Horse: A Novel
“Brooks’ chronological and cross-disciplinary leaps are thrilling.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Horse isn’t just an animal story—it’s a moving narrative about race and art.” —TIME
“A thrilling story about humanity in all its ugliness and beauty . . . the evocative voices create a story so powerful, reading it feels like watching a neck-and-neck horse race, galloping to its conclusion—you just can’t look away.” —Oprah Daily
Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award · Finalist for the Chautauqua Prize · A Massachusetts Book Award Honor Book
A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history
Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.
New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.
Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.
Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.
“Horse isn’t just an animal story—it’s a moving narrative about race and art.” —TIME
“A thrilling story about humanity in all its ugliness and beauty . . . the evocative voices create a story so powerful, reading it feels like watching a neck-and-neck horse race, galloping to its conclusion—you just can’t look away.” —Oprah Daily
Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award · Finalist for the Chautauqua Prize · A Massachusetts Book Award Honor Book
A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history
Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.
New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.
Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.
Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Horse* by Geraldine Brooks is a beautifully written, richly researched novel that thoughtfully explores history, race, art, and science a...
The Parish
This is one of my favorite books! I loved the weaving of time and history of the portraits.
thenextgoodbook.com
What fan of historical fiction doesn't love a new Geraldine Brooks story?
Full review on the site.
What fan of historical fiction doesn't love a new Geraldine Brooks story?
Full review on the site.
It took two attempts for me to get through Horse, which is unlike me. I really wanted to love it as I still think about The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks to this day. For me there were just too many characters and the dual timeline, in this case, was disjointed. I really enjoyed Jarret and the story of his relationship with Lexington. While I saw the tie in between the 2019 timeline and the 1850’s timeline, the 1950’s timeline didn’t add anything to the story. 2.5 stars rounded up because of the painstaking research that obviously went into the writing of this novel.
I love the historical portions of this book about the actual horse and Gerrit and others in Kentucky. (It was at least 4 starts). However, the book was spoiled by the whole early 202o's cliche narrative. An Aussie writing about "White House sanctioned white supremacy" and derision toward conservative news sources really turned me off.
Of course, because of this, the book won a Pulitzer Prize. But, like the Oscars, Emmys and other awards, they seem to reward people for repeating whatever the "state-sanctioned narrative"of the day happens to be. I preferred the book "The Hate You Give" to give m insight and compassion into the events surrounding the police killing of a young black man in a U.S city. The narrative in "Horse" set in 2019, just felt manufactured, out of place and ungrounded.
I would have preferred the real topical story about the horse painting being found by a college administrator. I think he got shafted by this book. This is why I'm starting to lean toward non-fiction. I just want to know what really happened without any slant -- left or right.
Of course, because of this, the book won a Pulitzer Prize. But, like the Oscars, Emmys and other awards, they seem to reward people for repeating whatever the "state-sanctioned narrative"of the day happens to be. I preferred the book "The Hate You Give" to give m insight and compassion into the events surrounding the police killing of a young black man in a U.S city. The narrative in "Horse" set in 2019, just felt manufactured, out of place and ungrounded.
I would have preferred the real topical story about the horse painting being found by a college administrator. I think he got shafted by this book. This is why I'm starting to lean toward non-fiction. I just want to know what really happened without any slant -- left or right.
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