Pauline

I was so excited when I saw another Sara Gruen novel available on Audible that I immediately downloaded this book. I didn't even bother to read any reviews of the book, a mistake I am not likely to make again. I recently listened to Water for Elephants, and it is one of my favorite books of all time. It is hard to believe that the same author wrote Riding Lessons. There is a great story surrounding the horses, and the first chapter is well written and certainly grabs your attention. However, the main character, Annemarie, quickly begins to get on your nerves. She is constantly making incredibly bad decisions, followed by hysterics when the decisions lead to undesired consequences. I didn't read the book, but the narrator's rendition of Annemarie's hysterics are truly painful to the ear. Many times during the 11 hours of the book, I had the urge to slap some sense into the non-existent Annemarie. The other people in her life are equally annoying, from her bratty daughter, to her withdrawn mother, and her ex-husband. All in all, I would save my audio credits for something else.