The Heart of Horses (Molly Gloss)

A story of a remarkable, independent-minded young girl named Martha Lessen at the turn of the century, the twentieth century, that is. She is like the horse whisperer a century earlier. And a girl, that is. Despite any intentions whatsoever, Martha warms her way into the heart of the townspeople through their unruly, bad tempered horses. For me, I loved the idea of putting a girl in such a milieu and giving her the kind of character that Martha has. But the book was slow for me, much attention paid to the horses Martha trains to ride, or “breaks to saddle.” The climax, when adventure speeds the plot up, is far too late and the ending far too conventional for me to give the book another read.