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macy_richards's review against another edition
4.0
Pale Horse, Pale Rider is a collection of three short novels; Old Mortality, Noon Wine, and Pale Horse, Pale Rider. I recommend reading them in order - a character from the first story shows up in the last.
In my own interpretation of these works, they seem to be connected together with a shared theme of characters seeking freedom and the consequences of this desire. In the first story a young girl is burdened with constant comparisons to an older cousin who is no longer alive and the way her family clings to false memories of the past. Later, as a young women she seeks to escape societal expectations. In the second story a man seeks freedom from the consequences of his past and another man tries to escape the judgement of his neighbours after a tragedy. Lastly, in the third story a newspaper columnist desperately waits for the war to end as someone she loves is drafted and will soon have to leave her. Later, she in confined to a hospital as she suffers from influenza.
Not all of these characters reach what I would describe as freedom, but they do try. Some of the characters are held back by physical limitations on their freedom (prison, the draft, illness), while other face intangible limitations (social judgement, emotional torment). Porter has written three compelling works of literary fiction and I have no idea if this review makes sense but I would definitely recommend this book.
Also, completely unrelated but I read Pale Horse, Pale Rider while stuck in bed with Covid for the first time and although Covid-19 was painful for me (jealous of everyone who said it just felt like a cold) this book reminded me that my life could be so much worse.
In my own interpretation of these works, they seem to be connected together with a shared theme of characters seeking freedom and the consequences of this desire. In the first story a young girl is burdened with constant comparisons to an older cousin who is no longer alive and the way her family clings to false memories of the past. Later, as a young women she seeks to escape societal expectations. In the second story a man seeks freedom from the consequences of his past and another man tries to escape the judgement of his neighbours after a tragedy. Lastly, in the third story a newspaper columnist desperately waits for the war to end as someone she loves is drafted and will soon have to leave her. Later, she in confined to a hospital as she suffers from influenza.
Not all of these characters reach what I would describe as freedom, but they do try. Some of the characters are held back by physical limitations on their freedom (prison, the draft, illness), while other face intangible limitations (social judgement, emotional torment). Porter has written three compelling works of literary fiction and I have no idea if this review makes sense but I would definitely recommend this book.
Also, completely unrelated but I read Pale Horse, Pale Rider while stuck in bed with Covid for the first time and although Covid-19 was painful for me (jealous of everyone who said it just felt like a cold) this book reminded me that my life could be so much worse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma
Moderate: Death
Minor: Racism and War