Customer Reviews

A Horse to Remember

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book certainly had the potential to be great.But in the end it was very unrealistic, quite possibly a simple case of a writer just being too young.
Just a small thing I want to point out is the part in the book where Jeremy and Elise go off riding and the very moment they mount they start cantering, these are supposed to be experienced and knowledgeable riders, they should know that you never start cantering immediatly.
Also, Satan, since he is a mustang from the BLM, would have been gelded for safety reasons. All male horses captured by the BLM are gelded unless they are planning to have them re-released in the wild.
Then there was Jeremy's horse Splash. Jeremy said he couldn't jump for his life because he was a 16 year old Quarter Horse. I for one know quite a few horses with Quarter Horse blood who are good or even excellent jumpers. I also know plenty of horses 16 and older who jump just as well as younger horses.
For Hilary's first show, Susan had told her that she was ready to do a walk-trot-canter class, which I found very unrealistic. She'd only been riding a few months, it was foolish of Susan to advise her to enter a class that she obviously was not ready for. More unrealistic still, at the end of the summer, Hilary was jumping 3 foot 6 plus on Satan none the less and going to this huge competition. Impossible for many reasons. For example, most riding instructors do not allow their students to jump at all until they have been riding at least a year. Hilary just wouldn't have the skills and know-how to jump even a couple feet when she hadn't even been riding 6 months.
This book had its flaws, but was overall decent and could have been great. Even though it was a bit disappointing, I think Juliana Hutchings has a bright future as a writer. Hope to see more from her in the future.
P.S. I didn't like Jeremy at all, he acted like a jerk.

After a recent move to rural Tennessee, Hilary Thompson took a summer job at the Millbrooke Stables, adjacent to her new family home. A wild mustang stallion, Satan, had just arrived at the stables for training. Recognizing his loneliness and need for friendship, Hilary established a trust with Satan and worked to tame and train him for competition in jumping events.

This is a story of a bonding between animal and human. It is a heartwarming story of earning trust and finding friendship. Juliana Hutchings writes with maturity and insight. She has an amazing ability to use dialog to draw the reader into identifying with the emotions and feelings of her characters.

Photo silhouettes created by Isabelle Hutchings convey a feeling of warmth, trust, and devotion and bring the narrative to life.

This is a book that every young reader and rider will enjoy. Juliana communicates her own lifetime of experience and love for horses as she carefully takes the reader through the various steps of training, for both rider and horse. She includes a very helpful glossary of horse terms.

"A Horse to Remember" gives promise of more to come from this young gifted author. This is an amazingly well written first novel. I highly recommend it for pre-teens, teens, and the young adult reader.

this is a great book! its something that all horse lovers can really relate to, that first love and what it feels like when you gain their trust! by far the best horse book i have ever read and trust me, i've read a lot!

Is the book flawed? Yes. Is it well written? Sort of. Is it a good, quick and entertaining read about the bond between a girl and "her" horse? DEFINITELY.

As a longtime rider who is still jumping low, I can tell you, moving from a beginning rider to jumping four feet over the course of a summer is pretty much impossible. I understand it was for the sake of the plot, but there are going to be some irresponsible people out there jumping before they are ready, which is dangerous. It did remind me of the movie "Moondance Alexander" - same idea, where the heroine magically learns to ride and then jump and then essentially do a grand prix all in a three month timeframe. Likely, meh, not so much.

Quarter horses CAN jump well - my horse is a quarter horse and jumping is not an issue. I've known plenty of warmbloods who have had jumping issues. My quarter horse is offended by that statement.

The BEST thing that can be taken away from this book is the amount of time and effort it took for this girl to get Satan to trust her. I talk to my horse ALL THE TIME, and it does calm them. A nice little Horse Whisperer element, which is very practical in real life.

Perhaps the weirdest thing for me is that I read this a week after a very unfortunate event happened in the showjumping world, and when I was done with the book, it was one of those moments of "I can't believe I just read this, when it JUST happened in real life and hardly EVER happens." Without giving the ending away, I can't say what it is, but if I had read this before the real-life event, I would have said this book was being a bit dramatic.

All in all, a good read, a little fluffy and overzealous, but a nice tearjerker for all equine lovers.

To be gifted with the chance to work with and ride horses is the dream of many. To be gifted with the chance to "join-up" with a horse like Satan is a once in a lifetime experience.

Juliana Hutchings has been around horses all her life and at the age of 14 crafted this amazing story of a young girl and the mustang that she befriends. When Hilary makes a move to a new town leaving her old friends behind, she's feeling lonely very much like the little mustang that has been dropped off at the stable nearby because no one can handle him. A summer job is the beginning of a friendship between the two.

Hutchings is aware that for some readers the terms used to describe what happens at the stables will be new to them. So as Hilary learns these terms so can we via the glossary added at the back of the book. And also like Hilary, we become initiated into the world of horses and riders and how they can work to become a team.

Twists and turns, ups and downs, and a far bit of growing up are all experienced in this nicely paced book of courage and hope. Strong female characters and good family values help to round out this story of what can be done when one sets their mind to a goal and follows thru even if it involves a few tears along the way.

This book will capture any young person who loves horses, and who doesn't! It has all of the elements of a teenager going through those tough years, but also finding something that helps them reach for the stars. I would highly recommend this book to all young people who want to curl up in a chair and get away to their dreams of owning a horse.

This is a great read for anyone. It flows easily giving depth to a realistic and moral story that is an honest delight. It will warm your heart and last long after the book has been read. Bravo!

Rating: I've been having a hard time deciding if i should give this book four stars, or five. but i think in truth this book deserves 4 1/2
Length: this book is 176 pages total (plus a little glossary of horse terms in the back).
Overall Review: when 13 year old Hilary Thompson hears that her parents are planning on moving from the city to the countryside of Tennessee, she isnt exactly pleased. Hilary knows NOTHING about horses, but when she arrives at her new home, she finds that her house borders a horse farm.
Then Hilary meets Satan, a beautiful black mustang with a fiery temperment. No one can train or ride him. Hilary's parents set her up for a job at the horse stable, and there she meets Susan (owner of stable) and her son Jeremy--who turns out to be the owner of the black horse. She also meets Elise, a snobbish girl with a wonderful horse and the best rider there (and Jeremy's girlfriend).
Hilary's relationship with Satan begins to grow, and pretty soon he learns to trust her. and before long, she's on his back secretly riding him. But to do this, Hilary has to sneak out. She doesnt want anyone finding out about her little visits with Satan.
And then one day Jeremy catches her out with Satan. He bargains with her, and she promises to help him win the trust of Satan. Can she do it?
My (Personal) Review: I loved this book. I really did. It was an easy ready for any horse lover--and i liked the fact that the author put in a glossary of horse terms so that even if you're not an expert with horses, you can still understand. The book has no long, boring parts in it. it's nonstop twist and turn after another. i only had two problems with it, though: 1, i think it was too short for the plot or storyline. i love a book that lasts, and this one was just too short for me personally. 2, its a little unrealistic when it comes to Hilary training Satan. The horse is supposed to be vicous and wild, but really it takes Hilary no time at all practically to win his trust. I thought that was a little strange.
But overall, this was a GREAT book with a little romance sprinkled in. you should read it. i hope the author comes out with a sequel. As for the ending, it was bittersweet and yet perfect i think.

When Hilary Thompson's father announces that the family is moving to Tennessee, the thirteen-year-old is shocked. She has been expecting to attend high school with her friends in the city, but now she might as well be moving to a shack in Alaska. Instead, her parents are excited about horse country and never falling asleep to city noises again! Before she knows it, the family arrives in Tennessee and Hilary has a job working for Susan Collins at Millbrooke Stables. Although Hilary doesn't realize it at the time, what happens to her at these stables will change her life.

Susan's son, Jeremy, has an out-of-control horse, Satan, and no matter how he tries, Jeremy cannot subdue the feisty animal. Fearful that this beautiful horse will end up in a slaughterhouse, Hilary decides to tame Satan in secret, with little knowledge about horses or how to train them. When Hilary comes eye to eye with the stubborn mustang, sparks fly and she is challenged in unexpected ways. While attempting to hide her efforts from the others at the stables, Hilary learns about the special bonds that are formed between a girl and a wild animal, the level of trust they develop and the meaning of loyalty.

Written by the author at the age of fourteen, experienced rider and instructor Hutchings has beautifully captured the essence of adolescent angst, the emotional turmoil of change and the courage of commitment. As Hilary begins a completely different life than what she expected, she rises to the challenge, bonding with the mustang, training him for competition. In the process, she learns a painful lesson about love and loss; more importantly, Hilary experiences the value of friendship and the enduring memories forged with Satan as they begin to trust one another unconditionally. Written in the appealing prose of young teens, this endearing story is a beautiful reflection on coming of age. Luan Gaines/2007.

very very good book. its sad at the end but i loved it. lol i wish she had more books...