Horse

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Brooks, Geraldine, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Brooks, Geraldine
On Shelf At: Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

"A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history. Kentucky, 1850. Jarrett, an enslaved groom, and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. As the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name painting the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack. New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a 19th equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance. Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly drawn to one another through their shared interest in the horse--one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred, Lexington, who became America's greatest stud sire, Horse is a gripping, multi-layered reckoning with the legacy of enslavement and racism in America"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Surprising and complex submitted by gpapp on July 26, 2022, 4:48pm Yes, this is a story of a horse...and not just any horse, but one of the most celebrated horses in America. It is also much more than that. Brooks uses the story of the horse to tell us a story about America, about race, money, and power in both the antebellum South and the current day North. Various threads are woven so skillfully into a tapestry that it is somehow a surprise how heartbreaking it is when finally seen in its entirety.

Horse racing and romance submitted by kath on June 23, 2023, 10:06pm Historical fiction about horse racing in the antebellum south mixed with a modern story line of a budding romance. Mostly very interesting and brilliantly researched. The modern day story was a bit too much and seemed rushed.

A worthwhile read submitted by TeacherN on June 25, 2023, 12:39pm I've never been very interested in horses or horse racing, but I found this to be a worthwhile read. I liked the modern-day story a bit more than the historical story because I have an interest in history, museums, and art. I didn't think the big event at the end of the story was particularly believable.