14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horses, horses, horses, September 27, 2007
This review is from: Paint The Wind (Hardcover)
I always enjoy a Pam Munoz Ryan book. Her novels make me hum with happiness and invite me to sit down for a cozy read. She also seems to write about things that I have a personal connection to.
The title, Paint the Wind, evokes the beloved, King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry and the book will have great appeal for those same horse loving book readers. The story opens as the mare, Artemisia, is about to give birth. Artemisia is worried about the baby as her last foal was stillborn.
The scene shifts to Pasadena, California where Maya lives with her stern and autocratic grandmother. Photos of her father abound throughout the house but all images and mentions of her mother are forbidden. Maya has only the haziest of memories of her early childhood but she treasures a box of plastic horses that belonged to her mother.
The grandmother's sudden death brings many things to light, including the news that Maya was supposed to have been spending her summers with her mother's family in Wyoming all these past years.
Emotionally withdrawn after her years with her grandmother, Maya has a hard time responding to the warmth and love of her grandfather, great-aunt and great-uncle when she arrives in Wyoming to live with them. Her keen interest in horses helps her find her place and even tolerate the hostility from her cousin, Payton. He is used to being the only kid at the family camp along the Sweetwater River during the summer. With the help of her Aunt Vi she begins to learn about her mother and family.
Maya's story is inter-cut with scenes of Artemisia, her colt and the rest of the herd. Maya and Aunt Vi see the herd captured in a "gathering" of wild mustangs but the mare and her colt evade the round-up. Without the protection of a stallion, the horses are vulnerable to attack from predators so Maya spends long hours in the saddle looking for them. When a disaster traps Maya in a remote area and she must win Artemisia's trust in order to survive and get home.
PMR tells the story in four parts, "Walk," "Jog," "Lope," and "Gallop" which match Maya's emotional growth and happiness. Parts of the storyline felt a little forced. I wondered why Maya's grandfather had never challenged the custody arrangements for his granddaughter.
This is a book for horse lovers. Fans of Terri Farley's books will be familiar with the controversial "gathering" of wild horses. There is a glossary and a list of websites, media, and books for readers who want to know more about the subject.
Paint the Wind celebrates swimming in a river, days of horseback riding, camp chores and caring for the horses -- a summer vacation that any horse loving kid would give their iPod and Playstation III to enjoy.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My new favorite book! Paint the Wind, October 15, 2007
This review is from: Paint The Wind (Hardcover)
This is a beautifully written story that will capture your attention and your heart.
The author's style allows you to feel the relationships between all characters. Her descriptions of the elements and terraine allow you to visualize the story as if seeing it on film. When I finished the story, I felt as though I had seen the movie.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love horses? You'll love this book!, August 11, 2007
This review is from: Paint The Wind (Hardcover)
Pam Munoz Ryan is a wonderful writer. Her books are always beautifully constructed, carefully thought out and the language is rich and powerful. This book is no exception. Read it and you're in for a treat as sweet as a handful of molasses grain.
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