Amidst the grandeur of the emerald countryside, a magnificent story unfolds. . . .They are the Carradynes, who for more than 200 years have bred and trained horses of the finest caliber on Cornanagh—a land so beautiful it inspires the soul.But all is not idyllic at hearth and home. At the center of the conflict is Catriona, the youngest child, a girl who dreams of riding her family’s big jumpers … her family’s big jumpers and show horses. Her father, Michael, is keenly aware of her immense talent, and he urges her on—only to lock wills with his insufferably pious and overbearing wife, Isabel, a woman who cannot bear horses, who cannot bear his touch. Her goal is to put stiff dresses, tight shoes, and perfect manners on Catriona.
It is a stalemate of pride and passion—until the day Lady Selina Healy enters their lives. Poised, beautiful, and warm, she too knows imprisonment in a loveless marriage, she too admires good horses, she too finds enchantment in Cornanagh. She falls in love . . . with Catriona, who becomes the child she never had; with the splendid lush land; and with Michael, the consummate horseman and gentleman.
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Anne McCaffrey is a longtime favorite but this was something new for me. A girl, a Lady, a strong and handsome man and Horses, all set in the Irish Countryside. Get out the Jameson’s and enjoy!
A different genre from McCaffrey’s more well known sci-fi series. An interesting look at a well established Irish family.
Fictional romance, no fantasy or sci-fi. You feel sorry for everyone trapped in unhappy homes and love the horses and root for the twists that allow a happy ending.
I have read all of her books, both as author and co-author and this was the only one that I did not enjoy. I never even finished it.
Loved this book!
I read this book when it first came out, came back to it many a year later. The young girl’s thoughts and concerns were so true to life, especially for a horse mad teenager. The adult story lines were not as successful, a little too predictable. Having said that, Anne McCaffrey was long a favorite of mine and I wish she was still alive, writing …
This has been one of my favorite books since I first read it back in the 80’s. When you combine Anne McCaffrey’s excellent writing style and horses, you come up with an unbeatable read. Love the characters and the story!
Not Anne McCaffrey’s usual, but well worth the read! Still has her strong women and compassionate men winning the day!
Got to love horses and the people who love them and their families
The author displayed extreme knowledge and accuracy about horses.
Writing from an unusual and different perspective.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was disappointed to find no simular, or a sequel to this by this author.
Very interesting book.
I am a hose lover so I loved this, but also a good story line.
Always a fan of Anne McCaffrey! This as a departure from her other novels I have read but, as usual, I loved it! Highly recommended.
Great story from one of my all-time writers. One of those gems you can’t forget.
Loved the characters, but being a horse person of 70 years and having ridden many breeds of horses, Standardbreds are not generally considered jumpers. Their gaits are too lateral and don’t work well with jumping. Other than that, I found the book and it’s characters very realistic and compelling.
I read this several times as a teen, not for the romance, but the horses. Very good beach book romance
Anne McCaffrey wrote a non-science fiction book and it was delightful. It has a strong female protagonist, of course, but she is involved in raising and training Irish horses. I had no idea she had ever witten anything like this–I really enjoyed the whole thing even though there was not a dragon in sight!
I have wanted to read this book for the longest time, because I love the Anne MacCaffrey Pern books. It’s a little different as romances go, but, we Irish are different period. The horses are wonderful and each have their own personality, like people. The romance isn’t hot and heavy like present day, but slow and easy. It was well worth the wait …
This book was a completely different genre than MacCaffrey’s usual “dragon” books, but just as well written, with well developed and likeable characters, and her trademark “feel good ” readability.
Good read but it helps if you are an equestrian fan