The Horse Dancer

By: Jojo Moyes

Narrated by: Julia Franklin

Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Sarah's grandfather was a horseman of rare talent - only the exceptional are allowed into France's elite riding academy, Le Cadre Noir. But life took an unexpected turn, and now from a council estate in east London, the Captain hopes to train his granddaughter towards a better life.

Natasha is a lawyer whose job is to represent the best interests of children. Her confidence in her judgement has been shaken and her marriage has died - but an encounter with Sarah may lead to Natasha learning all she needs to know about life from a fourteen-year-old girl and a large horse named Boo...

©2009 Jojo Moyes (P)2009 WF Howes Ltd

Good book

Not the type of book I tend to read or listen to, but I am glad I did. Teenagers, horses, sick French grandfathers and lawyers with a photographer thrown in, what else could you want? Actually, I think Jojo Moyes is an excellent contemporary writer and I love her style. For horse lovers, you will love it, for female story lines, I think it is great. The photographer ex husband could of been a little more developed. His heart of gold is a little old hat.

Review

Excellently narrated and I always enjoy the authenticity of Jojo Moyes books. Real people. Real feelings.

Review on the book.

Story was too long. Struggled to get through it. The narrator however kept the story going.

Two boxes of tissues, minimum!

This book was SOOOOOOOO good!

At first I was impatient for the author to finish getting all of the characters on the stage so that something would start happening. The characters were all so emotionally dishonest and closed off and everyone was in such sad places.

Then when all the characters did start interacting with each other, the drama got even more heartbreaking!

So why am I recommending this tear jerker of a story? Because it was so GOOD. The characters were great, the emotional tension was taught, the worlds we were introduced to (both the urban stable yard and the French riding academy) were exotic and previously unknown to me.

Julie Franklin communicated the action and drama very well, but the voice she created for Mack was a little coarse and did not lend itself to Mack's tender moments. I probably would have preferred a younger sounding reader, but I certainly enjoyed the story as Franklin performed it.

A new Jojo Fan!

What did you love best about The Horse Dancer?

I really have enjoyed listening to several books by Jojo Moyes in the last month. The one you left behind; From me to you and now the Horse Dancer. Overall I am awed by jojo's ability to weave stories within stories and characterise with insight into the human condition. The difficult choices we make, sometimes despite knowing better or with disastrous consequences The Horse Dancer has captured some of the human and daily dilemmas we might face and managed to bring them to life through well developed characters. Zenaphon's words speak through time and reveal the relationship between a young 14 year old girl/woman and a beautiful horse.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Horse Dancer?

Sarah and Boo's connection an∂ incredible trust Boo has in his rider. Zenaphon's words as I remember; "You must make the Horse do, even if he doesn't understand". The "Air" manoeuvres require this.

Which scene was your favorite?

I think there were several moments particularly in the descriptions of Boo achieving incredible movements in the face of fear and exhaustion- as he will always show his big spirit when he wants to shine. The French Capriole (?} scene inspires.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The character of Natasha made me cringe at times, Her negativity and I think her inability to drop her defences. Why do human beings have to be "right" all the time. Justify themselves and be blind to what is before them?
And I know I've talked about the horse alot...but there are many other issues explored in the sub plots: class; the issues for child protection services trying to find placements for children; infidelity, family connections and parenting.

Any additional comments?

Well done Jojo. Thank you. I'm running out of your titles to listen to though.

Good book!

Any additional comments?

I chose this book because I am very interested in horses and ended up liking the "non horsey" parts almost more. It looked at each characters point of view and managed to combine them all into a nice, believable ending. There were a few slow areas but the story switched points of view enough that I never got bored.

Phenomenal!!!!

This book took me by surprise. JoJo Moyes write a beautiful story with accurate details and a phenomenal ending. This is probably the best book I have purchased in 2016. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good story about horses and he loves a good story.

Beautifully written story.

I loved the correct use of the horse jargon, the beautifully described movements. Jojo makes you feel her emotions, not just read / listen to them. It was an honour to go along the journey of growth and self discovery!

Just a good story

While a little far-fetched a delightful and entertaining story. I thourghly enjoyed it and being a lover of horses made it especially good.

Unusual, compelling and heartwarming

I truly enjoyed this novel. As always Jo Jo Moyes takes you to a new place and a new experience.