Will I love Horse?

My top read of 2025, Horse, by Geraldine Brooks, is an ambitious and masterfully written novel. I was a bit late to the party in reading Horse. How I wish I’d read this intelligent, artistic, and unforgettable book sooner. What lingers for me is Brooks’s exquisite use of language and careful braiding of time. Every word and sentence is brilliantly crafted with care. And she weaves 1850 Kentucky, 1950s New York, and contemporary Washington, DC as distinct stories, each amplifying the other, and resolving in a satisfying convergence.

I love how the different time periods work, all connected to the real stallion Lexington and Jarrett, the slave who’s with him since the day he foaled (and named him Darley). Insights on slavery from slaves’ POV, the Civil War and Reconstruction, horse racing and the owners and plantations, horse art and a Smithsonian search—and more. Beautifully written.

This journey within two different times- wrapped up the life of a HORSE and its care-takers. The underlying themes of bigotry, and the culture of the black person in America made me want to sing this from the top of the mountain tops.... We still have a long way to go!

Geraldine Brooks is a rare thing- a literary author who writes compelling commercial fiction. I loved how she wove the stories of a Smithsonian conservator, an enslaved groom, a high society art collector and an art historian through the tale of the famous American racehorse, Lexington.

I love to be pulled into the story and to learn at the same time. Horse by Geraldine Brooks, has fully developed characters, a strong storyline, and a dedication to history that immerses the reader into the worlds she creates.

How often do I get to learn about preparing skeletons for museum displays, Civil War history, one of the greatest racehorses ever, and the legacy of racism in the U.S.? I love this novel because Brooks intertwines modern and historic times, horse racing, art, and science in the story of a majestic horse and the people who dedicated their lives to him.

I loved learning more about the legendary Thoroughbred, Lexington. I admire the way this book echoes and reflects how racism is still embedded in our culture. It entertained me but also left me with a lot to think… show more.

As a horse person and former Kentuckian I loved the setting and the story of the Black jockey.

All of the characters were finely drawn, and I found the relationship between the enslaved young man, Jarret, and the horse to be especially poignant. As Brooks follows the trajectory of the racehorse, we see how things do and do not change for Jarret through the course of the Civil War and afterward.

As someone who has written a dual timeline novel, I found Brooks's use of the painting of a horse to tie her three timelines together to be quite intriguing.

I found Horse, quite by accident -- this one a staff pick in a fun book store -- never imagining I’d find it so interesting. I’m not a horse-rider, knew virtually nothing about horses, nor did I share the fascination some women have for horses. But this book was incredible. By weaving a number of separate human stories around the individual horses that serve as the backbone of the book, Geraldine Brooks provides us with a fascinating and memorable read. She skillfully alternates interlinked present-day human stories -- featuring Americans (white and black) and Australians -- with those of… show more.

I enjoyed what it showed about the history of horse racing in the US, and the people involved. All the characters were believable and relatable.