What do a Smithsonian scientist from 2019, an art lover from the 1950’s, and an enslaved groom from the 1850’s have in common? A race horse named Lexington. To the people involved here, Lexington starts as a skeleton, a painting, and a beloved partner. To the outside world, he’s just a Horse until you learn the backstory of this remarkable creature.
Geraldine Brooks’ Horse is loosely based on the true story of Lexington, a racing stallion from the 1850s and 60s who is the sire of other great horses including Cincinnati (General Grant’s favorite horse), Preakness (namesake to the Preakness Stakes), and multiple other US Racing Hall of Fame inductees. With a trio of timelines, Brooks explores the unlikely events that tied Civil War history to the likes of Martha Jackson and later the Smithsonian Museum. This is a book about the common thread throughout history and society, as well as the plight of people of color in connection with racing.
I give Horse 3 out of 5 stars. I was anticipating this novel to be more about horse racing and less about politics and racial divides. While I found no glaring errors in the writing, I did feel like the writing took a tone that slipped between historical fiction and made for TV movie quite frequently. I also found myself wanting for more from several of the characters. It was as if Brooks spent too much time building the current day characters and even those in the 1850’s, but not enough time on those in the 1950’s. This is not a book I’d readily suggest to friends – there was just too many directions to this story and too much missing from the characters.
This is a book best directed to readers who like historical fiction. With discussions of war, police violence, and murder, I would caution readers who are sensitive to these subjects. I would also suggest that readers who are sensitive to animal mistreatment avoid this book – the portions recording the horse racing can be disturbing to some individuals. However, if you’re looking for a book set in the 1850’s and 60’s that does not specifically revolve around the Civil War, this book may fit those needs. This would also be a great book for readers interested in art history or how individual paintings or other artifacts find their way to the Smithsonian.
I chose Horse for the US States reading challenge prompt “Kentucky”. I was looking for something around horse racing or bourbon – the two most well-known features of the state. This definitely fit the bill for horse racing, but I was disappointed in the political turn this novel took towards the end. While any book that involves the 1850s and 60s will have some aspects of racism because there is no way around slavery, the truly unnecessary inclusion of the death of a main character at the hands of police at the end was too much. There were other ways to link racism across the timelines, which Brooks did accomplish with other scenes. I really enjoyed the book until it took that turn. And please don’t misunderstand – I am in full agreement with the author that the deaths of unarmed people of color is a travesty in this country. However, it felt gratuitous to include it here. If you’re looking for a good book to fit this category, I would suggest checking our Sunday agenda for some other great options like The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.
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