This book came highly recommended from multiple sources, so I had high hopes going in. Sadly, it ended up falling flat for most—if not all—of our book club. A majority of us didn’t even make it halfway through. By the time I finished, I was left with such a bad taste in my mouth that I struggled to even discuss it.

That said, this book is

widely loved. It’s a highly acclaimed piece of historical fiction that flips between the present day and the Civil War era. The author clearly did incredible research, especially when it came to the horses—their training, their treatment, and the love people had for them. Those passages were beautifully written and deeply moving.

So why did our group struggle with it?

Mainly, the structure. The story jumps between multiple characters and timelines, which made it tough to follow—especially for busy moms like us who often read in short spurts. This is a book that demands your full attention, and if you set it down for a few days, it’s hard to find your way back into the narrative.

And then came the ending.

The book takes a political turn that left me deeply uncomfortable. A central white female character is portrayed in a way that felt unnecessarily harsh—almost like a statement with no room for nuance or redemption. While the author may have valid points, it was frustrating to see this character (and, by extension, women like her) written off without a sense of balance or deeper understanding. The author is not wrong and many people of different race are portrayed like that regularly, but they don't have to like it either.

The interracial relationship depicted in the story was initially beautiful, but later developments made it painful and hard to read. It left me with a lot of thoughts—not necessarily judgments of right or wrong, but many conflicting perspectives to consider.

As a mom looking for a good, educational read, I felt disappointed. It wasn’t just a time investment—it was an emotional one. And in the end, I was angry at how much time I spent on a book that didn’t feel worth it.

Opportunity cost

is real.

Final Thoughts:

This book has its strengths—solid storytelling, important themes, and deeply moving moments, especially involving horses. But unless you’re really into horses or able to dedicate focused time to a layered, challenging read, I wouldn’t recommend it.

BUT We managed to have a fantastic time at Book Club!

Questions we asked:

This book discussed a lot about History. So we played 2 truths and a lie. We all had the same 3 questions:

When/Who was the first person that showed you that all humans are "Human"? Who was someone you idolized then fell from grace? My favorite answer from this question was Bill Cosby. But we had lots of people mention family members or church pastors.

What was the first event you distinctly remember happening that affected the entire world? Number one answer was when the challenger exploded. The Berlin wall falling, the OJ Simpson Chase, 9/11

When was the first time you got drunk?

You had to be there to hear those stories!!!