A Good Horse

The Horses of Oak Valley Ranch, Book 2

By: Jane Smiley

Narrated by: Angela Goethals

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

When eighth grader Abby Lovitt looks out at those pure-gold rolling hills, she knows there's no place she'd rather be than her family's ranch - even with all the hard work of tending to nine horses. But some chores are no work at all, like grooming young Jack. At eight months, his rough foal coat has shed out, leaving a smooth, rich silk, like chocolate. As for Black George, such a good horse, it turns out he's a natural jumper. When he and Abby clear four feet easy as pie, heads start to turn at the ring - "buyers" heads - and Abby knows Daddy won't turn down a good offer.

Then a letter arrives from a private investigator, and suddenly Abby stands to lose not one horse but two. The letter states that Jack's mare may have been sold to the Lovitts as stolen goods. A mystery unfolds, more surprising than Abby could ever expect. Will she lose her beloved Jack to his rightful owners? Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley raises horses of her own, and her affection and expertise shine through in this inviting horse novel for young listeners, set in 1960s California horse country and featuring characters from The Georges and the Jewels.

©2010 Jane Smiley (P)2014 Recorded Books

Good Horse

I loved this book especially for a younger horse-loving reader. My lower score for the
performance was not due to the narrator who was excellent, but perhaps the engineering of the audible book itself. The pauses in the narration sometimes between phrases and between chapters were so long I thought the recording had stopped.

I can share with my granddaughters

good book clean honest factual story about a horsey girl who grows up with her father who is a horse trader