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

Awesome

Loved story, narrator was good, didn’t want story to end. Good to hear how story came about

a little whiny in places

I liked the. idea of the story but the wife was very whiney and the characters kept misunderstanding each others feelings. i had to fast forward through it to the better parts.

Great story

A bit of a slow start but excellent once you get going. Well worth the read. I liked it very much.

brilliant

narration was excellent. An incredibly moving story a bit sad but worth the emotion journey

Absolutely excellent!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Horse Dancer to be better than the print version?

No

Have you listened to any of Julia Franklin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. I am on the road a minimum of 3 hours a day. I would find myself getting off the highway an exit after mine and driving through town so I could listen to more.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to over 30 books in the last year and this rates in the top 5. Excellent story, excellent narrator. Cannot say enough good about it. Listen or read--it is a good one.

Have the Hankies Nearby

I dare the reader/listener to keep a dry eye. This book about a young girl and her horse and her foster "family" made me feel and held my interest every in chapter. Jojo Moyes is becoming a favorite for me. This is the second book from this author I've truly enjoyed. And this one had a horse as a main character who develops a unique bond with his young rider. This is a story with adventure, family bonds, romance, betrayal, danger and redemption. I so enjoy a book that invites you in and brings you along for the ride.

One excellent listen—makes your imagination dance

Jojo Moyes is quite the story teller—her pace is perfection. Sara, the young horse dancer, is forced to train frustratingly slow. But is pays off big time when it's time to put the horse to the test. So it is with The Horse Dancer. The first scenes were so un-dramatic I wasn't sure I wanted to continue, but then a whole new set of characters take center stage, and the details of the first chapters were invaluable. From then on it was a wild, wrenching extraordinary ride, so well worth it.

I especially love Jojo Moyes' endings. Well timed and satisfying - still I was sad when it was done because the adventure was so amazing. Julia Franklin is a gifted narrator who took on a diverse set of characters and accents with panache, coupling the novel perfectly.

Great story, terrible narrator!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Horse Dancer to be better than the print version?

No, as the reading was shrill and hard to follow change of characters!

What didn’t you like about Julia Franklin’s performance?

Her reading made both female characters sound shrill and borderline hysterical. She also didn't pause even slightly or change her tone when the character changed, leaving me to do a little catch up each time. A calmer voice would have given the characters more humanity.

Loved it!

Took me a while to get into it but once I did, I couldn't put it down! Thank you JoJo!

Great read

Enjoyed this thoroughly. I'm a horsey person, and was pleased that the equestrian references had been well researched and written. And it's a great story. Although I did have the urge to slap the characters every now and then as they all kept so many secrets, but if there had been open and honest dialogue there would not have been any story to speak of.

Well read.