- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Granta Books; New edition edition (17 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1862074852
- ISBN-13: 978-1862074859
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,016,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'This is a book to cherish. Holbrook Pierson explores the romance and fascination that ponies have always held for the female sex. As a celebration of the horse, this book couldn't be bettered: literate, informative and amusing, it makes the perfect pony substitute' Marie Claire 'At first I wanted to hate this book on two grounds; first, because I wish I'd written it, and secondly, because I didn't believe Pierson could be as passionate as I am. But she is. She has the rare ability to write about horses in a way that doesn't make readers, horse-lovers though they may be, cringe...A beautiful book' Lucy Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Product Description
This work examines the fascination and romance that is evident in every horse and pony club in the western hemisphere. Holbrook writes about her obsession with boots, the willingness to get dirty, live with manure and to polish leather until it shines.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
I WOULDN'T MIND feeling it again, the first time I fell in love. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
I WOULDN'T MIND feeling it again, the first time I fell in love. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a beautiful book full of the memories of any woman who has once loved and coverted a pony. Reading Melissa Holbrook Piersons' work captures the excitment and very special relationship that young girls have with the equine world. She explains the development of the relationship between women and horses accross several decades of war, voiolence, freedom and eventually respect. Her style of writing invites the reader to remember a past when as a young girl they first fell in love with the pony at the riding school or in the field down the road. Antidotes from literature and horse owners, both past and present, underpin the context of the book and add another depth to the writing. This fantastic piece of writing is a must for any one who knows what it is like to want or even need a horse.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is certainly one to read for all of those women who have been more interested in mucking out than painting their nails.
Melissa Pierson catches the esscence of why women like horses and recites some beautiful stories ranging from 'multi-storey stables' to galloping free.
A book that deserves a read on a warm, sunny afternoon.
Format:Hardcover
Whereas the dog may be man's best friend, the horse, Holbrook-Pierson suggests, is number one contender to be a woman's best friend. Equines feature highly on the list of many men also, myself included, though this book does come across as a modern American city girl's love affair with equus caballus and a powerful critique on the current day plight of this majestic animal.
In many ways, this is a horse lover's equivalent of Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch" - a series of deep reflections on what it is that makes the relationship between women and horses so special, beautifully written, at times inspiring, whilst at others brutally sad. Holbrook-Pierson intersperses her reflections with investigative journalism, a style which I found very engaging.
I originally read this as a library loan book and ended up buying it to re-read. I'm not sure I'm much clearer why more women might list horses as their closest animal friend than men, but there is plenty of food for thought contained in this beautiful documentary.
In many ways, this is a horse lover's equivalent of Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch" - a series of deep reflections on what it is that makes the relationship between women and horses so special, beautifully written, at times inspiring, whilst at others brutally sad. Holbrook-Pierson intersperses her reflections with investigative journalism, a style which I found very engaging.
I originally read this as a library loan book and ended up buying it to re-read. I'm not sure I'm much clearer why more women might list horses as their closest animal friend than men, but there is plenty of food for thought contained in this beautiful documentary.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
This Book Shames the Horseworld
Melissa Holbrook-Pierson is incisively perceptive. This book is ahead of its time. Many horse people are made uncomfortable by it. Read more
Published on 10 April 2008 by Mr. No Wailing
One of the best books for your horse's sake
This book doesn't just explain our relationship with horses. More, it disects the authenticity of our acclaimed love and compassion for them. Read more
Published on 18 May 2004 by Jami Davidson
Drivel
Far from being a piece of writing about a beautiful horses and an essay on the relationship women have with horses it is a jumbled up mess of writing and incoherent thought... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2003
Fascinating subject, overly sentimental approach.
As a lifetime horse lover, I recognized all the scenarios described in Pierson's book, and even found many/most of them compelling reading. Read more
Published on 10 May 2001 by Meg Rosoff
Wonderful book for any horse lover with many poignant ideas
A loving, passionate look at how women in particular, and humans in general, feel and treat horses. Very profound but never sloppy view of one woman's search for the lost childhood... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2000
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