Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
A Good Horse: Book Two of the Horses of Oak Valley Ranch (Abby Lovitt #2)
by
Jane Smiley
When eighth grader Abby Lovitt looks out at those pure-gold rolling hills, she knows there’s no place she’d rather be than her family’s ranch—even with all the hard work of tending to nine horses. But some chores are no work at all, like grooming young Jack. At eight months, his rough foal coat has shed out, leaving a smooth, rich silk, like chocolate. As for Black George,...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
August 23rd 2011
by Yearling
(first published October 19th 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
364)
Loved this book. It's a sequel to "The Georges and the Jewels" and continues the story of Abby Lovitt who lives on a horse ranch in California in the 1960's. She is now 13 and in 8th grade and continues her barn chores as well as daily riding the horses. She's decided to name one of the geldings Black George and he turns out to be a natural jumper. Her parents have decided to ask Jem Jarrow, a man who works with horses in a gentler, more intuitive way, to give her lessons. You might say Jarrow h...more
Abby is used to losing horses to new homes, but this time she may lose two. Black George is showing so well that he is sure to sell if Abby can continue to make him look good in the ring. Jack, a horse she rescued, is the foal of a stolen mare, and may be taken away from her as well. Abby continues to struggle with fitting in with her friends at school, although she enjoys being part of a play reading group, even though her mother is a bit disapproving of reading Shakespeare. When it looks like...more
This is categorized as juvenile fiction, but it was more advanced than that. It was about a young girl (12 or 13?), but it really wasn't juvenile in content. If you really like horses, you would like this book. I kind of skimmed over the descriptions of the jumps and other horsey things. After reading it, I discovered that there was a previous book about this family. I may try to find that and read it. I was interested in the religious aspect of the book. This family is very religious, goes to c...more
Sep 09, 2012
Kristen
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gentle-reads,
middle-grade
This book will be absolutely perfect for kids who can't get enough horse stories, since there is lots of horse talk, horse shows, and horsemanship in this book. Abby, the main character, shows small glints of interesting features but is overall kind of flat, and more of a vehicle for experiencing the horses. For those reasons I was totally and completely bored while reading this book. However, in the hands of a horse-crazy middle-grade reader it's a fantastic book, and I will definitely keep buy...more
Audience: This is a great book for serious horse lovers as well as people of all ages interested in what daily ranch life if like. It is also a good book for a teacher looking for a higher level book to teach character development.
Appeal: The characters and the realistic horse situations draw horse lovers of all ages into this book. The horse lingo and the multi-level relationships keep readers wondering and hoping the whole way through.
Appeal: The characters and the realistic horse situations draw horse lovers of all ages into this book. The horse lingo and the multi-level relationships keep readers wondering and hoping the whole way through.
I had sworn off Jane Smiley. I'd read and liked her 'Thousand Acres' but HATED 'Barn Blind' which left me depressed for days. However, I like to keep my foot in the Young Adult genre and this was available on Kindle from our local library. I was pleasantly surprised. She handles the characters well and the underlying plot line is a bit of a mystery right until the end. I'm not sure if it has enough action to captivate today's teen/pre-teen crowd, but the horsey set will like it.
Mar 17, 2012
Kim
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
genre-fiction,
age-young-adult-juvenile
Great story about a girl on a working horse farm, her relationships with her family, friends, and of course, the horses. Jane Smiley clearly knows horses, and her writing rings true in all things equine. Would recommend for not only young teens interested in horses, but any adult who enjoys Smiley's superb writing.
Overall, I enjoyed A Good Horse because I have been a horse person my whole life and own horses myself. I was able to understand what was going on when it came to technical stuff. But in order to really enjoy this book, you'd have to be VERY into horses. It was good though.
I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read (intended for teens) -- and as a horse lover, its detail about horses and riding really brought the characters and the story to life. If you love horses --- you'll love this book.
I am reading this book right ow, and its kind of just free fealing while yor reading it, because i cant help but visualize where the girl lives with all the open land and horses and cattle, i woul LOVE to live there
A children's horse book, that I loved as an adult. I don't know if kids would like it as well as I do. Those of you who have children let me know their reactions to the book.
view 1 comment
This is a sequel and suffers from a weakened plot carrying over details from the earlier book. Didn't quite work.
Wonderful story. I loved horse books as a child. I'm delighted to find Jane Smiley creating more and with such full characters. A very worth while read.
between 2 and 3 stars. I think you have to be into horses to really like this one...
I'm enjoying Smiley's YA horse books much more than her adult novels, recently. Quite enjoyable.
This book was really good. I think the author is a good writer.
This book was pretty good. I recommend it to horse lovers!!1
Another good book from author Smiley.
Nov 17, 2010
Sarah
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
bestbooklists2010
Kirkus Best Children's Books 2010
This was like watching grass grow...
LOVED THIS!
SM
A wonderful story for any horse lover.
great young adult book - I enjoyed it
Nov 27, 2011
Caitlin I ♥ animals!
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
horse-books
Loved it!
It finished much better than I thought it would. It started out a little preachy and a bit technical (as far as the riding jargon went). Overall a very good story, though.
This is the kind of horse book I gobbled up a kid. Although not billed as a sequel, it picks up right where Smiley's THE GEORGES AND THE JEWELS left off, and I enjoyed this one even more. With lots of details about jumping, and a plot that deals with the possible loss of not just one, but two of the main character's favorite horses, it's a great read. Horse lovers of all ages will enjoy this one.
awww, i so related to this. not the having the really nice horses part, but abby herself.
though i am sad that they make their money buying and selling horses. did you know the average horse goes through 6 or more owners in their lifetime? it makes me sad for black george.
though i am sad that they make their money buying and selling horses. did you know the average horse goes through 6 or more owners in their lifetime? it makes me sad for black george.
Oooh, this became a series! When did this happen?
I didn't like this book quite as much as I liked the first one, but I still found it very well done. The aspects of religion, both Abby's family's and others, continue to be handled deftly and without judgment. Recommended best for early teen readers.
I didn't like this book quite as much as I liked the first one, but I still found it very well done. The aspects of religion, both Abby's family's and others, continue to be handled deftly and without judgment. Recommended best for early teen readers.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Jane Smiley is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, and graduated from John Burroughs School. She obtained a A.B. at Vassar College, then earned a M.F.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. While working towards her doctorate, she also spent a year studying in Iceland as a Fulbright Scholar...more
More about Jane Smiley...
Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, and graduated from John Burroughs School. She obtained a A.B. at Vassar College, then earned a M.F.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. While working towards her doctorate, she also spent a year studying in Iceland as a Fulbright Scholar...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
