Why is this unavailable to me? Will it ever become available? It's been "Currently unavailable" for forever

A simple title, a complex story, spanning a history deserving to be told. I had no idea what this book was about; a friend recommended that I read it, so I did, and got much more than I expected. The story's unfolding is a surprise. Continuing to read is a reward. This book will stick in my mind for a long time, and probably yours, too. Give it a try.

In her novel Horse, Geraldine Brooks brings her readers into the world of the antebellum Kentucky horse country. Her historical fiction is well informed and rich in detail. In the center of the story is the thoroughbred stallion Lexington, who was a real horse, and his trainer and groom Jarret, who is devoted to the horse. The horse and the young man are both the property of Dr. Warfield and we are introduced to the foal's caretaker by the jarring chapter title of "Warfield's Jarret". He later becomes "Ten Broeck's Jarret" and "Alexander's Jarret" before, finally, after reaching Canada and freedom, he is Jarret Lewis.

Lexington was the greatest racehorse of his age and his image was captured on canvas by the artist Thomas J. Scott. The skeleton of the horse found its way to the Smithsonian, as does one of Scott's portraits of the horse. This brings in the story of Jess and Theo in 2019, and Martha Jackson, an art collector and gallery owner in New York City in the 1950s. Brooks deftly weaves together their connections to the afterlives of Lexington and Jarret.

The novel confronts the original sin of American history, slavery and its enduring ugly legacy. Jarret is sometimes treated with kindness and even respect by white people, but he is never allowed to forget his body is not his own. The African American family was at the mercy of a cruel system which treated enslaved people as livestock.

In Theo's story, Brooks taps into the anguish and rage of Black Lives Matter. He is shot dead by a cop who sees him as a threat, when in fact he is trying to help an injured white woman in a Washington DC park. Jess, an Australian like Brooks herself, cannot continue to live in a country where such atrocities routinely occur. Horse is a beautiful, sad, tale, ending well for Jarret in Canada in the 19th century, ending with a senseless death for Theo in the capital of freedom in the early 21st century,, and with Jess returning to Australia, a very flawed place in its own troubled racial history, but still "home".

A story of three main ideas, horse racing, slavery and art. Brooks did a great job making the story interesting and complicated. It was well researched with a basis of true history and well developed story.

Ms. Brooks has hit it out of the park again. So far I've loved all of her books.

Ms Brooks weaves three different stories, taking the reader back in time and then forward to see how slavery, horse racing, and art all intersect. I especially loved the character development and was frustrated by the situations the black characters found themselves trapped in. Plus there is just such interesting stuff about science and art and the history of horse racing in the American South.

Three strands: art, slavery, and racing intersect smoothly when a current day man discovers a painting of a horse that’s about to be garbage. He meets the Smithsonian woman who happens to be in charge of the very same horses’ skeleton. And we meet the original slave trainer from back in the mid 1800’s who has grown up with the horse. The writing is effortless to read and the story exceptionally well told. Very satisfying. We also discussed this at our new couples book club.

i listened to this in audiobook format.

This novel tells two intertwined stories. One is in 1850-1860s Kentucky about a slave and a thoroughbred stallion, the other in 2019-2020 Washington DC about a Smithsonian zoologist and an art historian who both develop an interest in horses. I thought the writing was very good-- excellent character development and easy to follow despite the complexity of the storylines. The plot was a little overly foreshadowed, reducing the emotional impact of some scenes (which probably saved me some tears). It was clever the way Brooks draws the parallel between horse and slave and also between black experiences in the two timeframes. I think this book would have very broad appeal and I highly recommend it.

I love this author. Often an historical fiction writer, so much of this was based in great little remembered history. And as is so often true our history informs today, even when it comes to the history of great race horses, artists who painted them, their legacy and folks of today whose lives became connected through historical ties.

written in 3 parts. First from the 1800's. a slave and his love and connection to his race horse. the second is modern times. A researcher sees the bones of this horse and meets a black man who has a picture of a well known race horse. They find that this is the same horse and meanwhile form a relationship. the black man is very conscience of "Race" differences between blacks and whites. the third part is how the picture came to a famous art collector.

Historical fiction about the Civil War era's greatest racehorse, Lexington. Contains many facts related to horse racing at that time and the racism experienced by the Blacks at that time and today. Amazingly well researched.

My best book in a long time.

As others have said, Horse is actually several stories blended to create a single narrative.

One major strand tells the true story of Lexington, one of the greatest American racehorses of all time, and the fictionalized story of an enslaved lad (Jarrett) who raises and trains him in the years leading up to and just after the American Civil War. Along the way, Jarrett encounters Thomas Scott, an itinerant but gifted painter who creates several portraits of Lexington before going on to become a medic for the Union in the Civil War.

A second strand, set in early 2020s, tells the tale of Jess, a paleoanatomist, and Theo, and art historian, who become involved in unearthing Lexington’s legacy via (respectively) a skeleton discovered in the attic of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and a neglected portrait of Jarrett and Lexington discovered in a pile of trash.

The obvious link between the subplots is Lexington. The less obvious but equally significant link between the subplots is racial injustice. The portions set in the 1850s/60s recount the important role that enslaved blacks played in supporting the racing industry even as they were themselves treated no better than the animals they husbanded – bred, broken, beaten, exploited, and sold for profit. The plot set in modern times (specifically, the Trump years) explores the extent to which racial injustice continues unabated, manifesting in more subtle but equally deadly ways.

This is my third (fourth?) novel by Brooks, and some patterns are emerging. Her plots and characters are engaging, her prose expressive, and I admire the extent to which her tales incorporate historically accurate characters and events. (Definitely don’t skip the afterwards!) But Brooks also has a tendency to insert modern ideas into her historical texts in ways that can feel anachronistic and forced. In this outing, for instance, there’s a scene where Scott observes of the Confederate prisoners “They were, all of them, lost to a narrative untethered to anything he recognized as true,” which hits as a little too “ripped from the headlines”, and there’s a gay relationship that feels unnecessary and gratuitous. (She’s also interjected Australia into the narrative, for no apparent reason other than that she was born and raised there herself.)

To be clear, however, these lapses weren’t enough to detract from everything here that’s good. Brook’s depiction of the relationship of trust and respect that grows up between Jarrett and Lexington is particularly lovely and could carry the book on its own, even without the thrilling racetrack scenes, the cool “behind the scenes” glimpses of the Smithsonian, and a minor but engaging subplot about the 1950s modern art scene. All in all, a book I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to a friend.

Really enjoyed much of this book. Of the three threads, the Jarrett thread was the most interesting to me, followed by the Martha thread. The contemporary story seemed a bit forced.

Appreciated the insight into the history of American thoroughbred racing and how it intertwined with enslavement of Black people.

I borrowed this from my local library.

I expected a fictional tale about the esteemed 19th century racehorse, Lexington; I got that, as well as a heartbreaking interlaced depiction of what it means to be Black in America over a 150 year span. Brooks conducted incredible research, and it shows through the myriad small details that make her settings and characters come alive. Since I read a nonfiction book about Lexington earlier this year, I thought I knew what to expect at the end, but no, no. I was not ready to be shattered like that. This is a literary masterpiece.

Close to perfect. Expertly researched and executed. Some truly sad moments. Probably my best book this year.

Race and racehorses.  Historical fiction told in a way I love it best:  flipping between a handful of characters in varying timelines and perspectives.  The most interesting and most historical perspective being Jarret, young Black horse trainer in the American South of the 1850s.  Probably not a coincidence he is the strongest of the book, as Jarret is the closest to the horses -- most importantly the famous horse Lexington.  But then there are more contemporary chapters focusing on art and science.  Sadly, a lot of the book seems directed at a reader who might not otherwise read many books about racism.   It seemed slightly explainy on things that should be relatively common knowledge to most people by the time this book was published in 2022.   Or maybe I have recently read a string of books relating to race?  I know I haven't read most of them, or even the best.  But the ending here is glaring.  The book is very much about art as well, but the paintings of Lexington became a bit of a confusing shell game.  Some interesting bits on how race is related to horse racing, but not delving into those enough and reverting to basic explaining.  I really don't like only complaining when I write these things, so this was an engaging intro to the writing of Brooks for me.  Just that maybe I would have liked some of these topics better from another writer?  Like the question who should own or benefit from the paintings?  Who should tell this story?  But it's better this book exists no matter who the writer may be?  I don't want the problems I have with the book to cloud everything, but it's glaring to this reader. Could be much worse, I guess.

You don’t have to love, or even have any interest in horses, to appreciate and enjoy this historical fiction, of which Geraldine Brooks is a most skilled practitioner. Here, she has three concurrently running stories - the most admirable racing and stud horse Lexington and his devotee Jarett, enslaved in Kentucky; modern day researchers and lovers Jess and Theo, working to piece together the art and science of Lexington and the artists who painted Jarett with his horse; and art gallery owner Martha Jackson, daughter of a renowned equestrian mother. As the decades fly and then retreat, from the Civil War to the 1950s to our current day, the reader becomes emotionally invested in the fates of all the characters, and a devastating tragedy near the end is just one in a series of injustices perpetrated against men, women, and the most dignified and lovable Lexington. Although book banners may disagree, this novel, for its carefully researched history and heart, belongs on the same shelf as Laura Hillenbrant's beloved Seabiscuit, as a perfect novel for teens and adults.

The story moves between the life of Lexington the horse and Jarrett his enslaved groom and trainer and the present day where Lexington’s skeleton and a discarded painting of the horse and groom are found. Race in the 1850’s and in the present day plays a large role in the story.

I loved this book for what I learned about the history of black men looking after horses and the history of a famous horse and his trainer who had taken care of him from a foal. It was sad to read, once again, about how the black people had been abused during this era in the south and the prejudice, but good to read about a job that gave them a little better life and joy. The art history was interesting too. I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because the death of a black man in modern day life didn't fit in the book and was jarring.

This book was recommended to me by a librarian friend, I ordered it, then passed it to a couple friends who had been waiting to read it. Overall it has gotten rave reviews and I hoped it would be my next "Crawdads" and it didn't disappoint! Wonderfully researched historical fiction. The back and forth movement of timelines didn't have any effect of the pace of the story. Great read and make sure to read it even if you lack the equestrian interest!

Geraldine Brooks's "Horse" has such great strengths that I can understand those who are not bothered by its great faults. Those strengths include a terrific story — enough in itself for most people, I'm sure — and an incredible wealth of detail on subjects as seemingly disparate as the culture of horse racing in the American South, the lifestyles of itinerant representational painters, the challenges of skeletal articulation, and the contributions of African-Americans (mostly enslaved) to horse breeding and competition. The author's diligence and seriousness of purpose are everywhere obvious. So why did she lose me to the point where I had to force myself to finish the book?

The most serious problem is that Brooks's dialogue is so stiff and unconvincing that listening to it in my head, in this cinematically written novel, broke me right out my absorption in the book. When exposition is necessary, people talk like brochures; even in ordinary conversation, there are none of the ambiguities and hesitations of normal speech. Everything is said outright; nothing is left between the lines. As a result, some of the most important characters in the book never come to life. Jess and Theo, young working professionals in modern Washington D.C., are little more than sketches. Brooks attempts to give them depth by giving them unusual back stories and occupations, but they just don't move and talk like real people. As a result, I never found myself as curious about them as I would be about people in real life.

This willingness of the author to let her characters lecture the reader also affects her attempt to educate her (white) readers about race. Periodically her black characters try to tell her white characters about their lived experience, but their words always sound like an earnest white person's idea of what a black person might say: they're puppets through which Brooks speaks about what she's learned. Further, Brooks poorly manages the modern author's dilemma in writing about race in the 19th century by having her characters discreetly step around the "N word" in a very modern way. The truth, as any reader of 19th century literature knows, is that while the word was mostly regarded by educated whites as uncouth, it was dropped frequently and thoughtlessly in ordinary speech, especially (but by no means exclusively) in the South. This was, after all, an era in which a justice of the Supreme Court could write that a black person had "no rights which the white man was bound to respect," and by extension, no dignity that a white person was obliged to honor through careful speech. Brooks could have, and probably should have, avoided the use of the word as 19th century authors avoided the use of offensive words they needed to record, with an initial followed by dashes. Instead, by distorting the true nature of historical speech, she breaks trust with the reader. Or at least, certainly, with me.

The story is fascinating and its events, in the hands of a more skillful writer, could be very moving. But Brooks's ability to write real characters doesn't match her obvious talent for research and plot. A big disappointment.

Page by page, just a book you cannot put down!! Incredible writing, providing the flavor of the times with so many detailed examples. I was really in tears at the end because this book provides history within a fictional story but in the end we are faced with our continuing flaws as a society and that made me wonder if this, too, would be a banned book in certain states.

The Short of It:

An interesting snapshot of a time long gone.

The Rest of It:

"A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history." ~ Indiebound

Based on the true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a living and breathing account of Kentucky in 1850 and beyond. Jarret is the enslaved groom hired to care for young Lexington. A horse bred to win, but the unusual bond between the two is threatened to be broken when Lexington begins to get the attention of those wanting to profit off of Lexington’s noble lineage.

Fast forward to 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist becomes curious about a skeleton found in the attic of the museum. As she works to restore it, properly articulating each bone, she realizes that a horse of this stature most likely had quite a history. Enter Theo, he finds a discarded painting of a horse and it turns out that the two are related.

Horse is one of those stories that spans decades and includes many key players but the story that held my attention the most was the bond between Jarret and Lexington. Everything else, although interesting on its own, took me away from what I really wanted to focus on, this magnificent creature and the boy hired to care for him. Status, race, slavery. It’s all here.

This is not a book I would have picked up on my own but as a book club book, I think there will be plenty to discuss.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

Horse, Geraldine Brooks, author; James Fouhey, Lisa Flanagan, Graham Halstead, Katherine Littrell, Michael Obiora, narrators
Spanning part of three centuries, this novel features the lives of a slave, Jarret, beginning from around 1850, and an accomplished student with a very bright future as an art historian, Theo, from about 2019. Both are black men, both are hard working, but obviously both are from very different walks of life, and both had lives with unexpected endings.
Jarret was the son of a man who was once a slave. He had, however, bought his freedom and continued to work training horses for his former master. Jarret often worked alongside his father, Harry Lewis, and he grew to prefer horses to humans. Jarret was present for the birth of a horse named Darley and later called Lexington. From that day forward, he never wanted to leave her side. He remained with her for most of his life, even as he was being sold and moved around like a chess piece with the horse.
Theo, was a PHD student who was privileged. His parents were diplomats. and he received a fine education in Europe and the United States. By all accounts, a model citizen, he gave most people the benefit of the doubt and was on his way to achieving a successful career and a happy life. The trajectory of both Theo’s and Jarret’s lives, are a study in contrasts.
The author has exposed a part of history that is little known. As she marries fact and fiction, many interesting facts are revealed, like Mohammed Ali named himself after Cassius Clay, who was a White Republican, an abolitionist, and also a slave owner. Also, I did not know the history of the horse racing business and was not aware that there were very accomplished black trainers and jockeys who never achieved the acclaim due them, nor did I know that they were forced out as others replaced them when they were emancipated. Was it racism or simply better skill that was behind that? Was it economics? The story showed the contradictions that existed in the lives of the characters, the slaves and the free, the rich and the poor, the male and the female.
This White author has been accused of appropriating another culture. I wondered, as I ventured into criticizing part of her presentation, if I would be attacked as unfair for finding the novel one-sided. It is not racist to believe that the novel only presented one side of the issue of race, it is reality, but the cancel culture is real. I decided that my freedom of speech had to be the most important consideration, so I wrote my review honestly and freely.
Brooks has exposed the underbelly of historic racism. However, the characters are drawn almost as caricatures of their real life counterparts. Some of them seemed unnaturally without flaws, while others seemed to be decidedly defective, just to show the contrast they faced in conflicting situations. White people, Republicans and Conservatives were presented as oppressors, while the Democrat was almost always unconditionally praised. Sometimes this one-sided message was overt, sometimes subtle, but it always lurked between the lines. As the author appeared to blame the entire prevailing issue of systemic racism on White Conservatives or anyone associated with Republicans, even former Presidents, I felt there was a distortion of facts. There should have been mention of the South that was ruled by the Democrats, who were against the Civil Rights Act, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming to approve it. They also created the KKK. Senator Byrd, a leading and the longest serving Senator rode with the hooded terrorists and was praised by Senator Schumer, a long-time Democrat and Senate leader. African tribes actually aided and abetted the early slave trade with England, which led to slavery in the United States and elsewhere, even the Caribbean Islands. Tribes captured other tribe members, ripping them from their families and enslaving them. Later on they sold them to the English. Absent that, it might never have occurred. Who knows?
Knitting the fact and fiction together, Brooks tells the story of the horse-racing industry, and the unusual and incredibly, important influence that slaves had upon its success. Often, they were both the brains and the brawn making the horse a winner and the business profitable. They were also responsible for the successful breeding of future champion thoroughbreds. I looked up other famous horses, like War Admiral, and wondered if the racing industry would ever return to the glory of its heyday or if these slaves would ever get their due.
 
In spite of the one-sided approach, the book is very interesting and well written. Brooks created a story about a slave who could have been Lexington’s trainer and groom, and as she does, she exposes the abuse of the animals, the abuse of the slaves that cared for them, rode them and trained them, and the lack of appreciation for those human beings or horses.
As the story of Theo unfolds, he finds a painting of a beautiful horse with a Black groom, supposedly Jarret, in the giveaway trash of a neighbor. He decides to write a thesis on the history of art depicting Black men and their relationship with horses, to point out society’s failures and perhaps improve the understanding of history and the relationship of different races to each other. The story begins only a few short years before the emancipation, when the times were especially tense with conflict and war preparations, and continues until the present day.
Nothing excuses slavery, nothing can justify it. but today the black population of non-descendants and descendants count many superstars. There was a black President, there is a black Vice President, there are black Supreme Court Justices, there is a sizable contingent of blacks in Congress, so the playing field has improved tremendously. I found the conclusion of the book to be disappointing. It could have been a teaching moment, but instead, immediately reacted with blame. Sometimes there are mistakes in judgment that have nothing whatsoever to do with racism and sometimes it appears that the cry of racism is a knee-jerk one meant to divide and conquer the rest of us.
So, I highly recommend it, but with a codicil…it is not fact, it is truly fiction, and the one-sided approach may serve to stoke further racism, not prevent it, as it advances the author’s Progressive point of view and political perspective, rather than illustrating a better way forward.

Wonderful historical fiction about the legendary Lexington and connected throughout the story details of slavery, painting, racism throughout the years, and the Smithsonian, Really enjoyed this book

The subject of Lexington, the 19th century racehorse and Jarret, his enslaved groom is interesting as is the excursion into the mid-20th century NYC art establishment with Martha Jackson who obtains the portrait of Lexington. While I liked modern the characters of Jess and Theo, two individuals who have real passion for their work, I feel the plot chosen for that relationship is so much the Black man dies, white lives to learn trope, that it was more than just a downer, it was a disappointment and had no subtly or nuance worthy of the characters. But oh my, it was topical. In addition, the book failed at being a good read for me because every time I got into a story the flow was chopped off and shifted to one of the other stories.

A discarded picture in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history are swept into a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history.
Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant artist who has made his name on paintings of race-horses takes up arms for the Union.
NYC 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary artists, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth century equestrian painting.
Washington, D.C., 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected.

As a reader who has little interest in horses, horse racing or equestrian art, I almost passed on Brooks’ latest work. I am thankful that many glowing reviews spurred me to give it a chance. I found the story riveting and educational. Thanks to the author’s masterful writing, I immediately connected with the main characters. I admire Brooks' ability to seamlessly integrate two sagas separated by more than 150 years while also offering a stark perspective on systemic racism without becoming overly preachy. I confess that a section midway through dragged a bit as it seemed to spend an unnecessary amount of time chronicling a series of races. But I quibble. “Horse” is definitely among the 10 best fictional works I’ve read in the past year.

There is so much that I loved about this book. It is based on a famous thoroughbred race horse in the 1800s and an artist who painted a portrait of the horse with his handler who was a slave. I was so impressed by the quality of research done to pull together information about the characters and their involvement with the horse or the painting as the story weaves back and forth from 1850 to 2019. The writing is wonderful, but parts dealing with the cruelty of racing and slavery are difficult to read.