false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172147355m/142886.jpg 142886 13 As a world-class equestrian 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, the beautiful horse she cherished. Now, twenty years later, Annemarie is coming home to her dying father’s New Hampshire horse farm. Jobless and abandoned, she is bringing her troubled teenage daughter to this place of pain and memory, where ghosts of an unresolved youth still haunt the fields and stables—and where hope lives in the eyes of the handsome, gentle veterinarian Annemarie loved as a girl ... and in the seductive allure of a trainer with a magic touch. But everything will change yet again with one glimpse of a white striped gelding startlingly similar to the one Annemarie lost in another lifetime. And an obsession is born that could shatter her fragile world. 3441238 2004 Riding Lessons: A Novel total:1123|5:134|4:316|3:442|2:180|1:51| 1123 3671 1852 311 1 4 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue May 13 14:17:48 -0700 2008 Tue May 13 14:20:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 10:51:33 -0700 2008 Fri May 16 10:58:00 -0700 2008
In any case, that phrase recurred in my brain as I read this book. Gruen is a good writer, but an editor really neede...more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 15 20:53:07 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 15 21:01:41 -0700 2007 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 ...more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 25 21:48:56 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 26 00:33:05 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 03 16:55:03 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 03 17:02:22 -0700 2007
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 esca...more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 02 16:20:13 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 02 16:51:45 -0800 2008 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...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 20:16:58 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 20:17:49 -0700 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 cou...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Mar 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 19:19:18 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 19:19:18 -0700 2009
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 therapis...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 06 10:56:47 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 10:57:55 -0800 2008 Fast forward 20 years. Annemarie is laid off from her job and her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Fee...more...]]> 1 0 false false Sun Oct 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Nov 21 16:10:28 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 21 16:22:36 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 15:24:50 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 15:32:11 -0700 2009 If nothing else, she did butt-loads of research -- but I'd like to step out on a limb (without knowing anything about the autho...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 18:54:56 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 18:59:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 07 08:45:24 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 10:57:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 true true Fri May 29 11:06:29 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 17:32:01 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 11:06:29 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 17:37:30 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 18:15:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 27 15:14:11 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 30 11:35:37 -0700 2007 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...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 05 18:22:32 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 18:23:51 -0800 2009
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. Th...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 21:15:18 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 10:48:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 1 false false Sat Sep 13 17:45:31 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 13 17:47:41 -0700 2008 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...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 19:40:11 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 06:49:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=142886