All the Stars!!

I listened to this one on audio, but I don't think that necessarily enhanced the book, it is just how I got it first.  I think that reading this one in hard copy would be just as wonderful, if not better.  However, there is an Australian accent and alternating performers for the several points of view presented which is always a bonus.

A Note on the Author:

I am on an unintended but now focused journey to be a Geraldine Brooks Completist.  I love her writing.  Each of her books are so different yet all of them share this in common:  they are all based on real events and people.  Check her catalog out.  My favorite is People of the Book, followed closely by Caleb's Crossing and Year of Wonders.  But they might both be bumped by Horse.

And I'm OFF!

What do horseracing, slavery, skeletons, art history, Kentucky, Australia, and a cute doggie all have in common?

Yeah, Horse.

This is the brilliance of Brooks' Books.  She takes a relatively small bit of history, in this case the story of Lexington, a fabulous but short-careered and incredibly fast stallion in the mid-1850's, and tells an intricately woven story not only of the horse, but of his enslaved and devoted groom Jarrett, the artist who paints them, the art student who finds said painting 160 years later, the Smithsonian scientist who studies skeletons, and a real life art dealer thrown in for good measure.  We spend the most time (I think) with Jarrett and "his" horse, delving into the injustice of racism and slavery, which is then echoed in the present tense to a horrible level in the story told jointly by Jess, the Australian scientist, and Theo, the Nigerian-American art historian.  But the story is really of the horse, his little known impact on history, and the dedication of a few people to bring his story to the forefront.  I found the different angles of story telling to be fascinating.  There are so many levels to this, no these stories!!  I loved them all.

I feel like I have not given this book its due in this review, but if you like historical fiction, horse racing, and hard looks at hard topics, this is definitely one to pick up!

Edited to add:

I talked to my mom about this book and she just started reading the hardback.  She says it is a bit hard to get into what with all the different perspectives and time period jumping.  It is not chronological at all.  So I may have to revise my above statement and say that listening to this one might be best as you have different auditory voices to help keep the chapters separate.