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Keith Mosman: A Long(ish) List of Recent Short Story Collections (0 comment)
May is Short Story Month, so I’ll keep this brief: here is a list of the some of the collections that I’ve read in recent months (even though most of them weren’t officially dedicated to the form)...
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Hearts Of Horses

by Molly Gloss
Hearts Of Horses

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ISBN13: 9780618799909
ISBN10: 0618799907
Condition: Standard
DustJacket: Standard

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

A breakout novel from the author of The Jump-Off Creek, the heartwarming story of a determined young woman with a gift for gentling wild horses

In the winter of 1917, when a young woman shows up at his doorstep looking for work breaking horses, George Bliss hires her on. Many of his regular hands are off fighting the war, and he glimpses, beneath her showy rodeo garb, a shy but feisty girl with a serious knowledge of horses.

So begins the irresistible tale of nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen, a female horse whisperer trying to make a go of it in a man's world. At the time, it was thought that the only way to break a horse was to buck the wild out of him, but when the ranchers in this remote county of Eastern Oregon witness Martha talking in sweet tones to horses believed beyond repair — and getting miraculous results — she earns a place of respect in the community. Along the way, she helps a family save their horses when their wagon slides into a ravine; she gentles a horse for a dying man — a last gift to his young son; she clashes with a hired hand who is abusing horses in unspeakable ways; and gradually, she comes to feel enveloped by a sense of belonging and family she's never had before.

With the elegant sweetness of Plainsong and a pitch-perfect sense of western life reminiscent of Annie Dillard, The Hearts of Horses is a remarkable story about the connections between and among people and animals and how they touch one another in the most unexpected and profound ways.

Review

"A shining example of Molly Gloss' gifts." Amy Bloom, A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You

Review

"Gloss has...a permanent place on the shelf of American literature [featuring] smart, independent women." Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong

Review

"Gloss...offers an acutely observed, often lyrical portrayal that mirrors ourown era and, title notwithstanding, has as much to say about people as about horses." Kirkus Reviews

Review

"[A] delightfully down-home, matter-of-fact voice." Booklsit

Review

"Gloss' intimacy with the landscape and ranch life is conveyed beautifully in particulars and small observations." Los Angeles Times

Review

"Gloss stitches together not so much a plot, more an assembly of parallel tales connected by unceasing labor and then by the additional demands of the war." San Francisco Chronicle

Review

"It's an Oregon of the mind Gloss takes her readers to, one that evanesces with her narrator's imaginary breath." Seattle Times

Synopsis

An elegant, heartwarming story about the profound connections between people and animals

 

In the winter of 1917, nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen saddles her horses and heads for a remote county in eastern Oregon, looking for work “gentling” wild horses. She chances on a rancher, George Bliss, who is willing to hire her on. Many of his regular hands are off fighting the war, and he glimpses, beneath her showy rodeo garb, a shy but strong-willed girl with a serious knowledge of horses. So begins the irresistible tale of a young but determined woman trying to make a go of it in a mans world. Over the course of several long, hard winter months, many of the townsfolk witness Martha talking in low, sweet tones to horses believed beyond repair—getting miraculous, almost immediate results. It's with this gift that she earns their respect, and a chance to make herself a home.


About the Author

Molly Gloss is the author of The Dazzle of the Day, a New York Times Notable Book, and The Jump-Off Creek, a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. She teaches writing and literature of the American West at Portland State University and lives in Portland, Oregon. Wild Life, her third novel, is the winner of the James Tiptree Award for literary fantasy.

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Average customer rating 4.3 (6 comments)

`
Kurt Kremer , May 27, 2009
I'm not much of a Western lit reader (maybe one ever few years), but my mother's family is from E. Oregon (Baker, Pondosa, La Grande, Pendleton), with many surviving friends who are ranchers, farmers, or townspeople. My maternal grandmother left home at 17 in the late 1920's and worked for three years gentling horses using techniques similar to those in Hearts of Horses. I've spent many years in many seasons on vacation (from W. Oregon) tromping, driving, fishing, and hunting in the land around Elwha county, and buried my grandfather on a butte in Union county. I've read Gloss's other novels and so I bought this book--"for my mother." Who finished it in a few days, then shoved it back at me and said, you need to read it. And, now that I'm done, I can't think of when I've been so rewarded by a book as I have with this slow story (slow like honey dripping, not slow like water going to boil) about people and community and hearts and the land. And horses. Maybe my background makes me a perfect target audience for this book--I'd argue that I loved the book more because the people and land resonated with my experiences and those of my family, but would not have loved it less otherwise, and hated to see it end. It could have been longer--twice as long--and I would have been doubly satisfied. I read much of it on the commuter train to work every day and there were parts that made me turn to the window away from other passengers--a difficult situation for a grown man on public transport. I also laughed out loud in places. If you buy, borrow, or steal this book, you'll have a true story in your hands--I'll let you work out the parts that are true, but it's very likely that your heart will inform your head.

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Eilonwy , May 13, 2008 (view all comments by Eilonwy)
_The Hearts of Horses_ is an enjoyable read, more page-turning than its quiet, even-tempered tone would initially give you cause to guess. It may prompt you to chuckle in company, and, when pressed, explain lamely, "Just horses being horses." It gives you a sense of these animals, these people, and even this country, even though they are invented from hoof to hillock.

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cooperstory , April 27, 2008 (view all comments by cooperstory)
In 1917, 19-year-old Martha leaves home looking for work breaking horses. Gloss does a wonderful job presenting the people of Elway County, Oregon, and the joys and hardships of ranch life.

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Teresa Vaughan , March 20, 2008 (view all comments by Teresa Vaughan)
The Hearts of Horses is an engaging look into small town life at the turn of the last century, when the U.S. was entering into WWI. (It has a sort of Waltons feel to it.) At 20, Martha leaves an unhappy home to practice her passion: bronc busting--rather out of line with the gender roles of the time. She puts up in the barn of a local couple, and we get introduced to many of the ranchers and farmers as Martha works their horses. I really enjoyed the flavor of Molly Gloss' writing; there is an honesty to it that I find refreshing.

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bscheldt , November 16, 2007 (view all comments by bscheldt)
This book takes place during WW I and shows the hardships, worry, and prejudices that go along with war. It's also a story of a woman's intuitive way to tame the horses of people living in a frontier community and how each of these people touch her life in one way or another.

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connie hicks , November 10, 2007
The first thing I thought about was The Horse Whisperier, so I feel like this book may be like what is allready out there.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780618799909
Binding:
Hardcover
Publication date:
11/01/2007
Publisher:
CLARION & MARINER
Pages:
289
Copyright Year:
2007
UPC Code:
2800618799901
Author:
Molly Gloss
Subject:
Horses -- Training.
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Subject:
Young women

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