#horse by geraldine brooks

[fishandshesmygills]

finished horse by geraldine brooks and i mostly enjoyed it but i found the ending extremely shocking and upsetting. white woman author who is clearly very conscious about her role as a white author writing Black main characters right up until the moment when she kills off her Black main character in the worst way mining real trauma for shock value. and maybe as a white woman myself i should just sit with this discomfort but it felt very voyeuristic to me and this article put words to some of my feelings throughout.

i really enjoyed the 19th century part because Black horsemen were so important to horse racing and have been so long overlooked, and i obviously enjoyed the horse-centric parts and how she dove into the brutality of the industry, but the modern storyline fell flat, especially with how she chose to end it.

[digitial-marketing-world]

What Are Brook Horses And Why They Are Famous?

The brook horse, known as the "Bäckahäst" in Swedish mythology, provides a fascinating and grim element of the mythological animals linked with water sources within Scandinavian tradition. Originating from Norse tradition, the mythology of the brook horse predominates in rural legends, describing a ghostly creature that emerges out of foggy waters to lead the unfortunate to their demise.

Typically characterized as a magnificent white horse that appears near rivers, streams, or lakes, the brook horse emanates an appealing aura that is virtually hard for humans, particularly youngsters, to resist. However, despite its alluring beauty, this creature conceals a wicked goal. According to mythology, once someone climbs the horse, they get attached to it. The brook horse then rushes into the water, pulling its prey under the surface to a watery end.

Apart from only being a cautionary tale urging people to be alert near hazardous waterways, the brook horse is also thought to be a representation of the unexpected force of nature and water. This is mirrored in the fact that the horse is typically represented as gaining strength from the efforts of its prisoners, growing more powerful as it absorbs their life energy.

The stream horse also connects in with larger European legendary traditions, like the Scottish Kelpie or the Germanic Nix, both water spirits that also acquired equine shapes and were considered to be treacherously alluring. The somber tale around the stream horse attempts to underline the synergy between the beauty and danger of nature, as well as to develop a feeling of reverence for the environment and its invisible risks.

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of 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 nineteenth-century 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 connected 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.

[horsesarecreatures]

Book review: Horse by Geraldine Brooks

I thought this one was good on the whole. It is about the racehorse Lexington, who won 6 of 7 races and became the leading US sire for 16 years, and his groom Jarret. The book’s chapters change point of view frequently to include both major and minor characters, and the time also changes, spanning from 1850 when the horse was born to the present. There are some additional characters of both major and minor importance without chapters devoted to them. The book is extremely well researched, and in the afterward Brooks explains which people and events were fictionalized and which were real. She also has a vast vocabulary, and I learned many news words. My main criticism is that the relationship between Jess and Theo felt contrived at times in regards to racial issues and some other things. The characters of Theo and Jarret are also practically perfect, to the point where Theo is martyred at the end. Again, it just felt contrived at times. 

The characters who have their own chapters are as follows: 

Theo - a well educated and polite PHD student who lives in Washington D.C. in the present day. He is the son of 2 diplomats and has an international background. He helps a widowed woman across the street from him, even though she has been racist towards him. She begrudgingly says he can take whatever he wants from a pile of junk she has at the curb. While initially disinterested, he caught sight of an old painting of a horse and decided to take it. 

Jarret - Jarret is the son of a Harry Lewis, a thoroughbred training prodigy. Harry Lewis was enslaved, but was allowed to buy himself freedom. Jarret is still enslaved, but Harry convinced his employer Dr. Warfield to buy him so they could be together. Harry had the idea to breed Warfield’s mare Alice Carneal to the leading sire Boston, who later died that year. Thus, Lexington was born, although he was originally named Darley. Warfield gave the horse to Harry as part of his wages, and Jarret and him were together from the time the colt was born. Jarret was Lexington's groom, and he was sold with Lexington twice. 

Thomas J Scott - a famous painter of thoroughbreds who included accurate depictions of Jarret with Lexington in some of the paintings he did of the stallion. He knew Jarret and the horse from the beginning, and they crossed paths again over the years. Scott is the artist of the horse painting Theo found, which turned out to be of Lexington. Theo takes an interest in his works because his thesis is about cases where African Americans actually were depicted accurately in the works of that time.

Jess - An Australian who moves to America to work at the Smithsonian, Jess is obsessed with bones. Her job is to clean and set various animal skeletons for the museum in the osteology prep lab she manages. She is asked to locate the skeleton of a horse that has been forgotten about and moved to the attic. The horse turns out to be Lexington. She eventually crosses paths with Theo, and the two date after a rocky start where she thought he might be trying to steal her bike, which was actually his and turned out to be identical to hers.

Mary Bar Clay - she is one of the granddaughters of Elisha Warfield who lives on his farm. Her father is Cassius Clay, an American politician and abolitionist. She is a great rider and wants to be friends with Jarret, often putting him in dangerous situations as a result. 

Martha Jackson - a high end art dealer in Jackson Pollack’s circle who rose to prominence in the 1950s. One of Scott’s paintings of Lexington came into her possession, and it was the only non-contemporary work she owned. 

[andreabadgley]

Rainy day after work reading.

[whatcha-reading-today]

Horse | Geraldine Brooks

This is for the horse girls. I'm only sort of joking, this multi-generational story about a horse (who really lived and existed!) is fascinating. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did but it was so well-written, and I felt so invested in the history of Lexington through the eyes...and painting, and bones, as we understand our relationship to horses. There's really well-constructed characters and interesting conversations around race and racism that I think could have been pushed a bit further but still interesting and well constructed.

High recommend, Horse is incredibly interesting.

Format: physical copy

Read in: May 2024

[acourtofpaperandink]

Book club Book Review: Horse By Geraldine Brooks

Post by: Jessica Title: Horse  By: Geraldine Brooks Cover: I thought the cover was very boring. The colors are sort of eye-catching.  Story: ★★★ This was a book club read and it’s definitely not something I would have read on my own. It’s an adult historical fiction. The basic facts of this story are true. There was a horse and it did win these races and was owned by these people but the…

[jessryno]

Book club Book Review: Horse By Geraldine Brooks

Post by: Jessica Title: Horse  By: Geraldine Brooks Cover: I thought the cover was very boring. The colors are sort of eye-catching.  Story: ★★★ This was a book club read and it’s definitely not something I would have read on my own. It’s an adult historical fiction. The basic facts of this story are true. There was a horse and it did win these races and was owned by these people but the…

[tintededges]

Horse

Historical fiction about slavery, horse racing, artwork and racism in America When I saw this book come out last year, I knew I had to buy it and I knew exactly for whom. My Grandma was very keen on both horses and history and with her 90th birthday approaching, this seemed like the perfect gift. Readings were even offering copies with signed bookplates. Grandma enjoyed the surprise when it…

[bargainsleuthbooks]

#Horse #GeraldineBrooks #Lexington #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #HorseRacing #AudiobookReview #VikingBooks #PenguinAudio #KindleDeals

I recently read a non-fiction book about the great horse sire, #Lexington, and one of the reviews I read mentioned #Horse by #GeraldineBrooks so I got the #audiobook. I loved the focus of the novel. #Bookreview #viking #penguinaudio #historicalfiction

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of 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…

[rye-views]

Horse by Geraldine Brooks. 7.6/10

I would not recommend this book to my friends. I would not reread this book.

I feel like Theo thinks often in black versus white, which limits conversations about racism. It feels so extreme to think white is racist and look, another racist thing from a white person. The line about how white people can't see past their stereotypes of blackness makes it seem like there's only one kind of racism. Jess is thinking with white guilt a lot.

Harry being a memorizer is awesome. I like how James Herriot was referenced since I just read him. I like that Jarrett sees the world and horses like such an artist. The star of this book really feels like Lexington. His relationship with Jarret is quite beautiful.

Omg poor Sallie. What a tragic death. I was like no way we are going to do this to Theo in a fictional book, but here we are hitting reality.

Interesting how you'd miss the Black woman in Olympia.

"Memorable Quotes: "It wasn’t a good idea to speak without putting a deal of thought into it. Words could be snares." "but now it seemed like every other thing was just as various if you troubled to look at it closely." "He could waste an hour’s good sleep worrying and be no wiser for it." "just one among millions of artifacts, neglected in the vast institutional bureaucracy." "There was entirely too much of everything in this place." "I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." "That is a sinful town." "And you could skip past the foolish ones. You couldn’t do that when someone was speaking nonsense right to your face." "He was full of such small kindnesses." "That image cooled his anger."

[its-suanneschafer-author]

BOOK REVIEW: Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Until Horse came along, I could never have imagined a book that would fascinate both my race-horse raising brother and me, his art-loving sister. I loved this novel. Author Geraldine Brooks deftly weaves multiple story lines and time frames into a single heart-stopping novel. First, there is the story of Jarrett, the enslaved horse-trainer of Lexington, one of the best thoroughbreds of all time,…

[girlmostlikely]

My Goodreads

The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent

The Half of It: A Memoir by Madison Beer

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

At Certain Points We Touch by Lauren John Joseph

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel

They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey

The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland

History Keeps Me Awake at Night by Christy Edwall

Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch

River Sings Me Home by Eleanor Shearer

Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

The Day I Disappeared by Brandi Reeds

Maame by Jessica George

I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

A Spell of Good Things by Ayobámi Adébáyò

The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

Penance by Eliza Clark

Brutes by Dizz Tate

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Josie and Jack by Kelly Braffet

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Lessons from a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles

The V Girl: a Coming of Age Story by Mya Roberts

Little Peach by Peggy Kern

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

[llycaons]

SO. I've hit 14 books this year!! I do have a goodreads but it's kind of public so it's mutuals-only (feel free to ask!). but here's my list so far

babel by r.f. kuang

kindred by octavia butler

the goblin emperor by katherine addison

horse by geraldine brooks

spinning silver by naomi novik

kitchen by banana yoshimoto

deep as the sky, red as the sea by rita chang-eppig

the buried giant by kazuo ishiguro

annihilation by jeff vandermeer

the order of the pure moon reflected on water by zen cho

the mask of mirrors by m.a. carrick

black water sister by zen cho

the witch's heart by genevieve gornichec

mexican gothic by silvio moreno-garcia

I also attempted, but gave up on

the night tiger by yangsze choo (the stepsibling romance...I couldn't)

the tiger's wife by téa obreht (just a bit slow - may return to it)

song of the huntress by lucy holland (I just hated one of the leads so much 😭 my blood pressure skyrocketed every time it was her chapter)

these violent delights by chloe gong (WOW this book is for 15 year olds and also pretty pretentious and stupid to boot)

black sun by rebecca roanhorse (it did not grab me)

the black tides of heaven by neon yang (frankly this was a bad book)

silver in the wood by emily tesh (shut UPPPPP white rich british man!!!!!)

lucha of the night forest by tehlor kay mejia (very juvenile and an embarassingly heavy-handed 'drugs are evil' moral right off the bat. also just not very well written)

my reading map as of now

borrowed

ancillary justice - scifi isn't my usual genre but I was really intrigued by the sample I'd read, and I loved the raven tower by the same author. audiobook

sistersong - I had such a bad time trying to read song of the huntress I'm wary about this one but I do still want to try it. ebook

holds - physical books

gods of jade and shadow - I don't know much about this one but I do love a more modern take on folktales and I don't know much about mexican mythology

snow crash - I'll finish this eventually lol. another scifi

pachinko - sampled this ages ago. will it be good? idk. I was absorbed

salt fish girl - REALLY looking forward to this one. it says zero copies available so perhaps I will need to buy it 😭

warbreaker - a podcaster I listen to gave a glowing review and I've been meaning to get into brando sando for ages

lolita - lower on my priority list. I'd like to listen to the audiobook but maybe that would be harder. the only available copy is in spanish anyway

holds - audiobooks

warbreaker - I'll takewhatever arrives first. the waitlist is fucking. months long

pachinko - ditto. these are both 20+ hour audiobooks so maybe a physical book would be less tiring. maybe

wuthering heights - I want to know what everyone is talking about when they rave about their toxic doomed love

the final empire (mistborn #1) - another sanderson offering

the watchmaker of filigree street - I have been on the waitlist for so long for this one...

the water outlaws - please be good please please please

giovanni's room - long waitlist for this one too!!

on my list but not in my library

when a fox is a thousand - I want to read this one so bad I feel SICK. libby PLEASEEEE

piranesi - honestly this did not captivate me but it's so short. why not

sorcerer to the crown - only the second book of this series was available, oddly enough. is the second one so freestanding? is it so much better? I'd like to read them in order. lower on my list since it was a new addition

this is like 16 books and some of them are VERY long so I doubt I'll get to this entire list by the end of the year but it's so satisfying to look back and see how much reading I've done 😊 I've done more this year than I have in like, a decade and it's been so wonderful getting back into another long-beloved form of storytelling even if I don't get as obsessed with it as I used to in hs and middle school

[thingy-wing]

Here I am once again speaking to the void.

I have no local book club anymore, and I just want to build myself a little community of book lovers with similar reading likes/dislikes! So here we go!

Hi all, I’m Mac (she/her)! I’m 23 and from western Canada! I’m currently working on my second university degree and as of December will be, officially, a teacher! I’m falling back in love with reading at the moment (I got to preoccupied with journals and research in my first degree for a lot of fun reading) and have been really enjoying rereading old favourites and asking those around me to read their new/old favourites!

Genres I like (and read most often)

- fantasy

- dystopia

- romance

- mystery (murder)

-historical

- horror (no particular subgenre as of yet)

Favourite books of all time?

- Taxidermists daughter, Kate Mosse

- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

- The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzzane Collins

- Piranessi, Susanna Clarke

- Horse, Geraldine Brooks

Favourite Books I have read in 2024

- Horse, Geraldine Brooks

- Everyone in my family has killed someone, Benjamin Stevenson

- Between two fires, Christopher Buehlman

- A certain Hunger, Chelsea G. Summers

Currently Reading:

- Wolfsong, Tj Klune

- The Cloisters, Katy Hays

- VenCo, Cherie Dimaline

I also read a lot of fan fiction which I am sure you will discover if you see my page!

[deadbirdlife]

Quick audio clip from the book I'm reading.