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Riding Lessons
by
Sara Gruen
A stunning new voice in American fiction, Sara Gruen makes a masterful debut with a novel of family, tragedy, rebirth ... and the breathtaking love of something wild.
As a world-class equestrienne and Olympic contender, Annemarie Zimmer lived for the thrill of flight atop a strong, graceful animal. Then, at eighteen, a tragic accident destroyed her riding career and Harry,
...moreMass Market Paperbound, 400 pages
Published
March 14th 2004
by Harper
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After I loved "Water for Elephants" I really thought this would be another great book. But, the main character was SO annoying. No one person could possibly be that incompetent in every area of their lives: marriage, parenting, relationship with her own parents, business, romance. She was a failure at everything and she never seemed to learn from her mistakes. Read "Water for Elephants" instead!!
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I once had a gentleman friend extremely fond of the phrase, "Over the top," although he pronounced it, "Overrrr de TOPP," for reasons I won't go into.
In any case, that phrase recurred in my brain as I read this book. Gruen is a good writer, but an editor really needed to slap her hand away from the crisis button during the review of this book. I mean, the main character is getting divorced, barely on speaking terms with her parents, oh wait, her father is dying ...more
In any case, that phrase recurred in my brain as I read this book. Gruen is a good writer, but an editor really needed to slap her hand away from the crisis button during the review of this book. I mean, the main character is getting divorced, barely on speaking terms with her parents, oh wait, her father is dying ...more
I was intrigued by this book, because I've heard such great things about the author (this is the lady who wrote Water for Elephants) and was curious as to her writing style. I ended up finding it a bit jarring, but perhaps I'm not used to the first person account (though I've never had this much of a problem with it before). The story itself was interesting, though some parts seemed a bit too easily fixed. What I mean by that is that the main character gets herself into soooooo much trouble and ...more
I DEVOURED this book - from start to finish it took me about 3 days, and I'm almost through with its sequel. It's a new take on an old theme - horses, illegal activities, danger, mystery, romance, and riding, riding, riding! I couldn't tear my eyes away from the descriptions of the horses and the tack and the general horsey-life I left behind so many years before.
And I have to admit, as I read "Flying Changes", the sequel, I continue to have pangs of jealousy and regret...more
And I have to admit, as I read "Flying Changes", the sequel, I continue to have pangs of jealousy and regret...more
uh, so yeah, i kind of got side-tracked when i realized gruen had written books about horses.
this is the story of annemarie, who was an olympic caliber eventer at 18, before a horrible accident.
but more, it's kind of a coming of age story for a woman who was allowed to escape. gruen's writing is so fluid and smooth, the story just keeps moving. it's equal parts mystery, chicklit, and quality fiction, with a good dose of horse in there.
it just left me with a...more
this is the story of annemarie, who was an olympic caliber eventer at 18, before a horrible accident.
but more, it's kind of a coming of age story for a woman who was allowed to escape. gruen's writing is so fluid and smooth, the story just keeps moving. it's equal parts mystery, chicklit, and quality fiction, with a good dose of horse in there.
it just left me with a...more
I read this because I'd loved Water for Elephants SO MUCH that I felt an overwhelming need to read other things written by the author. On the plus side, I can say that it's obvious that Gruen has grown tremendously as a writer, because Elephants</i. is an amazing effort. On the negative side, she had not really grown as an author at THIS point, as her prose is very...awkward and her characters are largely one dimensional. It was okay, but not amazing.
Book #21 o 2009
What can I say... I was reading the book and enjoying it and then I just had to go on Amazon to see what the other reviews said and once I read those, that's all I could think about when I went back to reading it. But - what I did like: the imagery. Chapter after chapter I could picture the horses, the barns, the riding lessons, the tack room, the stalls... I even imagined the trainer to look like the one I had in High School. In one of the chapters, describing a riding l...more
What can I say... I was reading the book and enjoying it and then I just had to go on Amazon to see what the other reviews said and once I read those, that's all I could think about when I went back to reading it. But - what I did like: the imagery. Chapter after chapter I could picture the horses, the barns, the riding lessons, the tack room, the stalls... I even imagined the trainer to look like the one I had in High School. In one of the chapters, describing a riding l...more
This is a book you'll either love or hate. I haven't seen a reader review that was lukewarm...either the book was highly praised or villified.
I really liked it. I thought Annemarie Zimmer was a wonderful character. She is so completely self-absorbed and in dire need of a good therapist. I found her absolute inability to cope with life hysterical (and her inner self-talk is downright funny...especially her first cooking-for-the-new-boyfriend date with Dan.)
On the mor...more
I really liked it. I thought Annemarie Zimmer was a wonderful character. She is so completely self-absorbed and in dire need of a good therapist. I found her absolute inability to cope with life hysterical (and her inner self-talk is downright funny...especially her first cooking-for-the-new-boyfriend date with Dan.)
On the mor...more
At eighteen, Annemarie Zimmer is a world class equestrian and Olympic contender when she’s badly injured in a jumping accident that ends the life of her beloved mount, Highland Harry.
Fast forward 20 years. Annemarie is laid off from her job and her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Feeling as helpless as she did after the accident destroyed her future plans, she takes her rebellious teenage daughter and returns to her parents’ New Hampshire horse farm and riding academy. There, the v...more
Fast forward 20 years. Annemarie is laid off from her job and her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Feeling as helpless as she did after the accident destroyed her future plans, she takes her rebellious teenage daughter and returns to her parents’ New Hampshire horse farm and riding academy. There, the v...more
Elizabeth
marked it as dnf--did-not-finish
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook,
dnf-did-not-finish
Pretty close to making this a "DNF".
I picked it up because I loved the author's book "Like Water For Elephants"but this book is not bringing me that same level of enjoyment. I am not certain if it is the book or the person reading it, but I dislike both the main character Annemarie and her Daughter, Eva. Both seem to be in perpetual states of anger - shrieky anger. Some of that may be the person reading who, the actress is just driving me up a wall. Everything is ove...more
I picked it up because I loved the author's book "Like Water For Elephants"but this book is not bringing me that same level of enjoyment. I am not certain if it is the book or the person reading it, but I dislike both the main character Annemarie and her Daughter, Eva. Both seem to be in perpetual states of anger - shrieky anger. Some of that may be the person reading who, the actress is just driving me up a wall. Everything is ove...more
I don't know how I would feel about this book if i had not read Water for Elephants first. I thought it was not nearly so good, and about half way through I got really bored with Annemarie making so many stupid decisions. It just didn't ring true that a woman with a high powered job could ruin the family business in days. i often had the desire to slap her upside the head and say "get over yourself"
On the other hand, given her childhood preparing to be an olympic rider a...more
On the other hand, given her childhood preparing to be an olympic rider a...more
I really tried to muddle through this one but had to give up about 1/3 of the way through. I've had another Sara Gruen novel, Water for Elephants, highly recommended to me, but it'll take a lot of convincing to get me to read it after this one! (Not that anyone cares enough about this to try to convince me...:-)
To me, it read like one big cliche. Woman has horrible riding accident and loses beloved horse (which, unusually, is striped like a zebra). Decides never to ride again or real...more
To me, it read like one big cliche. Woman has horrible riding accident and loses beloved horse (which, unusually, is striped like a zebra). Decides never to ride again or real...more
For me, the redeeming quality of this book was found in the horses. Gruen's portrayal of equine characters through the eyes of the human MC was authentic and spot-on.
If nothing else, she did butt-loads of research -- but I'd like to step out on a limb (without knowing anything about the author) and venture a guess that she has at some point spent a less-than-healthy amount of time around the animals (in the opinion of a sane individual, which I am not). Having done so myself, the quality ...more
If nothing else, she did butt-loads of research -- but I'd like to step out on a limb (without knowing anything about the author) and venture a guess that she has at some point spent a less-than-healthy amount of time around the animals (in the opinion of a sane individual, which I am not). Having done so myself, the quality ...more
This is the third Sara Gruen book I've read and sadly, although it really IS the last, it probably will remain so even if she writes another one. I loved Water for Elephants and really liked Flying Changes (which is actually the sequel to this book - I read them out of order) The problem is that I'm beginning to feel like they are basically all the same. If there is another in this series, I probably won't read it. The book is very predictable. In this book, the main character is much less likab...more
This is an enjoyable book and Gruen's strong characterisation skills are present here also, but I didn't find it half as enjoyable to read as "Water for Elephants". I used to read horse books voraciously as a teenager and this book was a trip down memory lane for me in many ways - although my teenage, horse-mad heroines never had sex in the lounge of the riding school! :-)
Annemarie, the main character, returns to her family's horse farm after twenty years of near silence a...more
Annemarie, the main character, returns to her family's horse farm after twenty years of near silence a...more
Caitlin
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who like horse stories with some angst and romance mixed in
Honestly, I thought that this book was terrible. I sincerely hope that Water for Elephants is nothing like this, because if it is, I have no clue how it became a bestseller.
The main character is what did it for me. I was expecting to read about a mom who, yes, was going through difficulties with her family, daughter, etc, but who still had some backbone at least. Annemarie definitely did not display anything like that, throughout the whole novel. She was no better than a teenager, and hone...more
The main character is what did it for me. I was expecting to read about a mom who, yes, was going through difficulties with her family, daughter, etc, but who still had some backbone at least. Annemarie definitely did not display anything like that, throughout the whole novel. She was no better than a teenager, and hone...more
Hollie Robinson
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
To horse girls yes.
Shelves:
books-i-own,
horsey
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A disappointing read to start 2012 off with. Although I am a loopy horse girl and totally believe Annemarie's horse obsession, the rest of the book was overstuffed with every conceivable tragedy. Dying father with ALS? Check. Ice Maiden mother? Check. Bastard, intern-loving soon-to-be-ex-husband? Check. Annoying, bratty, out of control teenage daughter? Check. Simplistic and easy romance with former childhood flame? Check. Frankly Annemarie, the heroine was so incredibly messed up and immature. ...more
Wow, Annemarie's life is one major trainwreck! This is Sara Gruen's first book, but the characters in Riding Lessons were not as solid as they were in Water for Elephants. Annemarie's life basically fall apart when she is layed off, comes home to tell her husband and instead he tells her he's leaving her for a younger woman. Soon after, she finds out that her father has ALS. She takes her rebellious 15 y-o daughter to the family farm to "help out". What she actually does is rekindl...more
I got this book because I absolutely adored Water for Elephants. It's not that I was disappointed with this book because I wasn't but I didn't find that it had the same pizazz as Gruen's bestseller. I never grew up around horses but I had a friend in high school who had a horse at a barn and went with her a few times to watch her ride. I myself have never rode a horse but when I watch people it looks exhilarating. I found myself really involved in this book and wanting the characters to get alon...more
Oye. I loved Water for Elephants, so thought picking up another book by Sara Gruen would be a safe bet. What a disappointment. The story was totally implausible, the main character was extremely and unbearably annoying, and despite the mess that the main character made of everything, POOF! It was all fixed by the end of the book. The main character annoyed me so much that I didn't want her problems to be fixed. I had an uncomfortable feeling of almost wanting her to fail (which is very unlik...more
I recently lost two afternoons of potential farm work due to a fabulous gut-wrencher of a horsey novel: Riding Lessons, by Sara Gruen.
Sara is much more famous for Water for Elephants, her New York Times bestseller. I never got around to reading it and all six of the local copies were checked out, so I suppose it’s still quite popular.
But this book – oh, it is unapologetic in its horsiness. She could have dumbed it down and made it a bestseller, perhaps, and I love her so much...more
Sara is much more famous for Water for Elephants, her New York Times bestseller. I never got around to reading it and all six of the local copies were checked out, so I suppose it’s still quite popular.
But this book – oh, it is unapologetic in its horsiness. She could have dumbed it down and made it a bestseller, perhaps, and I love her so much...more
I was torn while reading this book because I found the main character thoroughly unlikeable. Every action she took was so obviously a plot device - I could see the consequences of her bad judgment coming a mile away and thought it was unbelievable and insulting to the reader that a character would act in such an obviously illogical manner. That said and main character aside, the writing itself was phenomenal. I sat up until 1am this morning finishing the book because I just didn't want to put...more
I read Water for Elephants by this author and loved it. In both books, the author totally immerses you in the unique world of the characters, in this case horses and professional riding. The book's setting and "voice" are very authentic. That said, the tone and subject matter of this book had less general appeal than Water for Elephants -- this is much more for a female audience. It is reminiscent of The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. I think the book was a little too chock fu...more
when i realized this was by the author of Water for Elephants, i couldn't pass it up. however, i still prefer Water for Elephants. i enjoyed reading this book and reflecting on my own riding experiences. the plot was a bit predictable, but i still enjoyed myself. i can't say i'll drop everything and go find the sequel, though.
Riding Lessons, by Sara Gruen. Narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed, produced by Highbridge Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
Annemarie Zimmer was 19 years old, an equestrian Olympic contender, and no one could beat her or jump over higher jumps than Annemarie with her splendid horse, Harry. Then, at the climax of a show when she and Harry had just sailed over the highest jump yet, Harry came down wrong on his legs and shattered one. Annemarie was thrown from the horse and had many injurie...more
Annemarie Zimmer was 19 years old, an equestrian Olympic contender, and no one could beat her or jump over higher jumps than Annemarie with her splendid horse, Harry. Then, at the climax of a show when she and Harry had just sailed over the highest jump yet, Harry came down wrong on his legs and shattered one. Annemarie was thrown from the horse and had many injurie...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I listened to the audiobook, and the reader did a great job capturing the voices and moods of the characters. At first I had great sympathy for the protagonist, Annemarie Zimmer, who opens the book telling of the final moments riding her beloved champion horse, Harry, before he fell and ended her riding career and his life. The story jumps forward 20 years to another fateful day, when she loses her job, her husband leaves her, and her daughter is kicked out of school. Can things get any worse?...more
an OK book -- I was somewhat disappointed by this book because I loved Water for Elephants. This was our book club choice and although it was a very easy read, I got fed up with the main character (I've already forgotten her name) and her self-absorbed behavior when things were crumbling around her.
When I saw that Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants, had other works, I was excited. I really enjoyed Water, and had high hopes for this book, the first of a two-part series. Uggh, what a disappointment . . .
In Riding Lessons, we meet Annemarie Zimmer, a former Olympic-class equestrian competitor whose tragic accident twenty years prior ruined her career. She is now 38 and her life is falling apart. At first you may feel pity for her as she loses her job, her teenage daughte...more
In Riding Lessons, we meet Annemarie Zimmer, a former Olympic-class equestrian competitor whose tragic accident twenty years prior ruined her career. She is now 38 and her life is falling apart. At first you may feel pity for her as she loses her job, her teenage daughte...more
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| The "Water for Elephants" author.... | 2 | 57 | Apr 26, 2011 02:59am |
Sara Gruen is a Canadian-born author with Canadian and U.S. dual citizenship. Her books deal greatly with animals and she is a supporter of numerous charitable organizations that support animals and wildlife.
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“I was always searching, always seeking the next big thing, because that was the thing that was going to make everything all right again. And while I was working toward it, it gave me something to think about other than that thing I couldn't put my finger on. But it always came back.”
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