avillard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Slavery
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
chelsl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Slavery, Racism, and Animal death
Minor: Rape
lisas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Death
astoriareader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
- Lexington, a remarkable horse, is the thread binding all the characters and timelines together.
- Jarrett, a talented groom/trainer that was enslaved, is in charge of Lexington’s care during the time before the Civil War & during it. With his story, there’s several others intertwined, such as an equestrian artist that paints Lexington on different occasions.
- Martha Jackson is an art dealer in NYC in the 1950s.
- In 2019, Jess, an Australian white woman who runs the Smithsonian Institution's Osteology Prep Lab, and Theo, a Black man getting his PhD from Georgetown & working on a thesis about the portrayal of Black folks in American equestrian art.
- The stories are intertwined by Lexington, the equestrian paintings, and racism/the legacy of slavery.
- I am going to preface my review by saying that I don’t like that a white author being the voice of an enslaved Black man & the voice of a Black man in contemporary society facing racial injustices. Since I’m also white, I am curious to get others takes on this point.
- Despite my caveat above, decided to still round up to give 5 stars because the writing is top-notch.
- Historical fiction / literary fiction
- Generational saga
- Multiple POVs + multiple timelines
- Brooks meticulously researched the book, and she expertly plotted the novel to weave together a beautiful, emotional story.
- My favorite sections were Jarrett’s story. The connection between Jarrett and Lexington is palpable and endearing. The bond between Jarrett & the horse is the cornerstone of the book. I found myself rooting for them, and I kept wanting to get through the book to find out their fates.
- Since the book spans over many years, we also get to see Jarrett’s character development. Over time, Jarrett becomes more aware of the world around him, and he offers astute observations.
- I also really enjoyed the incorporation of the horse’s preserved bones. I was fascinated to learn about scientific aspect & work done by the Smithsonian.
- On paper, I should have hated this book. I have never been a fan of horse racing, and I don’t gravitate toward Civil Era stories. To my surprise, I loved it.
- I wasn’t familiar with the world of antebellum racing. The story educated me on another way white folks made money off of Black folks’ unpaid (or underpaid) labor and skills.
- I love learning new words, and I looked up so many words while reading this one.
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, and Slavery
Moderate: War and Animal cruelty
Minor: Animal death
123aah456's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Slavery
dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Horse has been a title I've been wanting to read for a while. Being a fan of generational sagas, such as Memphis, I thought this book would be interesting to read and would have enjoyed. However, I don't know if I'm in the demographics that Brooks writes towards.
Brooks does a thorough job with creating the intricacies necessary for telling the tale of Lexington and Jarret as well as its influences later on in society. Each section were particularly well-written and can be engaging for other readers, but there were a few critiques I have about the writing style and plot details.
One, while the book focuses on three different time periods, most of the book comprised of the parallels between Jarret's and Jess and Theo's perspective/timeline. The third one, art dealer Martha Jackson from the 1950s, had little to contribute to the whole of the plot. When I read the description, I thought that the three time periods were given equal pacing, but you don't even hear from Martha until almost halfway through the book. That being said, it made wondered if her chapters were really necessary and I wished Brooks spent more time with Martha.
Secondly, I thought that chapters focused on Jarret's life were very long. I don't know if I'm a big fan of Civil War-era historical fiction, but I had a hard time following along with the audiobook because of its length and having a hard time trying to understand what was going in each scene.
Nevertheless, there were parts that I liked from listening to Horse. This audiobook has a full cast reading for the various characters and each of the narrators bring their own distinct qualities and nuances when reading for the characters. I think that helped me with understanding the plot and following along. Additionally, I thought the Jess/Theo perspective was well-written and it was interesting to see them look back to see how Lexington's story has been remembered as well as long forgotten by the world. Furthermore, I liked how the plot played out near the end of the book and I thought Brooks' conclusion came full circle.
As a result, while I had mixed feelings towards Horse and I don't know if I would ever read it again, I think that if you like historical fiction set in the Civil War-era that has modern-day implications, I think you'll enjoy this book.
Graphic: War, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Police brutality and Alcoholism
flowerrunner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Murder, Animal cruelty, Blood, Grief, Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, War, Animal death, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Geraldine Brooks definitely did her research while working on this and can create interesting characters as well as poignant imagery. Characters are complex and not necessarily likable. Jarret is my favorite of the PoV characters, and I enjoy his arc from acceptance of his fate to a determination to make his best life, as well as his attempts to show kindness when he can. A lot of historical fiction that comment on modern day issues tend to focus on more rebellious protagonists, and I like that Brooks made a compelling character within the reality that many people, unfortunately, can be accepting of unfair systems, even if they are the ones who are crushed by it. Another strength of Jarret's plotline is that all of the major white characters, including Scott, both oppose and are complicit with different aspects of life in the antebellum South. The modern cast features many dorks that are enjoyable because of their passions.
The book is not perfect. It talks a lot about racism in multiple points of American history, but African American women are almost exclusively relegated to bit roles as love interests. I'm not sure how to fix this (maybe tell Martha's story through the eyes of Annie, the maid whose family had inherited the painting?). Theo's justified resentment of racism paired with his utter lack of self awareness about how his parents' wealth sheltered him from some of the worst parts can be grating, and attempts to address this flaw fell flat for me.
Spoiler
His death in the third act also feels like it's more about shocking than a satisfying conclusion for his and Jess's arcs, but it is a good illustration of how far society has to go that the modern characters' arc has a more depressing end than the arc that heavily features slavery.Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, Racism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Trafficking
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Grief, Bullying, Death of parent, Sexism, Police brutality, Murder, Violence, and War
Racism, slavery, and mistreatment of horses are very important to the themes of this book, but did not feel gratuitous to me.paperknotbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Classism, Slavery, Racism, Hate crime, and Colonisation
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Racial slurs
atamano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Gun violence, Police brutality, Animal death, and Classism
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death of parent, War, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Mass/school shootings, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol and Infidelity