Book 7: Hearts of Horses
The Hearts of Horses
by Molly Gloss
I'm a big fan of Molly Gloss. She has a writing style that I think can best be described with the word "savor" - things don't move with a rush of excitement in her books, but with slow, delicious detail that allows you to savor words and characters. I love it, but I know not everyone does.
(One of my favorite books of all time is her Dazzle of Day, an SF novel about Quakers on a generational ship in search of a new planet. I got to meet her last fall when she was touring in support of Horses, and gush over how much I love that novel.) [/fangirl moment]
Hearts of Horses is a novel set in WWI-era eastern Oregon. The main character, Martha, is a horse whisperer. The story begins as she arrives in (fictions) Elwah County after leaving the home where she grew up, escaping her cruel father, and dreaming of the wild west. She is able to find a place in this county gentling (as opposed to breaking) horses, and the story weaves in the lives of the other farmers and ranchers she encounters, who (mostly) welcome her there. There is also a bit of a sweet love story.
Oregonian Molly Gloss is a fan of western novels, but wanted to write one that doesn't perpetuate the "heroic cowboy myth in American culture."* I think she's done a fine job. It's a good book, highly recommended.
* quote from her tour blog
by Molly Gloss
I'm a big fan of Molly Gloss. She has a writing style that I think can best be described with the word "savor" - things don't move with a rush of excitement in her books, but with slow, delicious detail that allows you to savor words and characters. I love it, but I know not everyone does.
(One of my favorite books of all time is her Dazzle of Day, an SF novel about Quakers on a generational ship in search of a new planet. I got to meet her last fall when she was touring in support of Horses, and gush over how much I love that novel.) [/fangirl moment]
Hearts of Horses is a novel set in WWI-era eastern Oregon. The main character, Martha, is a horse whisperer. The story begins as she arrives in (fictions) Elwah County after leaving the home where she grew up, escaping her cruel father, and dreaming of the wild west. She is able to find a place in this county gentling (as opposed to breaking) horses, and the story weaves in the lives of the other farmers and ranchers she encounters, who (mostly) welcome her there. There is also a bit of a sweet love story.
Oregonian Molly Gloss is a fan of western novels, but wanted to write one that doesn't perpetuate the "heroic cowboy myth in American culture."* I think she's done a fine job. It's a good book, highly recommended.
* quote from her tour blog