Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Other People's Horses

Good Morning - Horse Peeps! Today I'm giving a shout-out to one of our own - Natalie Keller Reinert, whose new book called Other People's Horses kept me up late finishing it.

Here's the official blurb:

It’s the dream of a lifetime — and Alex should be thrilled, taking six horses to Saratoga for the storied racing meet. But circumstances are less than ideal. With her husband, Alexander, abroad, the racing community is suspicious of her credentials. And to make her even more uneasy, Kerri, her naïve assistant, is a little too friendly with the trainer next door.

Ignoring the outside world, Alex throws herself into her work. Then she notices a new filly on the track — a filly with a problem she’s sure she can fix.

If only Alex owned that filly.

From training track gossip to tack room confidentials, OTHER PEOPLE’S HORSES continues the story of Alex and Alexander — two Thoroughbred trainers trying to do the right thing — that began in THE HEAD AND NOT THE HEART.


Oh gosh, I became totally absorbed in this one. It's the sequel to her first book, called The Head and Not the Heart, but trust me - you don't have to read that one first. Other People's Horses stands on it's own, and it's truly a horse book for horse people.

Here's my gushing review (and no, she didn't pay me to write this - hahahaha):

What a great book! I stayed up last night until midnight finishing it. This is a horse story for grown-ups. The Black Stallion for adults. Seabiscuit for women. Not only does the author dispense with all the generic "explaining" of horsey terms to outsiders, she just assumes you understand, jumps right in and hustles you along as Alex (she's a young horsewoman) takes a string of horses to Saratoga at the opening of that prestigious horse racing meet. Although those interested in horses and horse racing will adore this book, there is a lot here for anyone.

Ever been a woman knocking your head against the wall of the good-old-boys club? You'll appreciate this novel. Ever fallen in love-at-first-sight with an animal (in this case a bright chestnut filly) which you realize is a totally gut-driven, emotional, irrational choice, but you can't help yourself? You'll completely understand this story. Ever played second-string to a popular, successful husband and can't find any recognition of your own talented self? There is much to love in this fast-paced novel about Alex's attempt to prove herself as a trainer, all the while keeping her marriage to Alexander intact. This book is the sequel to The Head and not the Heart, Ms. Reinert's first novel. But this one is definitely a stand-alone novel in its own right, and I'm happy to see how Reinert has grown and matured as an author. Can't wait to read her next work.


Anyway - I totally loved this book. Whether you are or are not interested in horse racing, many of you will relate to the struggles of a young horsewoman trying to prove herself, and to use her learned and innate knowledge of horses to bring out the best in an animal.

Really well done. Brava, Natalie!

Here's the link on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Other-Peoples-Horses-Alexander-ebook/dp/B00BUC6GFU 

Enjoy!!

3 comments:

Dom said...

So many books I want to read and not enough time for them all...

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Alison said...

Love the review, Linda. Now if only I had time to read. We writers are sometimes the worst at getting to those stacks of books.