The Horse Whisperer [Paperback]

Evan's is wonderfully discriptive in his book about the Horse Whisperer who helps a girl's (Grace) tramatised horse regain its confidence so that they both may ride again.

However, I found the part of the relationship between Grace's mother and the horse whisperer a little too over played, but it's also an event that forms the crux of the story apart. I also find that it shadows the depiction of the horse whisperer doing as his name, and the book title, suggests.

None the less, it is a beautiful novel told out in a beautiful setting, of the contemporary yet primal lifestyle that exists all around us - the one we're often oblivious to.

I have seen all three films and I can honestly say that whoever wrote that knows their stuff.

The Horse Whisperer is a wonderful novel written by a fairly new author, Nicholas Evans, with only two other books under his belt. The book tells the story of how a 13-year-old girl, Grace, and her horse, Pilgrim, survive a horrific accident with a 40-ton truck. But both are physically and mental scarred. Grace loses her right leg and the Pilgrim breaks his nose and becomes consumed with fear.

Annie, Grace's mother, refuses to have Pilgrim destroyed, as she senses that if she does, something in Grace will die too. So her quest begins to find someone who can help Pilgrim. She hears about a man in Montana, a 'whisperer' who is said to have an incredible gift of healing horses. She abandons her job and takes Grace and Pilgrim across the continent to this man, Tom Booker. Under the massive Montana sky, all their lives are changed forever.

The story is told in the perspective of four people, Robert - Grace's father, Annie, Grace and Tom. Which may seem daunting but Evans does it in a way that makes it so simple yet very effective. You understand more as you see the story unfold from a variety of people's eyes. He also adds in information about the history of some of the characters and the places they are in, it all adds to the experience of the novel and although it makes the novel longer it is well worth the extra pages.

A novel has never so profoundly touched me as The Horse Whisperer has. Usually when I finish a book I go right ahead and start the next one but I am reluctant to do this, as it will be ending the lives of the characters that have been a part of my life for a short but wonderful period of time. I was mesmerised with the characters and the story for five days, I just couldn't put the book down and if I didn't have to go to classes I would have finished the book a lot sooner!

At a whooping 479 pages the book is fairly long but well worth the paper! I definitely recommend that you read this book. The Horse Whisperer will forever be in your heart if you read it, I will certainly not forget it in a hurry.