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The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss, 304 pages.

Recommended by Jill, I'll admit I was hesitant to read a women's western. And honestly, the cover and title look cheesy (sorry).

Martha is a tough but gentle cowgirl who rides into a small town in Oregon during World War I to find work breaking horses. After her first client, the Blisses, observe her gift and talent, they recommend her to their neighbors and soon Martha is riding a circuit. While Martha travels around to various farms we are introduced to spinster sisters; an immigrant family; the town drunk and his struggling wife; and respectable but ailing farmer. Martha's insights and observations about the townspeople and their animals are simple and endearing. If you are/were a horse lover all the better.

This is a story that is both sweet and spare. A lovely addition to a Christmas gift list now that it is in paperback. And a nice book to read on a quiet night with a warm cuppa.

4.5+ stars

The End.

The Legend of Colton H. Bryant by Alexandra Fuller

The Legend of Colton H. Bryant by Alexandra Fuller

You may know the author from her memoir, Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight. If so, this biographical novel (is this a genre?) about a young man who lives a brief but spirited life in Wyoming, eventually ending up working an oil rig.  In essence, a true story with which she admits to taking some license, but also clearly did her homework on both the man and his surroundings.

Her lush descriptions of the vast landscape, and the characters that inhabit it read like a western novel. At times I needed to remind myself these were real people, they were written about with such fullness and grace.

On bullriding:

"What he could never teach Colton was a saddle-bronc rider's trick of slowing down time until you knew the shape of it, until you could possess it, until it was yours to stretch out or shrink - knowing that eight seconds is both short enough to hold onto and long enough to get yourself killed. That's the full, fat poetry of eight seconds."

This way of life is completely foreign to a suburban east coast girl, and my only complaint is I would have liked to learn a little bit more about the mechanics of drilling for oil. But that should be forgiven, since the focus of the book is Colton and his generous, wild heart.

I have seen some reviews that claim this as a powerful indictment of oil companies. I didn't see it quite the same way, but it remains both tragic and enlightening.

4 stars.

The End.