A female horse whisperer finds her place among the ranchers of WWI-era Oregon in this heartwarming historical Western with “its own unique pleasures” (Publishers Weekly). In the winter of 1917, nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen saddles her horses and heads for a remote county in eastern Oregon, looking for work “gentling” wild horses. She finds employment with the rancher George Bliss, whose … rancher George Bliss, whose regular ranch hands are overseas fighting World War I. George glimpses, beneath Martha’s showy rodeo garb, a shy but strong-willed girl with a serious knowledge of horses.
So begins the irresistible tale of a young woman determined to claim her place in a man’s world. Over the course of several long, hard winter months, many of the townsfolk witness Martha talking in low, sweet tones to horses believed beyond repair–and getting miraculous, almost immediate results. It’s with this gift that she earns their respect, and a chance to make herself a home.
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Imaginitive approach to an independent woman straddling the old world of the wild west and the emerging world of the early 20th century.
Combines a creative coming of age plot with
fascinating insights into kind methods of horse training.
If you are interested in a horse story pass on this. Too much of a semi-romance plot for my taste.
Darn good book for lovers of the West and horses ??
Every once in a while, I read a book where I resonate so powerfully with the main character, I lose track of whether or not it’s well written, whether it reaches a satisfactory conclusion, or any other measures of literary merit. For me, The Heart of Horses was just such a book. Set in eastern Oregon during World War I, the story follows Martha, a …