innocent world.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NHRB6I/?...
Alex’s passion for riding, and dressage, is almost an obsession; and if you read between the lines of his childhood, you will understand that is also an escape from reality. His mother divorced not only her husband, but also her children; Alex is alone in raising two little sister, since not his aunt or his father are of much help, his father even moved in a roulotte in the front garden, probably to not have to live in an house without the woman he loved. But Alex’s father is not a bad man, nor when he is sober or drunk, he is only extremely sad; he is really not able to take care of his children but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love them, and so, when he gets a chance, he brings home an horse, a real horse, for Alex (see living in a country small town? You can have a barn in the backgarden instead of a shed for a dog…).
Problem is that, a) the horse is not a dressage horse and b) even if the horse was, there is no one around there that can teach Alex dressage. And so Alex becomes a little champion of western riding, with cowboy hats and boots, all the while dreaming of tight breeches and top hats. If an external viewer can see that, other than being an escape from reality, Alex’s obsession for dressage is also a proof that he has a sensibility that is completely different, and greater, than a normal boy, it’s not until he hits puberty that Alex realizes that he is gay. But there is no “gay” in the small town, no one he knows who is, no one he can relate, same as it was for dressage: dressage and gay are “stranger” things, not “normal”, and if you like them you are not normal as well.
Alex’s luck changes when Ivan and Fergus move in town: both former dressage champion, they have a beautiful house with attached horse riding and they are willing to teach Alex. To an adult reader, it’s clear that Ivan and Fergus are a couple, but there is no hint of sex, no kiss, nothing: Ivan and Fergus are two horse lovers who are eager to share their love with the others. They are not an example for Alex of how being gay is, but maybe they are giving him an idea of what being gay and having a career related to horses can be. Alex will discover his sexuality (but only for what concerns kisses) with another teenager, finding out that he is not so strange after all, and that even in the small town where he lives there are other like him, and more than what you will expect.
Another Kind of Cowboy is a really sweet and tender story, a romance between teenagers that remains on a teenager level, not adult feelings or issues to ruin the discovery of first love; and even if you read it from an adult perspective, the sweetness is so nice that is good to lose yourself in an innocent world.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NHRB6I/?...
August 26, 2009
Original post at The Little Bookworm
Alex is gay and he knows this but no one else does. Alex loves horses and he is good with them and has a lot of natural talent. He rides Western-style to please his father but really wants to ride dressage, loving the precision and style of it. Alex is afraid to tell his father about both his sexuality and the dressage. He is a very introverted boy, afraid of doing the wrong thing, that people will think the wrong thing about him. His family is very dysfunctional. His mother left their family and his father lives in an RV in the driveway and is drunk about 95% of the time. His aunt lives in the house with him and his twin ninja-wannabe sisters. Finally when Alex meet Cleo O'Shea he is able to come out of his shell (pun intended) and realize that life is not about hiding what you are.
Cleo O'Shea accidentally let her parent's house get robbed. Since they are never around, they send to an equestrienne boarding school. She is a spoiled rich girl who is one of those girls that just assumes people like her or want to hang out with her. She has no concept of earning anything. But she has parents that don't pay any attention to her unless she is doing something negative. Without any direction in life, she falls easilty into the party girl mode. But when she meets Alex Ford, she realizes that sometimes you have to work for the good things in life.
I've had this book for a long time. I just had it. I didn't really know what it was about. It was by Susan Juby and so I figured it had to be good. (Read Alice, I Think)
It was really good. So good that I wished I had read it earlier good but then I couldn't have used it for this challenge good. So good that I was a little teary (in a good way) at the end good. It was told from first person perspective on Cleo's part and third person on Alex's part. I'm not sure why. But it worked. Alex and Cleo are an odd pairing but in the end they help each other realize what is missing from their lives. There's a lot of horse talk but it's not overwhelming. If nothing else, it makes you want to look up dressage. That is some amazing stuff.
Alex is gay and he knows this but no one else does. Alex loves horses and he is good with them and has a lot of natural talent. He rides Western-style to please his father but really wants to ride dressage, loving the precision and style of it. Alex is afraid to tell his father about both his sexuality and the dressage. He is a very introverted boy, afraid of doing the wrong thing, that people will think the wrong thing about him. His family is very dysfunctional. His mother left their family and his father lives in an RV in the driveway and is drunk about 95% of the time. His aunt lives in the house with him and his twin ninja-wannabe sisters. Finally when Alex meet Cleo O'Shea he is able to come out of his shell (pun intended) and realize that life is not about hiding what you are.
Cleo O'Shea accidentally let her parent's house get robbed. Since they are never around, they send to an equestrienne boarding school. She is a spoiled rich girl who is one of those girls that just assumes people like her or want to hang out with her. She has no concept of earning anything. But she has parents that don't pay any attention to her unless she is doing something negative. Without any direction in life, she falls easilty into the party girl mode. But when she meets Alex Ford, she realizes that sometimes you have to work for the good things in life.
I've had this book for a long time. I just had it. I didn't really know what it was about. It was by Susan Juby and so I figured it had to be good. (Read Alice, I Think)
It was really good. So good that I wished I had read it earlier good but then I couldn't have used it for this challenge good. So good that I was a little teary (in a good way) at the end good. It was told from first person perspective on Cleo's part and third person on Alex's part. I'm not sure why. But it worked. Alex and Cleo are an odd pairing but in the end they help each other realize what is missing from their lives. There's a lot of horse talk but it's not overwhelming. If nothing else, it makes you want to look up dressage. That is some amazing stuff.
August 3, 2013
Juby, Susan / Another kind of cowboy
Harper Teen, 2007
First off, this book is so funny; I could not believe how many times I caught myself having to stop reading and laugh out loud.
The story is told by its two main characters: Alex Ford and Cleo O’Shea.
Alex is hard-working, dedicated to his goals. He dreams about horses, when he was six years old he used to ride his bike around the yard imagining that it was a horse. When he was eleven his dad buys him his first horse – Turnip - his mom runs away with another man and his father, desolate, moves out of the house and lives in the RV parked in their driveway.
Cleo is from California, she is a lazy, rich, spoiled brat, who has everything handed to her on a silver platter, everything that is, except her parent’s love – they are too busy flying around the world making movies.
The story takes place on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This is where Alex lives and where Cleo has been exiled, to a boarding school, by her parents for committing a major transgression.
Alex and Cleo end up at the same horse riding school to take dressage lessons – classical European horse training. Don’t worry about not knowing about horses or the horse riding terminology, because
It did not stop me from enjoying this book.
As different as Alex and Cleo are they are attracted to each other. At least Cleo is extremely interested in Alex and getting to know him better. Their first date, in Alex’s barn, is hilarious. It ends with Cleo kissing Alex, Alex jumping back away from Cleo shouting - gay! - I’m gay.
Alex and Cleo deal with various high school situations – Cleo falls in a rough group of girls that do drugs. Alex realizes that Turnip is too old for dressage training and he had to get another horse.
Alex’s dad comes to terms with his involvement in dressage and his being gay, and Alex realizes that is old friend Chris is the boy he has been looking for.
Harper Teen, 2007
First off, this book is so funny; I could not believe how many times I caught myself having to stop reading and laugh out loud.
The story is told by its two main characters: Alex Ford and Cleo O’Shea.
Alex is hard-working, dedicated to his goals. He dreams about horses, when he was six years old he used to ride his bike around the yard imagining that it was a horse. When he was eleven his dad buys him his first horse – Turnip - his mom runs away with another man and his father, desolate, moves out of the house and lives in the RV parked in their driveway.
Cleo is from California, she is a lazy, rich, spoiled brat, who has everything handed to her on a silver platter, everything that is, except her parent’s love – they are too busy flying around the world making movies.
The story takes place on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This is where Alex lives and where Cleo has been exiled, to a boarding school, by her parents for committing a major transgression.
Alex and Cleo end up at the same horse riding school to take dressage lessons – classical European horse training. Don’t worry about not knowing about horses or the horse riding terminology, because
It did not stop me from enjoying this book.
As different as Alex and Cleo are they are attracted to each other. At least Cleo is extremely interested in Alex and getting to know him better. Their first date, in Alex’s barn, is hilarious. It ends with Cleo kissing Alex, Alex jumping back away from Cleo shouting - gay! - I’m gay.
Alex and Cleo deal with various high school situations – Cleo falls in a rough group of girls that do drugs. Alex realizes that Turnip is too old for dressage training and he had to get another horse.
Alex’s dad comes to terms with his involvement in dressage and his being gay, and Alex realizes that is old friend Chris is the boy he has been looking for.
October 26, 2008
Alex has always loved horses. When Alex was six, he had a horse named Del Magnifico le Noir, except it wasn’t exactly a horse, but more of a bicycle that Alex pretended was a horse, he had reins and everything! Alex also falls in love with the riding style of dressage at an early age. He never thought in a million years that his father would win him a horse playing poker. From there on out is was Turnip and Alex. Alex loved riding Turnip and winning shows riding western style, but his true love was still with dressage.
Cleo loves horses too. She collects them, the plastic kind. She has no desire to ride a horse, but her mother throws her into it. Never being around or on a horse really limits your riding abilities. So Cleo really just falls into dressage, because there is no way she is going to jump a horse. Cleo attends a private boarding school and when she complains about her lacking coach her mom finds her a new one, much to Cleo disdain.
And then they meet, Cleo and Alex at their dressage lessons. Alex is a talented rider and very hardworking, and Cleo is rebellious, selfish, and lazy. The story alternates between Cleo and Alex’s stories and struggles. Cleo struggles with her past mistakes and tries to rise above them. Alex struggles with his hidden sexuality and acceptance by his father.
Another Kind of Cowboy is enjoyable and refreshing! My grandparents used to raise Palomino horses, in turn, I’ve always been a horse fan. So, I couldn’t wait to read this book. But it is about so much more than horses. The story itself is well written and the characters are likable. Another Kind of Cowboy is a contemporary story that deals gracefully and humorously with issues of teen pressures and sexuality. This was my first read of Susan Juby, but I think I will have to look into reading more books by this author! I absolutely recommend this book!
Cleo loves horses too. She collects them, the plastic kind. She has no desire to ride a horse, but her mother throws her into it. Never being around or on a horse really limits your riding abilities. So Cleo really just falls into dressage, because there is no way she is going to jump a horse. Cleo attends a private boarding school and when she complains about her lacking coach her mom finds her a new one, much to Cleo disdain.
And then they meet, Cleo and Alex at their dressage lessons. Alex is a talented rider and very hardworking, and Cleo is rebellious, selfish, and lazy. The story alternates between Cleo and Alex’s stories and struggles. Cleo struggles with her past mistakes and tries to rise above them. Alex struggles with his hidden sexuality and acceptance by his father.
Another Kind of Cowboy is enjoyable and refreshing! My grandparents used to raise Palomino horses, in turn, I’ve always been a horse fan. So, I couldn’t wait to read this book. But it is about so much more than horses. The story itself is well written and the characters are likable. Another Kind of Cowboy is a contemporary story that deals gracefully and humorously with issues of teen pressures and sexuality. This was my first read of Susan Juby, but I think I will have to look into reading more books by this author! I absolutely recommend this book!
July 3, 2012
Though this book will appeal to horse lovers, this isn’t the typical genre horse story. Alex Ford has been fascinated with the art of Dressage ever since he watched the black-capped riders and their high-stepping horses on TV. But his alcoholic father encourages Alex to ride in the western show circuit, and the family’s finances could never support such an expensive hobby anyway; Alex believes his dream of competing in Dressage is just that—a dream. But when a chance meeting with a Dressage trainer offers him a shot at his dream, Alex doesn’t dare look back. But can the good times last?
Alex meets Cleo O’Shea, who has been exiled to a Canadian boarding school near Alex’s home after upsetting her movie-producing parental units. Alex’s hardworking and focused outlook on dressage training is the complete opposite of Cleo’s, who cares more about socializing than her horse, Tandava—aka “Tandy”. But that doesn’t stop them from becoming friends, especially after Cleo discovers that Alex isn’t interested in girls. However, Cleo soon turns to her new boarding school “friends” and partying to try to fill the holes in her life. But when Tandy colics, Cleo is forced to take responsibility for her actions and she discovers that riding is about the horses, and that she has a family in the people who love them.
It is the characters that make this book memorable. Alex is adult enough to know that in a world full of unfairness, anger is ineffectual and sometimes you just have to work through the things life throws at you. Cleo is the stereotypical party girl, until she distinguishes herself by choosing to change on her own. The Dressage trainers, Fergus and Ivan, combined with Alex’s twin sisters, Maggie and May, and Alex’s Aunt Grace, offer both humor and sage advice, on life, family, and being gay.
Alex meets Cleo O’Shea, who has been exiled to a Canadian boarding school near Alex’s home after upsetting her movie-producing parental units. Alex’s hardworking and focused outlook on dressage training is the complete opposite of Cleo’s, who cares more about socializing than her horse, Tandava—aka “Tandy”. But that doesn’t stop them from becoming friends, especially after Cleo discovers that Alex isn’t interested in girls. However, Cleo soon turns to her new boarding school “friends” and partying to try to fill the holes in her life. But when Tandy colics, Cleo is forced to take responsibility for her actions and she discovers that riding is about the horses, and that she has a family in the people who love them.
It is the characters that make this book memorable. Alex is adult enough to know that in a world full of unfairness, anger is ineffectual and sometimes you just have to work through the things life throws at you. Cleo is the stereotypical party girl, until she distinguishes herself by choosing to change on her own. The Dressage trainers, Fergus and Ivan, combined with Alex’s twin sisters, Maggie and May, and Alex’s Aunt Grace, offer both humor and sage advice, on life, family, and being gay.
May 31, 2012
Once again I was searching for some fiction dealing with the LGBT community and this is one of the four books that came up.
This book is about horses, that's something that should be said from the get go, but the equine terms that are used are always defined or you can define them yourself by inference.
Just like the book I read before this, Of All the Stupid Things, this isn't a book focused on the "coming out" and battles that come along with it. It's about learning how to make friends and appreciating what you have. More importantly it's about loving yourself.
Alex hates himself, but he loves horses. Cleo is just looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places. They both need a real friend and they end up finding that in each other.
The progression of Cleo and Alex's friendship was very natural. I was very impressed with the author's glimpses into each character's mind and insecurities. Both characters were adequately fleshed out. As for the other characters...I don't know if I can say that. Though, to be quite honest, I don't know if I wanted those other characters to be fleshed out. This may be a weird thing to say, but I'm glad that I got to know Cleo and Alex the way I did. I'm glad for the focus on their lives and friendships.
I can't say that I cared much for Cleo's personality in the beginning, because she is completely and utterly unlikeable, but by the end she grows out of it. And Alex eventually realizes that he doesn't have to be anything he doesn't want to be.
All in all it's a pretty solid book, a nice break from the insta-love and romance everywhere. Sometimes it's nice just to read a book about two people becoming best friends. And that was what this was.
This book is about horses, that's something that should be said from the get go, but the equine terms that are used are always defined or you can define them yourself by inference.
Just like the book I read before this, Of All the Stupid Things, this isn't a book focused on the "coming out" and battles that come along with it. It's about learning how to make friends and appreciating what you have. More importantly it's about loving yourself.
Alex hates himself, but he loves horses. Cleo is just looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places. They both need a real friend and they end up finding that in each other.
The progression of Cleo and Alex's friendship was very natural. I was very impressed with the author's glimpses into each character's mind and insecurities. Both characters were adequately fleshed out. As for the other characters...I don't know if I can say that. Though, to be quite honest, I don't know if I wanted those other characters to be fleshed out. This may be a weird thing to say, but I'm glad that I got to know Cleo and Alex the way I did. I'm glad for the focus on their lives and friendships.
I can't say that I cared much for Cleo's personality in the beginning, because she is completely and utterly unlikeable, but by the end she grows out of it. And Alex eventually realizes that he doesn't have to be anything he doesn't want to be.
All in all it's a pretty solid book, a nice break from the insta-love and romance everywhere. Sometimes it's nice just to read a book about two people becoming best friends. And that was what this was.
March 24, 2013
Delightful read, written with wry humour and full of depth. I love the combination of two of my favourite genres: young adult and horses! On top of that, the book features complex queer and female characters. The dual character voices of Alex and Cleo are glorious and unique. I thought that the third person and first person pov suited Alex and Cleo's personalities respectively (Alex's quiet, socially anxious, distant personality, Cleo's effervescent self-centredness).
oh Cleo I ADORE Cleo. She is perceived by others as a spoiled, selfish rich girl but she is much more than that. I LOVE that she is a fierce, bold, flawed and MESSY girl. On the other hand, Alex detests messes. He is neat, orderly, distancing himself from emotional attachment except for his passion for horses and dressage. The friendship between these two ostensibly different characters is one of the joys of this book. Their individual character arcs are beautifully and satisfyingly done: Alex's opening up to a relationship with another boy, Cleo opening up to better ways of expressing her care for others.
I also LOVED the way that the horses were written! They were not simply a backdrop to the plot of the book, but Tandava, Detroit and Turnip had their own unique, complex personalities and were drawn with such vividness. (Tandy is my favourite and I longed for more of Cleo and Tandy's story. POOR DETROIT tho). The love for horses and for dressage absolutely shone throughout the book.
oh Cleo I ADORE Cleo. She is perceived by others as a spoiled, selfish rich girl but she is much more than that. I LOVE that she is a fierce, bold, flawed and MESSY girl. On the other hand, Alex detests messes. He is neat, orderly, distancing himself from emotional attachment except for his passion for horses and dressage. The friendship between these two ostensibly different characters is one of the joys of this book. Their individual character arcs are beautifully and satisfyingly done: Alex's opening up to a relationship with another boy, Cleo opening up to better ways of expressing her care for others.
I also LOVED the way that the horses were written! They were not simply a backdrop to the plot of the book, but Tandava, Detroit and Turnip had their own unique, complex personalities and were drawn with such vividness. (Tandy is my favourite and I longed for more of Cleo and Tandy's story. POOR DETROIT tho). The love for horses and for dressage absolutely shone throughout the book.
October 6, 2016
Another Kind of Cowboy has a broad, comic style that is very different from the typical horse book. Of course, most horse books have humor but this is definitely a comic novel, not a horse book where comedy occasionally 'happens.' At first, I found myself muttering "I'm not sure I believe this" but then as a reader I realized I just had to relax and go with the flow. Kind of like dressage, I guess. It's very funny and just an enjoyable read.
I admit I had some reservations with the alternating third-person/first-person narration, however, that did not go away. I'm not quite sure why this technique was used and why both perspectives weren't in the first or the third person.
The first-person narrator Cleo is the prototypical spoiled rich girl who doesn't appreciate her fancy horse. And she is OUTRAGEOUSLY spoiled, and, truthfully, not very bright, even by pony book standards. The third-person narrator Alex is a Western rider who is trying to conceal from his family that he's gay as well the fact he is riding English. His perspective was much more compelling although his sexual awakening doesn't really go beyond the coming-out stages.
Despite these reservations, however, I have to say the book was very funny and would be enjoyed by both horse lovers and non-horse lovers alike. It's also nice to see a LGBT YA book that isn't solely about the coming-out experience.
I admit I had some reservations with the alternating third-person/first-person narration, however, that did not go away. I'm not quite sure why this technique was used and why both perspectives weren't in the first or the third person.
The first-person narrator Cleo is the prototypical spoiled rich girl who doesn't appreciate her fancy horse. And she is OUTRAGEOUSLY spoiled, and, truthfully, not very bright, even by pony book standards. The third-person narrator Alex is a Western rider who is trying to conceal from his family that he's gay as well the fact he is riding English. His perspective was much more compelling although his sexual awakening doesn't really go beyond the coming-out stages.
Despite these reservations, however, I have to say the book was very funny and would be enjoyed by both horse lovers and non-horse lovers alike. It's also nice to see a LGBT YA book that isn't solely about the coming-out experience.
February 11, 2013
Recommendation
Recommend to any fans of Susan Juby, teens and/or fans of equestrian activities.
Review
A wonderful novel told from the perspective of two people: Cleo, a spoiled rich girl who has been sent to private school in Canada after some questionable behaviour; and Alex, a boy from a dysfunctional family who who dreams of being a dressage rider. While many parts are predictable, Juby's writing is (as always) humourous and entertaining. Alex's family is filled with memorable characters from his alcoholic father who lives in a trailer in front of the house, to his younger sisters who are twins obsessed with martial arts.
A subplot to the novel is Alex who struggles with coming out to his family and friends. When so many teen novels that have LGBT characters have a plot entirely about being LGBT, Juby has created a realistic, humorous and current novel that has a teen navigate coming out without making the entire story about it. Alex happens to be gay but it is not the only thing he is nor is it the only focus of the entire novel.
Overall the stories of Alex and Cleo, and their oddball friendship is interesting and original. Well done Juby!
Recommend to any fans of Susan Juby, teens and/or fans of equestrian activities.
Review
A wonderful novel told from the perspective of two people: Cleo, a spoiled rich girl who has been sent to private school in Canada after some questionable behaviour; and Alex, a boy from a dysfunctional family who who dreams of being a dressage rider. While many parts are predictable, Juby's writing is (as always) humourous and entertaining. Alex's family is filled with memorable characters from his alcoholic father who lives in a trailer in front of the house, to his younger sisters who are twins obsessed with martial arts.
A subplot to the novel is Alex who struggles with coming out to his family and friends. When so many teen novels that have LGBT characters have a plot entirely about being LGBT, Juby has created a realistic, humorous and current novel that has a teen navigate coming out without making the entire story about it. Alex happens to be gay but it is not the only thing he is nor is it the only focus of the entire novel.
Overall the stories of Alex and Cleo, and their oddball friendship is interesting and original. Well done Juby!
May 10, 2008
Alex and Cleo, a spoiled richie from LA, meet in the world of dressage. (It's a very disciplined yet artful school of horse training, pronounced so the second syllable sounds like corsage—although throughout the book my head kept hearing the "age" part like you would say it in footage.) Cleo's movie producer parents have banished her to a fancy riding school on Vancouver Island, and Alex is a poor local cowboy who really wants to dance with his horse. Though their stories (Alex's, especially) are touching, Susan Juby manages to sprinkle her magical humor throughout, thus preventing the book's permanent residence in Sapfest, Canada. The only thing missing is the near-perfect character development of Juby's Alice books; we don't get to know Cleo all that well, and Alex's chapters are told in the third person, so the reader never gets totally inside his head. Still, two hooves up! It's like Brokeback Mountain for kids, but with a happy ending.
(Full review on Mode a la Pie: http://modealapie.blogspot.com/2008/0...)
(Full review on Mode a la Pie: http://modealapie.blogspot.com/2008/0...)
April 5, 2008
Two teenagers - a closeted gay boy and a poor little rich girl - form a prickly friendship after they meet at dressage lessons.
The premise was promising, and I was interested in the Nanaimo, British Columbia setting, but this book doesn't even rise to the level of competence. Juby does all right except when she has to tackle human emotions; some of the passages have all the subtlety of an anvil.
As Alex tacked up Detroit... he was confused and dismayed by his growing feelings for his friend. What could have been simple admiration for Chris's talent was amplified because Chris seemed interested.
Sometimes fourteen-year-old Maggie and May, with their shiny eyes and glossy brown hair, reminded Alex of otters. Their relentless playfulness had the effect of raising his spirits, no matter what else he was fretting about
There are cardboard villains, cardboard plots, cardboard themes. (Guess what? Drugs are bad!) It's a book that never seems to try to go beyond the obvious, the surface, the stereotypical.
The premise was promising, and I was interested in the Nanaimo, British Columbia setting, but this book doesn't even rise to the level of competence. Juby does all right except when she has to tackle human emotions; some of the passages have all the subtlety of an anvil.
As Alex tacked up Detroit... he was confused and dismayed by his growing feelings for his friend. What could have been simple admiration for Chris's talent was amplified because Chris seemed interested.
Sometimes fourteen-year-old Maggie and May, with their shiny eyes and glossy brown hair, reminded Alex of otters. Their relentless playfulness had the effect of raising his spirits, no matter what else he was fretting about
There are cardboard villains, cardboard plots, cardboard themes. (Guess what? Drugs are bad!) It's a book that never seems to try to go beyond the obvious, the surface, the stereotypical.
February 5, 2016
I love it when a book can pull a new interest out of me. I always admired horses, but delving into this story got me into the shoes of people who REALLY love them. It provided an opportunity to enter a new world that is not the easiest to get into (as the plot illustrates). It was surprising that the story favored English style riding more than Western as the title infers, but this was a welcoming direction.
The two main characters -Alex and Cleo- were very interesting and provided completely different views on their experiences. They both had their unique charm; you can tell the author put a lot of devotion into developing them. The gay themes were light and cute, but introduced little later (and less prevalent) than I would have liked, though it reflected the introverted nature of Alex. Alex's struggle alone was enough to keep the topic alive and interesting. Overall, it had just the right amount of drama to trigger emotion but also be fun at the same time.
The two main characters -Alex and Cleo- were very interesting and provided completely different views on their experiences. They both had their unique charm; you can tell the author put a lot of devotion into developing them. The gay themes were light and cute, but introduced little later (and less prevalent) than I would have liked, though it reflected the introverted nature of Alex. Alex's struggle alone was enough to keep the topic alive and interesting. Overall, it had just the right amount of drama to trigger emotion but also be fun at the same time.
January 11, 2008
This book was a breath of fresh air. It is an easy read, with well developed characters and an interesting story line.
Alex loves dressage. He loves riding horses. And it just so happens that he also loves boys. Or at least likes them. Cleo is in a local boarding school for girls where they teach english riding. She rides dressage, but it would be a leap to say that she loves anything--except for the things she's not supposed to, of course. Alex and Cleo meet when they both start taking lessons from some retired trainers at a nearby farm. She tries to date Alex, until he tells her that he is gay--the first person he has told out loud. Cleo gets caught up with the wrong crowd at school and Alex struggles with his sexuality and his need to tell his family about his orientation.
This book is good for 13+. There is no explicit content although there is some drug and alcohol use. The outcome makes it a learning experience rather than a fun experience, though.
Alex loves dressage. He loves riding horses. And it just so happens that he also loves boys. Or at least likes them. Cleo is in a local boarding school for girls where they teach english riding. She rides dressage, but it would be a leap to say that she loves anything--except for the things she's not supposed to, of course. Alex and Cleo meet when they both start taking lessons from some retired trainers at a nearby farm. She tries to date Alex, until he tells her that he is gay--the first person he has told out loud. Cleo gets caught up with the wrong crowd at school and Alex struggles with his sexuality and his need to tell his family about his orientation.
This book is good for 13+. There is no explicit content although there is some drug and alcohol use. The outcome makes it a learning experience rather than a fun experience, though.
September 19, 2008
When I was a teenager I would have sunk my teeth into any remotely queer story. Over the last ten years I have read many YA books dealing with the "issue" of homosexuality, but I never found anything I could really identify with. Another Kind of Cowboy, where have you been?
A great read for anyone who is tired of the plethora of insubstantial coming-out stories that treat homosexuality as an issue of great importance. Another Kind of Cowboy is a story about two teenagers with different circumstances in life, whose paths cross when they begin dressage lessons. Alex is a thoroughly likable young boy who dreams big and who happens to be attracted to boys. Cleo is a bit of a rich screw-up who happens to be attracted to boys. A brilliant story ensues.
The book definitely deals with some teen issues, but being gay isn't one of them. A refreshing read, with some classic Juby humour.
A great read for anyone who is tired of the plethora of insubstantial coming-out stories that treat homosexuality as an issue of great importance. Another Kind of Cowboy is a story about two teenagers with different circumstances in life, whose paths cross when they begin dressage lessons. Alex is a thoroughly likable young boy who dreams big and who happens to be attracted to boys. Cleo is a bit of a rich screw-up who happens to be attracted to boys. A brilliant story ensues.
The book definitely deals with some teen issues, but being gay isn't one of them. A refreshing read, with some classic Juby humour.
June 16, 2010
This book is about Alex and Cleo.
Both ride horses, but for very different reasons.
Both have problems, but very different problems.
Their lives cross and they begin to help each other.
I really enjoyed this book because it just seemed real. The characters seemed to be real with real problems and real families. Nothing was perfect like it is sometimes in books. It also didn't seem to be over the top, which is another way novels can go. Instead, it just all seems real.
I do want to say how much I love Alex's twin sisters in this book. They are the comic relief and just some of my most favorite characters in any book!
* * *
The book switches between Alex's point of view and Cleo's, but one thing that did bother me was that Alex's sections were in 3rd person where Cleo's sections were in 1st. I am not sure why the author chose to do this and I'm not sure how I feel about it, but every time it switched, it took me for a loop.
Both ride horses, but for very different reasons.
Both have problems, but very different problems.
Their lives cross and they begin to help each other.
I really enjoyed this book because it just seemed real. The characters seemed to be real with real problems and real families. Nothing was perfect like it is sometimes in books. It also didn't seem to be over the top, which is another way novels can go. Instead, it just all seems real.
I do want to say how much I love Alex's twin sisters in this book. They are the comic relief and just some of my most favorite characters in any book!
* * *
The book switches between Alex's point of view and Cleo's, but one thing that did bother me was that Alex's sections were in 3rd person where Cleo's sections were in 1st. I am not sure why the author chose to do this and I'm not sure how I feel about it, but every time it switched, it took me for a loop.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews