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Funerals for Horses  By  cover art

Funerals for Horses

By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Narrated by: Carly Robins
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Publisher's summary

Funerals for Horses, Catherine Ryan Hyde's critically acclaimed first novel (initially published in 1997), is a deeply felt and heartrending story of redemption and love, disappearance and faithfulness, by the author who would go on to be known for the best-selling Don't Let Me Go and Pay It Forward.

Ella Ginsberg's brother, Simon, has disappeared. His clothing, shoes, and watch were found abandoned near a freight line track in Central California. His jockey shorts and wallet were never found. The police have no clue, and Simon's wife had no warning that anything was wrong.

Ella takes off on foot across much of California and Arizona, thinking she can find Simon using nothing but her knowledge of the way he might think. Her search leads her to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, where she is helped and befriended by three Native Americans and an aged paint horse named Yozzie.

Ella has serious mental health issues, and Simon, who raised her, is still the most important person in her shaky world. Only maybe it's not as unstable as it looks from the outside. Maybe inside Ella, a core of unexpected strength is emerging. Maybe Ella is even stronger than the brother who held her family's lives together for so long.

©2013 Catherine Ryan Hyde (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A tale of sibling loyalty, madness, pain, and redemption. In this restrained but compelling narrative, Hyde movingly conveys the toll of years of emotional damage." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Funerals for Horses

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No thanks

This book is not my style, I tried it to explore new authors. The authors writing style wasn't bad, I just didn't enjoy the storyline.

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Hard to follow

I have enjoyed many of her books,but I found this one hard to follow. And the story seemed to drag.just my opinion.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

One of Catherine Ryan Hyde's more unusual story s

This is not one of my favorite stories by this author. I had a bit of trouble trying to figure out just what the plot was. It seemed a confusing story about sad, confused characters trying to find meaning in their lives.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Catherine Ryan Hyde...💓 Nuff said...

Loved it! Worth 10 stars! At least! If you've completed one of her books already, no one needs to sell it to you. If you haven't tried one yet, do yourself a favor. Many are even free and several of them you can add audio for $1.99. The best deal on Amazon...

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Another Catherine Ryan Hyde wonderful book.

I do not know how Ms. Hyde writes these deep, thought provoking books. Her simple use of words like "perched" gives instant meaning to a situation where the characters are being careful, yet in a position where they could run away instantly. This book is about a young girl searching to find her real self. She has a mental loss not of her own making. I always love anything to do with horses, so I appreciate the presentation of how horses and their own spiritual beings come into her life. A definite read. The narrator is amazing.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good but not great

I have read many of Catherine Ryan Hyde's books. I have not been upset with any of her books up until this one. While she has written many, I have either learned something at the end but this one let me down. The story itself was a good read but the ending was disappointing! I will still read her books but I will pray for the ending to not be a dud!

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Slow slow slow

I am HUGE fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde but this read was really hard to stick with. I wanted to give up on it several times. The final chapters got better, but I did appreciate it's ending.

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Different

This was different from Catherine’s other books . I can’t say I loved it , however it is very deep. The attention to detail was amazing.
Sometimes it was hard to continue ! Must have an open mind.
I’m glad I read it, just a little out of my genre

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Wow, just wow.

I can say how well-written this book is, or how the author seems to perfectly understand & express the many paths of mental illness. Instead, I'll just ask this: Katherine Ryan Hyde, why am I usually a sobbing heap when I get to the end of your books?

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Spoiler alert

Be aware that there is perverted sexual matter as part of the story. Didn’t expect that after reading so many others of her books.

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