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So begins the irresistible tale of nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen, a female horse whisperer trying to make a go of it in a man's world. It was thought that the only way to break a horse was to buck the wild out of it, and broken ribs and tough falls just went with the job. But over several long, hard winter months, many of the townsfolk in this remote county of eastern Oregon witness Martha's way of talking in low, sweet tones to horses believed beyond repair—and getting miraculous, almost immediate results—and she thereby earns a place of respect in the community.
Along the way, Martha helps a family save their horses when their wagon slides into a ravine. She gentles a horse for a dying man—a last gift to his young son. She clashes with a hired hand who is abusing horses in unspeakable ways. Soon, despite her best efforts to remain aloof and detached, she comes to feel enveloped by a sense of community and family that she's never had before.
With the elegant sweetness of Plainsong and a pitch-perfect sense of western life reminiscent of Annie Dillard, The Hearts of Horses is a remarkable story about how people and animals make connections and touch each other's lives in the most unexpected and profound ways.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 11, 2009 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781400191963
- File size: 270661 KB
- Duration: 09:23:52
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Martha Lessen is a unique heroine. By age 19, she's become a female broncobuster who works miracles as she gentles horses on Oregon farms in 1917. Renée Raudman creates a strong picture of characters and setting. In dialogue she portrays Martha's soft, deferential voice and the way it strengthens when she voices her opinions. Martha's un-accented words stand out among Raudman's well-performed dialects, just as the girl stands out in a world in which she's seen as odd. Raudman conveys Martha's thoughts as the girl remembers events of her abusive childhood, and voices her tenderness for horses and troubled neighbors. Best of all, Raudman lets us savor the author's leisurely descriptions and witness Matha's growing sense of self and belonging. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine -
August 20, 2007
Gloss's austere latest (after Wild Life
) features a wandering taciturn tomboy who finds her place in rural Oregon while the men are away at war. After she leaves home in 1917, 19-year-old Martha Lessen plans to travel from farm to farm in Elwha County, Oregon, breaking horses left behind by owners away fighting. She winds up in small town Shelby, where farmers George and Louise Bliss convince her to stay the winter with them after she domesticates their broncos with soft words and songs instead of lariats and hobbles. While breaking the town's horses, Martha meets a slovenly drunk, a clan of Western European immigrants and two unmarried sisters running a ranch with the help of an awkward, secretive teenager. When Martha's not making the rounds or riding through the Clarks Range, Louise tries her hand at socializing (or, perhaps, breaking) her, but Martha chafes at town dances, social outings and Louise's hand-me-down church dresses. Gloss's narrative is sometimes as slow as Martha's progress with the more recalcitrant beasts, but following stubborn, uncompromising Martha as she goes about her work provides its own unique pleasures.
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