Flying Changes

Riding Lessons #2

by Sara Gruen

There is a time to move on, a time to let go . . . and a time to fly.

Anxiety rules Annemarie Zimmer’s days—the fear that her relationship with the man she loves is growing stagnant; the fear that equestrian daughter Eva’s dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far away from her mother . . . and into harm’s way. For five months, Annemarie has struggled to make peace with her past. But if she cannot let go, the personal battles she has won and the heights she has achieved will have all been for naught.

It is a time of change at Maple Brook Horse Farm, when loves must be confronted head-on and fears must be saddled and broken. But it is an unanticipated tragedy that will most drastically alter the fragile world of one remarkable family—even as it flings open gates that have long confined them, enabling them all to finally ride headlong and free.

Genres: Fiction, Horses, Animals, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult

371 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Sara Gruen is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of five novels: AT THE WATER'S EDGE, APE HOUSE, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, RIDING LESSONS, and FLYING CHANGES. Her works have been translated into forty-three languages, and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS was adapted into a major motion picture in 2011 starring Reese Witherspoon, Rob Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz, and then into a smash Broadway musical, currently running at the Imperial Theatre, written by Rick Elice and PigPen Theatre Co. and directed by Jessica Stone.

She lives in Western North Carolina with her husband and three sons, along with their dogs, cats, horses, birds, and the world’s fussiest goat.

Reviews

[leg · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 her extremely tolerant boyfriends buys her a pair of diamond earrings instead of an engagement ring. Will he forgive her little tantrum? What do you think?

The plot focuses on the main character's daughter and her eventing career. In the tradition of all pat, predictable, and unrealistic horsey novels, the daughter tames the untameable mount who will only allow one special person to ride him. Will they be successful in competition? Will they amaze everyone who doubted them? Again, what do you think?

To summarize, this book contains tiresome characters, a hackneyed plot, and a random baby. If you never outgrew those goofy horse books aimed at ten-year-olds, you might enjoy this one. Then again, since there's no sense that the author is trying for goofy rather than deeply affecting and emotional, maybe not. Your money would be better spent buying more interesting things, like a loaf of bread or a box of paperclips.

[Suzette · Rating 1 out of 5]

A friend gave me a bunch of iPad books and this was among them; I don't know how I didn't realize that the author was the same as Water for Elephants, but when I finished and realized it, a lot made sense.

Let's get one thing out of the way right now; I think horse people are on the crazy side. There, I said it. If you're a horse person and don't think you're crazy, you're probably wrong but it's OK. Anyway, the book starts out with lots of horse stuff and I was a bit put off by it, but figured hey, read something different- maybe it's a good book!

*****spoiler alert*******
Although seriously, if you read 10 pages of this book and anything after that is a surprise, I'd be shocked. This incredibly predictable story centers around a woman and her daughter and their struggles to face life in the face of divorce, memories of a terrible accident and teenage angst. Even after realizing that, I read on because I was bored and didn't feel like starting a new book.

The story moves along pretty well but as the wholly predictable plot rolled along, I started to feel like I was inside a Lifetime movie. Oh the teen angst! Oh the non-committing boyfriend and subsequent crazy misunderstandings! And as the book progressed, it turned all Bold and the Beautiful; Oh the tragic accident! Oh the deaths and no family! Oh the judge that assigns over custody of a baby within hours with no questions asked! What??

And the author got bored about 3/4 of the way through as well; maybe she was facing a deadline, but after about 900 pages of blah blah soap opera stuff, she rocketed through the end and wrapped it all up Scooby-Do style lickety split. It was like a long, slow lovemaking session with a crazy jackrabbit ending.

Things I loved: It was free
Things I hated: Unresolved stuff. Maybe I dozed off, but WTF with the abused lady and her neglected horse and kid? Blah blah money blah blah beaten, what happened to any of them and why do we care? The horse never figured into the plot at all and neither did any of the people in that weird sub-plot. What was the purpose?
Other thing I hated: The finance. What kind of jerkoff takes his girl that clearly is expecting a proposal and buys her EARRINGS? Then later makes like he had a ring baked into the souffle the whole time. Yeah, sure you did, you flaming asshole- as soon as you realized how bad you screwed up you ran out (he ran to Jared!) and bought a ring, then baked that fucker in chocolate so you could have a good cover story. As if he bought her a ring AND earrings. Whatever!! Liar liar pants on FIRE.
The daughter: That girl needed a slap so hard it would send her into next week. If I EVER thought about speaking to my mother the way she did, I'd be sleeping in the barn and be lucky to have some goddamned hay to cover with. Holy crap! Imagine telling your mom to clean up because she looks like a "sea hag". Really?? That little bitch, every time her horse took a jump I prayed for her untimely death.

So in the end, I hated this book and I pray I don't forget this author's name and read more of her garbage. I liked Water for Elephants actually but it had some depth to it and some good character development. This book was like watching a bad soap opera and none of the people you wanted dead actually bit the dust.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the reviews I read before starting this second book following Riding Lessons, I was worried I wasn't going to like this. I'm so glad I stayed on course. I loved this book. It probably helps that I have ridden horses, shown horses, and own a horse. I've ridden English and Western and jumped fences. I know exactly what it means when the smell of a barn warms your heart. There is something about a teenage girl and a horse. It's a bond hard to understand.
Annemarie is not an easy character to like, however, her imperfections make her easier to relate to so you kind of want to route for her. The one character I didn't care for is her daughter, Eva. I thought the author created a monster of a teenage daughter. Part of it is Annemarie lets her get away with treating her bad. The divorce doesn't help either. But the selfishness and misbehavior is over the top, but is probably more real than I know.
Sara Gruen wrote "Water for Elephants" which was a fantastic book. It's' hard to top. However, Ms Gruen is a fantastic story teller and these 2 earlier books show her talent. The story flows and kept my attention from beginning to end. All the loose ends were tied up so I felt satisfied at the conclusion. It's been a long time since I've had a book call to me and pull me off my tablet. The last few books I've read have done that. I wish there were more books out there by Gruen. I would definitely read them.

[Emily Wood · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was…pretty bad. The main character was really annoying (everything makes her cry). I can't believe this is the same author as Water for Elephants.

[Mary Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, I wanted to read anything by Sara Gruen. I found RIDING LESSONS and FLYING CHANGES easily and knew I wanted to read them just based on their summaries. I’m both fascinated and terrified of horses and these two novels granted me a glimpse into the lives of those who breathed the animals in and out on a daily basis.

RIDING LESSONS begins with a potential Olympian equestrian – Annemarie Zimmer – in a terrible and tragic accident. In shock and filled with a sadness few can relate to, Annemarie gives up her riding and her dreams of having an Olympic medal placed around her neck. Fast-forwarding decades later, Annemarie finds herself back at the family ranch after a divorce. With her comes her troublesome teenager, Eve. Once home, she must deal with her daughter, a sick father, a strict mother, the horses her family owns, and a childhood sweetheart that still looks at her with stars in his eyes.

FLYING CHANGES comes immediately after the first novel, a sequel brilliant in its own right. Not everything happened as she wanted and suddenly, Annemarie is filled with a new sense of despair – one that is brought on by her daughter’s new dream of becoming the Olympic winner and also a number of news that causes her emotions to rise and fall like a rocky roller coaster.

Both novels are, once again, full of meticulous research and unending emotion, whether it is happiness, shock, anger, annoyance, or any other emotion one can think of. Annemarie is written as a woman who could be anyone, whether she is someone who works with horses and has lost her dreams or someone who was the CEO of a hot corporation who has suddenly lost her way. Both novels are a testament to life, to the struggles one must face through obstacles both from outside sources and from within. Annemarie is human in every sense of the word, which is sometimes difficult to find in novels nowadays. She makes mistakes; sometimes she strives to correct them and sometimes she believes they were made for the right reasons, even if others don’t agree.

I don’t know a single thing about horses or anything relating to the idea of being an equestrian but nothing in Gruen’s writing flew over my head. If anything was inaccurate, I had no idea, and she describes just enough on competitions and the care of horses that it felt like I was a new employee at the ranch learning the ins and outs of a new job. Gruen fills a world with explanation but she tells it as part of a story rather than a documentary-like setting that might read as an encyclopedia.

The situations and the characters are far from perfect. There is anger throughout the book and human errors. These books portray the infallible part of life and that is what makes them perfect.

[Mackay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this because, as the friend who suggested it said, "it's about horses and it's easy to read"--and I'd read the first book. Gruen was the new hot thing after "Water For Elephants." But honestly, this book isn't worth the time it took to read.

It isn't so much ABOUT horses as that there are horses in it. The heroine-narrator drove me nuts. What a mess. She never learns or grows or changes--she's just a whiny, self-involved jerk. Her daughter is just like her, only a teenager. Which is worse? And as a former horsewoman, I'll just say--I wouldn't let either of these characters near a horse in real life. They're both a menance and unpleasant to boot. (Any self-respecting horse would trample them and be done.)

Tell you what I really think? Based on this (and the first book of the series), it'll be a cold day in Hades before I read anything else by Gruen, including any NYT bestsellers. (Did I mention really annoying?)

[Susy Goelkel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so upset. What a waste of my time. One bad ride, makes her a weak and insecure woman and terrible mother. Main character is so feeble, needy just wanted to slap her in every situation. No wonder her daughter is a brat and such a bitch at 16. I finished it because of book club. Where is the women who wrote Water for Elephants?

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

I wanted to see if the second book would redeem the first, but I still just do not like this series. The main character and her daughter are both illogical, irrational, and down right annoying. I didn't think it was possible, but this book was more unrealistic than it's predecessor. The skills that the daughter has are BEYOND unrealistic. A 16 year old who has gotten lessons here and there up until a year prior and then became serious about riding for a year would not be able to perform a "perfect" piaffe, passage, canter pirouette, or tempi changes. Not to mention on a 7 year old horse that no one can ride?! It is SO off-putting, and anyone who knows anything about Dressage would laugh and roll their eyes. There are several other laughable moments in this book that really makes it seem like the author opened a book of terms, or used Google for every single horse thing possible.
Even the romance was annoying! Like I said previously, Annemarie must be one hot lady, and the only one in town, to keep any sort of man, what with her split personalities. She bounces between having no spine and letting her daughter walk all over her, and overreacting at small things while remaining entirely selfish.
I just, ughhh.... I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK.... AT ALL

[Carrie Rolph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic – I had no idea there was still melodramatic horse fiction for grownups! Annamarie Zimmer is almost forty, newly divorced and living on her mother’s horse farm. In her former life, she was a Olympic level equestrian, but that all changed after her tragic accident (isn’t that how it always goes?) When her teenage daughter decides to ride competitively, Annamarie has to come to terms with her daughter’s choice and her own history. And then the last third of the book takes a spectacular turn for the melodramatic with rain soaked eventing courses, car accidents and drama over gaining custody of a baby. As far as light and fluffy and ridiculously dramatic goes, it actually wasn’t half bad.

[Patti Salmon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read Riding Lessons, I figured I would continue on with Flying Changes. I found I was getting more and more aggravated with the characters in this book. The mother is a whiney, self centered marshmallow of a woman, and her daughter Eva is SUCH a brat with no respect for her monther or anyone else that I wanted to scream. Yes I ride horses, and yes I am a horsewoman and this is probably why the storyline bothered me SO very much. All very predictable but in such an annoying way, like nails on a blackboard. The moms very predictable blow up over the earings, the daughters hissy fit on the XC course, gawd. I really did expect better. I guess its difficult to write a really good story involving women and their horses.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will read any book about horses. This one is written by the author of the "goodread" Water for Elephants and it took me one long night to read it. Flying Changes is as cheesy as any horse tale out there. The characters seem one dimensional. The plot is simple, uninteresting, and poorly navigated. The experience of traumatic injury is misunderstood and misrepresented. So, why did I devour the pages? Simply because it is about horses. If you do not love horses, do not read this book. I am quite certain you will be disappointed if you expect the same quality novel as Water for Elephants.

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I finished the book , so I figured it at least deserved two stars. I was very disappointed in it because I had read the novel Water For Elephants by the same author and absolutely loved it. This was a story about equestrians, their horses, their love lives, their past problems etc. I guess there was a prequel to it, but I have no desire to go back and read it. I guess I would just describe it as poor chick lit.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

How can this be the same author as the one who wrote Water for Elephants? Similar to Admission, which I recently finished, Flying Changes also has a late-30s self-centered somewhat pathetic female protagonist who I almost had to abandon midway through. Skip this one, even if you did spend more of your youth on rather than off horses!

[Amy Green Tea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’m officially at the point where I understand the parents point of view and not the teenagers. Galloping your horse bareback at a 4 foot fence no helmet on insisting your horse can do a large solid jump with mud everywhere is not brave but incredibly stupid. Also I can see why my parents pushed me so hard to ride because it kept me distracted from doing any normal teen things so now, as an adult, I still stay out of trouble to do an incredibly expensive hobby.

[Jessie Seymour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think you can tell from other reviews of this two-book series that this is DEFINITELY not Sara Gruen's best work. Water for Elephants was truly incredible, but the Riding Lessons series seems like it was written by another person entirely. But it's good to know that Sara Gruen got so much better as a writer. I also really liked Ape House, so it's safe to say I'll read At the Water's Edge eventually.

But let's talk about Flying Changes. I liked this sequel better than Riding Lessons. Annemarie was the absolute worst in the first book, and despite her still have many flaws in here, she wasn't nearly as annoying to me. Her incompetence and poor parenting were much more under control. She's gone from being a complete basket case to being only spastic.

I liked the pace of the story as well. We moved quickly, but nothing ever felt rushed or glossed over. And there was plenty of excitement that kept me wanting to read just one more chapter. There are a lot of big moments in the book that would otherwise have you thinking "how does this much happen to one family," but Sara Gruen still pieced everything together to make the story believable. The plot made up for characters who weren't the most likable.

Overall, the characters in this series could have been better. They were almost too extreme. But the story itself is solid, and I'm finishing these books feeling satisfied.

[stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 one-tempi changes makes me swoon.)

this is more of a romance than the first book, but it's surprising in its turns. the mother-daughter relationship mellowed a bit between annemarie and mutti, and annemarie and eva - in a way, it reminded me of the gilmores. (hah!) but it's just really well written. i didn't want to put it down.

[Dawn Lennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book because, after 40 years, there are no more horses in my life. I was skeptical at first because I didn't want to be disappointed by the story or the writing, until I saw that Rita Mae Brown gave it high praise. (Years ago, Rita Mae bought one of my sporthorse weanlings, so she knows good horses and good writing.) There are few who can "feel" what horses are to true horsemen/women and then capture that in prose. Sara Gruen is one of them.

The life style of people dedicated to giving horses their best life is demanding, rewarding, expensive, risky, complicated and spiritual. Horses who become true partners are an intimate part of those who own/care for them. This books covers it all: the struggles to keep horse farms going, the injuries that present themselve, the relationships that rise and fall, the backstories of riders and trainers, the fears and rewards the come with the territory.

The writing here is wonderful, smooth, thorough, correct (when it comes to horses and riding), moving, and concise. The characters are representative of the lifes and behaviors of horse people. There is hardship and sadness and ultimately rejuvenation and freedom in this story. Rita Mae was right when she wrote, "You will love this novel." I did.

[Taryn Spearey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now one of my fav horse stories ever!

Annemarie has anxiety, witch i relate to quite well. After a jumping accedint in her own horse carrer, she fears the same for her daughter.

I wasn't too much of a fan of Eva. She had a lot of issues and was very angry at times.

4 stars from me. Also, i was happy that Annemarie married Dan and adopted her late husband's son. That was a sweet side to her that i liked!

[Anna Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a reading slump someone help I need a book I won't have to fight to finish

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved water for elephants so thought I would love this but found it weak

[Jenniferpawlik · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was book #2 until I finished it. Regardless, I didn't enjoy it. Neither the main character nor her daughter were strong females; they were dramatic (in a ridiculous way).

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly awful.
Why would Harper publish this?

[Shane Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not know this was a sequel to Riding Lessons, which I never read. That said, this was still great as a stand-alone book. It made laugh at times, made me cry at times, and kept me interested all the way through. You don't have to be a horse-lover to love this book.

[Andrea Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the library because I enjoyed Gruen's other book, Water for Elephants, so much. Though I didn't enjoy this one as much, it was a good read all the same.

The story is about three horsewomen, most notably, Annemarie Zimmer, a 40 year old single mother of Eva, 16. Her mother, Mutti, and Austrian "character" also lives with them on their horse farm, where they teach riding lessons.

Annemarie has fairly recently recovered from being paralyzed by a jumping accident, in which she lost her favorite horse. She is therefore traumatized by the thought of her daughter jumping, which is, of course, her passion. Annemarie is also finding it difficult to come to terms with her ex-husband, Roger, being a new father of baby Jeremy. While her "knight in shining armor," Dan, is her strength right now, she often finds herself holding up one end of his vet practice while he travels around rescuing mistreated horses.

[Alethea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this in just a few days and found myself trying to squeeze in "just a few more pages" here and there. This picks up where Riding Lessons leaves off and continues to focus on AnneMarie, her daughter Eva, and AnneMarie's mother, Mutti, as Eva makes the decision to ride (and jump) competitively - forcing AnneMarie to face her fears related to her accident 20+ years prior. Gruen ties up quite a few loose ends left in the plot after Riding Lessons, as well as throwing in some dramatic twists which bring all three generations of women closer together. Even though I'd never describe myself as a horse-lover (always been more of an admirer, keeping my distance), I also really enjoyed Gruen's commentary on the relationship between humans and animals that comes through in this story via AnneMarie's love for Hurrah, and Eva's love for Smokey Joe. Definitely a book I'd consider a lighter read and in the chick-lit genre - thoroughly enjoyable :-)

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book 4 1/2 stars if I could because I really enjoyed the story, but it doesn't go on my list of all time favorites and I didn't enjoy it as much as Water for Elephants so I didn't give it a 5. I did, however, think it was a better story than Riding Lessons. (I am surprised that it does not mention on the cover of Flying Changes that the story is a continuation from Riding Lessons. Although you could easily read it and enjoy it without having read Riding Lessons.) Anyway, good book, cute story. The only thing I didn't like about the book is that I thought the teenage girl's bad attitude towards her mother got old after awhile and I started noticing that the main character was always "about to cry". I really like the author's writing style. I wonder if she'll write another book any time soon...

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wonderful story woven around horses

My friend gave this book for my birthday. We are both avid readers and she knew that I had read Sara Gruen's "Riding Lessons". I really enjoyed that book and I was delighted to receive the sequel, Flying Changes. With eager eyes I sat down that evening and read the book (well almost, I finished it up the following evening). It goes without saying that Ms. Gruen is a wonderful storyteller and she continued that ability in this story. I'm not expert on horses, but I thought that in this book she created a moving story with well crafted settings and high emotions. Annemarie, the single mother, pain is just one example. I found I could easily relate to the story and the characters. The ending wrapped everything with no loose ends and there's never a dull moment in this moving story.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy Flying Changes for what it is, a fast and entertaining read, and forget what it is not - another Water for Elephants.

A rebellious teenager, a difficult horse, the teenager's mother scarred by her own riding traumas and failed relationships, the wiser than acknowledged mother's mother, sprinkled with tradegies great and small are a delicious combination for an afternoon or evening of reading. There are both oh-please! eye-rolling scenarios and some aw.......... moments and some just-plain right-on descriptions of almost adult teen moodiness and drama.

Didn't love it, but I liked it a lot.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rare for a sequel to be better than the first novel, but this is certainly true of "Flying Changes" compared to "Riding Lessons". While I appreciate both novels, in "Flying Changes" you see the characters grow up and mature as a result of their experiences which is far more enjoyable than the last minute shift in the first book. In the sequel, Annemarie is really trying to be a better mother to her teen daughter Eva, which proves even harder than she expected. But she overcomes her fears and sticks to her resolutions here. All ends well despite some major setbacks and despite the happily ever after ending, it leaves me wanting to hear more about Annemarie & Eva's lives.

[Savannah Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much, I really understood it. The way Sara Gruen explains some of the things in this book is so great! I really thought that I was there with the characters through all the ups and downs and all of that, but what I loved most about this book was that I could relate to it, for instance when she talked about horses I could totally see myself in the character's shoes. At some points I really wanted to cry but you start to smile because of the outcome. This book is one of my favourites and I plan to read it every summer.