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Riding Lessons: A Novel
 
 
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Riding Lessons: A Novel (Paperback)

by Sara Gruen (Author) "Are you ready?" says Roger as he gives me a leg up, and I laugh, because I've never been so ready in all my life..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 17.99
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Product Details

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Like The Horse Whisperer, Gruen's polished debut is a tale of human healing set against the primal world of horses. The Olympic dreams of teenaged equestrian Annemarie Zimmer end when her beloved horse, Harry, injures her and destroys himself in a jumping accident. In the agonizing aftermath, she gives up riding and horses entirely. Two decades later, she returns to her family's horse farm a divorcee, with her troubled teenaged daughter, Eve, in tow. There, her gruff Germanic mother struggles to maintain the farm and care for Annemarie's father, who is stricken with ALS. Although Annemarie decides (disastrously) to manage the farm's business, her attention quickly turns to an old and ostensibly worthless horse with the same rare coloring as Harry. Her long-denied passion for riding reawakens as she tracks the horse's identity and eventually discovers it to be Harry's younger brother. She must heal both horse and herself as she struggles with her father's deterioration, Eve's rebellion and her attraction to both the farm's new trainer and her childhood sweetheart Dan. Impulsive and self-absorbed, Annemarie isn't always likable, but Gruen's portrait of the stoic elder Zimmers is beautifully nuanced, as is her evocation of Eve's adolescent troubles. Amid this realistically complex generational sandwich, the book's appealing horse scenes—depicted with unsentimental affection—help build a moving story of loss, survival and renewal.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From AudioFile

Annemarie Zimmer has issues. She creates problems with her parents, daughter, ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, and employees. Maggi-Meg Reed captures Annemarie's self-absorbed rants and conflicts with just the right amount of strident enthusiasm and engagement. Set in the fascinating world of horse farms and equestrian events, the novel--maddening protagonist and all--is tough to resist. Reed's performance is effortless as she takes the listener through Annemarie's daily trials, centered on a rehabilitated mystery horse whose appearance brings back old ghosts. Annemarie must come to terms with the riding accident that ended her career as a teenager before she can move on to become a true adult. RIDING LESSONS is an ideal beach book, especially for horse lovers. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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"Are you ready?" says Roger as he gives me a leg up, and I laugh, because I've never been so ready in all my life. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
5 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 19 2008
By Carol Paterson (N. Vancouver, B.C. Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Riding Lessons (Mass Market Paperback)
After reading "Water for Elephants" I was looking forward to reading
another book by this author but to my disappointment this book was awful.
The main character Annemarie was ridiculous, thinking of preparing a
gourmet meal when she couldn't even cook and and dying her horse with
hair dye, please!! Also I could not believe that she could not "get over"
her teenage problems with her parents and be there for her Father when he
was dying, terrible. The romance interests were lame and the ending was
predictable. Can't believe it was the same author that wrote the wonderful "Water for Elephants"
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointment, May 19 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Riding Lessons (Mass Market Paperback)
I bought this book strictly on the jacket synopsis. It appealed to me because I used to ride competitively and love fiction. Boy was I disappointed.

Annemarie is such a broken character that I found her unpalatable. At 38, she sneaks out of the house in the morning so she doesn't have to face the father that she knows is dying? Shallow should be this woman's middle name. It is very difficult to root for her or find satisfaction with the novel when she discovers what she thinks is contentment in the last few pages.

The equine stuff is fairly believable, although the constant references to the "stablehands" like they were second class citizens wore thin. The people that keep a barn running and successful are the people that Annemarie shuns and is revolted that her daughter associates with. I find this inconsistent with my experience.

There are several questions left unanswered (why is Dan, the veterinarian living in a condemned-sounding trailer?).

This is a book that makes you think that you, too, can be a novelist if this is where the bar is set.

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3.0 out of 5 stars unlikable protagonist, May 6 2009
By A. Houston (BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Riding Lessons (Mass Market Paperback)
I found it very difficult to feel compassion for the main character in this book. She was 37 but acted like a spoiled teenager much of the time, and expected her daughter, who was one, not to act like one. This did feel like a first novel; I expect if the author were to write it again it would be different. I too, loved Water for Elephants, and she (sara) has obviously matured as a writer. I think it important for the main character in a novel to be likable, and at least gain the readers sympathy. I felt Annemarie was just too emotionally immature to be credible, especially having undergone such a catastrophic injury and surmounted the odds to overcome that trauma,physically and emotionally. I really only decided to finish the book to see how it ended, although it was Harlequin quality writing, in my humble opinion...
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME horse novel!! A must read.
As an event rider myself, I could not put the book down. I also read her next book "flying changes" which picks up where this book ends. Highly recommended!
Published on Feb 6 2007 by Kimberly Dome

5.0 out of 5 stars Jump into a Great Book!
Although this is Sara's first novel, I feel that she has outdone herself. She has written an impressive novel that combines romance with very real life drama, intrigue, mystery... Read more
Published on July 19 2004 by Seana Pope

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic first book
The cover of this book caught my eye as I was going through an airport, and I picked it up thinking it was going to be a fluffy piece of genre fiction to fill my flight. Read more
Published on July 19 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars It ended too quickly
Normally it takes me two weeks to get through a book but I read this one in two sittings. I blame Gruen for making me burn my stew! Read more
Published on July 19 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waist your time or money
I just finished this book and disappointment can not begin to describe my feelings for it. Though written in the first person, I was unable to connect to the caricature. Read more
Published on July 19 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Riding Lessons
If you love horses, then you will not be able to put this book down. This is one of the best "horse" books I've read. Read more
Published on Jun 29 2004 by lauren c miller

5.0 out of 5 stars Riding Lessons
This lovely novel is so well written and maintains your interest so well I read it in an afternoon. I didn't want to put it down to eat. Read more
Published on Jun 25 2004 by Wynnie

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Summer Read!
I read this book in one day while on vacation in Phoenix. It draws you in instantly and keeps you there the rest of the day. Read more
Published on Jun 5 2004 by L. Vernon

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Affinity
As well as the honest portrayal of two mother-daughter relationships, the unique affinity between a horse and owner is also richly expressed in Sara Gruen's RIDING LESSONS. Read more
Published on May 17 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent character portrayal
In Riding Lessons, Sara Gruen gives us a challenging heroine, one who is emotionally stunted yet remarkably sympathetic. Read more
Published on May 12 2004

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