It's hard to find good adult fiction with a horsey theme - so I had to snap up this one when I found it to see if it fits the bill.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book - so called horsey fiction can be a bit disappointing or completely heart-tugging as the author delights in killing off the equine characters. But this book wasn't like this at all. I loved it. Maybe part of the reason was that the horses themselves were less like characters, but more of an excuse for the heroine, Martha, to be in the valley at all. As she slowly works her way round the ranches, breaking the horses, she meets a whole variety of people that are really what the story is about.

To be fair, there isn't a huge plot to hold everything together. Instead, the author has taken each person's life and woven a complete tapestry to highlight the life they lead. There's a man dying of cancer, a wife suffering from a drunken husband, eccentric sisters, happy families and tragic secrets. The author cleverly brings them all to life. The chapters are short and do swap back and forth between characters, which could be confusing, but instead this adds to the general familiarity of the place, making the reader feel completely at home in the book.

There are some sad bits - some deaths that have to be got over. The episode when Martha breaks her arm is probably the most 'action-packed' of the novel, but even that barely breaks through the gentle narrative. I loved the love story too - again no drums, flitting angels and gratuitous sex scenes - just a tender coming together of two people.

So overall I thought it was brilliant and I am definitely going to track down other books by this author. Well worth reading.

Sent as part of the International RABCK Sweepstake.

Thanks! Haven't heard of this book, but the previous JE made it sound very promising!

I still haven't read this book, which is a shame. I now noticed it is on the wishlist of Poodlesister and I've tagged her with it.

I think I put this on my wishlist after spotting some Molly Gloss books on dark-draco's bookshelf or wishlist. This definitely looks like my cup of tea. Thank you Kirjakko!

I think I might have read this before. I still enjoyed reading it. I love horses and strong female characters so this book was perfect for me.

A wishlist book going to Loughborough.

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This is the nicest RABCK I have ever received - not only came it with a personal bookplate bu also with a super adorable card. Thank you so much, Poodlesister, made my day. Will hopefully see you in Loughborough later this year! :)

I must apologise for never updating this book's journal. I actually read it quite a while ago, perhaps 2 or 2 1/2 years ago and I absolutely LOVED it. Like the person, who registered it, said: It's hard to find horse-themed adult fiction. I do like that the horses are not "characters" in the book, although you do get to know them through the eyes of the protagonist but they are just part of her life and hence her story. I though the book was well written, it was very easy to keep reading and learn more about the stories of all the different people living in the valley. It was a fantastic read.

In fact, I loved it so much that I couldn't quite let go of it yet. Sorry, I do feel a bit guilty for that. 🙈 I have been wanting to loan it out to a few people that I think will enjoy it and I think I also want to reread it in 2021 and when I am ready to let go, I will send it on to someone else, promise!