Flying Changes
by Sara Gruen
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Flying Changes.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 368)
Read in December, 2006
I kind of had a love/hate relationship with Flying Changes and I think that Water For Elephants was a major, MAJOR improvement from this book.
I don't want to ruin any potential readers' perceptions of this book, but while I love well-written stories about horses, the characters were absolutely unbearable at times. I completely hated the daughter - typical spoiled brat type, YUCK. And the mother (the main character) was just as annoying for letting her get away with the stuff her daughter did...more
I don't want to ruin any potential readers' perceptions of this book, but while I love well-written stories about horses, the characters were absolutely unbearable at times. I completely hated the daughter - typical spoiled brat type, YUCK. And the mother (the main character) was just as annoying for letting her get away with the stuff her daughter did...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2006
This was a terrible, terrible book. I picked it after it was recommended to me as a good horsey novel, and the only thing that kept me reading all the way through was sick curiosity. I wanted to see if the ending would be as trite as I predicted. It was.
The main character is self-absorbed, unlikeable, and her flaws are not entertaining enough to make her unlikeable yet interesting (as I'm someone who enjoys unlikeable yet interesting characters). For example: she throws a hissy fit when ...more
The main character is self-absorbed, unlikeable, and her flaws are not entertaining enough to make her unlikeable yet interesting (as I'm someone who enjoys unlikeable yet interesting characters). For example: she throws a hissy fit when ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
Read in February, 2008
At one point, Annemarie Zimmer frets that maybe she should see a therapist; and then in the epilogue she talks about how her therapist is helping her. I wish she'd gone ahead and gotten a therapist at the beginning so we could have read the real story. There are lots of glimpses of an interesting story but mostly this is a soap opera tale of an emotionally immature woman who refuses to handle her past emotional wounds, her divorce, her daughter, her dead father, and her mother. It all ends ha...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Read in July, 2007
sequel to Riding Lessons, this is more the story of eva than annemarie, except not. eva gets a more central role, but annemarie is still the driving force - behind everything.
again, gruen writes about the special bond between a horse and a person, and she does it so well it makes my heart ache. this completes the story she was telling earlier, and i think it's stronger than her first go. (not just because the image of a blue roan doing...more
again, gruen writes about the special bond between a horse and a person, and she does it so well it makes my heart ache. this completes the story she was telling earlier, and i think it's stronger than her first go. (not just because the image of a blue roan doing...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
horselovers, sara gruen fans
I stand by the fact that the horse details will make any equiphile drool, although the storyline in this book (compared to Riding Lessons) is harder to swallow. Nearly every segment ends with the protagonist near tears, in tears, choking back tears...I feel emotionally constipated as I think back on the scenes.
Also, the teenager is an unforgiveable brat in this one - it really made me think about whether I'm up for mothering something that horrible and heartless, selfish and cruel.
So, ...more
Also, the teenager is an unforgiveable brat in this one - it really made me think about whether I'm up for mothering something that horrible and heartless, selfish and cruel.
So, ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
I'm definitely a Sara Gruen fan. Water For Elephants remains my favorite, but Flying Changes and Riding Lessons were both so good. I think my weakness for them lies also in my weakness for horses and horses abound in these books. I can see myself in the rebellious 16 year old daughter and yet I can see myself in the frustrated 39 year old mother as well. I could feel the air rush past me as she describes riding bareback on a strong horse at a fast clip. Flying Changes only increased my want to r...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
my friends
I liked this book too. I think I was supposed to read Riding Lessons first however because it is the prequel to this book. Oh well, it's still a good book. It's about the relationship between a mother and a rebellious daughter and what they learn from each other proves to be invaluable. It's about believing in your dreams even though they're may be obstacles in the way. It's filled with a lot of dramatic moments. This book provides a lesson of how to stay strong in the face of adversity.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
Flying Changes is a continuation of Gruen's first novel, Riding Lessons. If you love horses, the storylines will be of interest, but they are not particularly memorable books.
I read both of them because I was so enchanted with Water for Elephants. I can see a progression of her skills as a writer. However neither one of these two horse stories can predict the genius or the fine writing of her third book and the likability of its characters.
I read both of them because I was so enchanted with Water for Elephants. I can see a progression of her skills as a writer. However neither one of these two horse stories can predict the genius or the fine writing of her third book and the likability of its characters.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2007
After reading Riding Lessons and being thoroughly annoyed by Annemarie Zimmer and her daughter Eva, I wasn't sure if I really even wanted to begin this one. I only did because I already owned it. But boy I'm glad I did. Gruen has used this sequel to develop all the characters from Riding Lessons into characters you can really care about. Plus the situations are more believable. This turned out to be quite an enjoyable book.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in January, 2006
A good read, but not nearly as captivating or as realistic as Gruen's other horse book. Still wonderfully well written, with some amazingly poignant parts, but the plot line is less than believeable. Suspend your disbelief and you'll be set to read this horse book! Also, it does a great job of promoting a rare horse breed. Nokota's are gorgeous and I'd kill to own one!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This was by the author that wrote, Water For Elephants. I didn't like this as much as Water for Elephants, but it was still very good. There was a book written before it (Riding Lessons), that I think I should have read first b/c it just jumped in to this character, named, Annemarie. I think I would have known more about her if I would have read the other book first.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
horsey people
I read both this book and its predecessor this week while my back heals. I liked this one better than the first. The author seems a little more confident, the characters are more developed, and the plot twists are less predictable. Water for Elephants is a huge leap after this one, but both of these books were enjoyable.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
horse people on vacation
Yummy dessert book... meaning that it play-acted at dealing with deep, heavy issues, but not in a believable way... yet it has the redeeming qualities of having horses. Explores issues in a way that allows the reader to watch some character development without having to get too involved. A good weekend book.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2008
This one is ok. I actually liked it better than Riding Lessons (although you definitely need to read that one first). It's definitely no Water for Elephants so I guess I hold this author to pretty high standards. Still an enjoyable summer read, though, and better than chick lit.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
I have read all of Sara Gruen's Books and I have loved each one. They are a bit wordy, but if you like a book where you become one with the scenery, her books are for you.
BTW...Riding Lessons and Flying Changes are sequels. I read them backwards before I found out.
BTW...Riding Lessons and Flying Changes are sequels. I read them backwards before I found out.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
Since I spent a majority of my childhood showing horses, I loved reading this book. The interaction of mother and daughter is realistic and heart warming, and very much similar to my own adolescence. A quick, easy, and entertaining read for anyone who's loved a horse.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who loves horses and riding
This book is the sequel to Riding Lessons. It is similar in that it is a good read and a good story. One still cares about the characters and wants to know what happens to them. The plot devices, however, are not developed as well as they could be.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I loved this book! Read it in one day and couldn't put it down. If you have any interest in horses this is great and a fast paced read. Riding Lessons is before this one which I didn't know before picking this up but I imagine it is just as good!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommended to Allie by:
Megan Goodwin
I liked this book and the way the author writes about the special relationship between horses and their owners. I read it out of order (it's the sequel to Riding Lessons) but the book gave enough background to follow the story easily.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
Cheese factor continued, or as my mother, a former librarian would say, "Have a gentle read!" I liked the sequel a bit better than the first book as the main character got her act together. The final tragic twist was very moving.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
