What do you think?
Margaret Fletcher Gallop Girl: A Fall From Grace At Forty Miles An Hour
Poise, class, confidence, fantastic thighs and an even better ass: these are the spoils of an equestrian lifestyle. And Margaret Fletcher has them all.
But then suddenly, she doesn't. Broke and horseless for the first time in her pampered life, Margaret is lost in a sea of tangled hairnets until a cranky old horseman introduces her to the not-so-glamorous world of exercising young racehorses. Margaret knows she can jump a five foot fence with style. But can she gallop forty miles an hour on a two-year-old rocket launcher with sticky brakes?
Enter Emily Morris, a working class eventer who’s spent her whole life eating the dust of rich girls like Margaret. Now, charged with the task of turning this clueless Hunter Princess into a fully-functional Gallop Girl, Emily will have to teach her the basics of horsemanship from the ground up ― mud, manure and all. Can a former Hunter Princess and a scrappy kid from the wrong side of the racetrack team up to conquer the “Sport of Kings?”
But then suddenly, she doesn't. Broke and horseless for the first time in her pampered life, Margaret is lost in a sea of tangled hairnets until a cranky old horseman introduces her to the not-so-glamorous world of exercising young racehorses. Margaret knows she can jump a five foot fence with style. But can she gallop forty miles an hour on a two-year-old rocket launcher with sticky brakes?
Enter Emily Morris, a working class eventer who’s spent her whole life eating the dust of rich girls like Margaret. Now, charged with the task of turning this clueless Hunter Princess into a fully-functional Gallop Girl, Emily will have to teach her the basics of horsemanship from the ground up ― mud, manure and all. Can a former Hunter Princess and a scrappy kid from the wrong side of the racetrack team up to conquer the “Sport of Kings?”
316 pages, Paperback
First published December 29, 2014
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 14, 2015
Review originally posted on: http://twentythreeowls.blogspot.sg
*A copy of this book was provided to me by the author to review*
Hmm... I feel like I can't really decide if I want to rave about this book or point out its flaws. Because there are flaws. But in my mind it's also a 4 star book. Which is pretty good.
Okay let's start from the beginning. First of all, the book reads like an adult version of Enid Blyton. The chapter have titles like, 'Margaret get's her hair messed up' and 'Emily gets a spirit guide'. But that's really okay because I liked that the book had some sort of organisation that books seem to rarely have nowadays. I don't know if that made sense but basically I'm trying to say that I was okay with the Enid Blyton like chapter names.
Secondly, I really enjoyed this book. I could tell immediately that it was one of those books that would strongly resonate with a horse lover or rider. I've read books like that about figure skating and since I used to do it, it made me feel all warm and happy inside. Like I was part of some special club that could understand the funny words. That's how I felt this book would be to someone who was in that world. I'm not in that world obviously so it was a little strange. I didn't understand a lot of the words and google became my best friend with this book.
But that was okay with me because I ended up learning so much more then I ever would have known about horse riding and show horses if I hadn't read this book. So it was a win win here. And it's obvious that the author is passionate about horses. That's very important in a book like this.
The book was a lot less funny then it originally promised to be and often it seemed just a tab unrealistic. But it wasn't anything too bad. Though I must say that the author's insistence with saying that horses go at 40 miles an hour irked me. Certainly horses that are being galloped don't have speedometers on them.
My favourite part of the book was when Emily finally stopped whining about her lack of money being the reason why she wasn't a fabulous rider and actually started to do something about it. She was starting to get on my nerves so I'm glad she salvaged herself. That was a rather good life lesson in there too which I liked.
Overall I really loved this book. I thought it was interesting, cute and passionate. Even if you aren't a rider, let me tell you that you will still love this book. And if you are a rider, what are you waiting for??
*A copy of this book was provided to me by the author to review*
Hmm... I feel like I can't really decide if I want to rave about this book or point out its flaws. Because there are flaws. But in my mind it's also a 4 star book. Which is pretty good.
Okay let's start from the beginning. First of all, the book reads like an adult version of Enid Blyton. The chapter have titles like, 'Margaret get's her hair messed up' and 'Emily gets a spirit guide'. But that's really okay because I liked that the book had some sort of organisation that books seem to rarely have nowadays. I don't know if that made sense but basically I'm trying to say that I was okay with the Enid Blyton like chapter names.
Secondly, I really enjoyed this book. I could tell immediately that it was one of those books that would strongly resonate with a horse lover or rider. I've read books like that about figure skating and since I used to do it, it made me feel all warm and happy inside. Like I was part of some special club that could understand the funny words. That's how I felt this book would be to someone who was in that world. I'm not in that world obviously so it was a little strange. I didn't understand a lot of the words and google became my best friend with this book.
But that was okay with me because I ended up learning so much more then I ever would have known about horse riding and show horses if I hadn't read this book. So it was a win win here. And it's obvious that the author is passionate about horses. That's very important in a book like this.
The book was a lot less funny then it originally promised to be and often it seemed just a tab unrealistic. But it wasn't anything too bad. Though I must say that the author's insistence with saying that horses go at 40 miles an hour irked me. Certainly horses that are being galloped don't have speedometers on them.
My favourite part of the book was when Emily finally stopped whining about her lack of money being the reason why she wasn't a fabulous rider and actually started to do something about it. She was starting to get on my nerves so I'm glad she salvaged herself. That was a rather good life lesson in there too which I liked.
Overall I really loved this book. I thought it was interesting, cute and passionate. Even if you aren't a rider, let me tell you that you will still love this book. And if you are a rider, what are you waiting for??
March 16, 2015
Two very different young women narrate this story - Margaret is in a new place without her parent's funds and is trying to still be around horses still as she has been in the horse world for her entire life, but through her parents funding. Emily has a single mom and has wanted to be in the horse world, but has always felt on the outskirts because of her lack of funds. These two girls lives intersect and they will have to learn from each other to help each other get what they really want.
First, let me say that I think this character at the beginning is meant to be very unloveable, so that there is a journey, but if she called herself by the third person, her own name, one more time I was going to sock her! I absolutely hated it when she was telling the story and then referred to herself, it was done one too many times and enough to be distracting.
Overall, I did love the book, but it wasn't one that stood out for me.
First, let me say that I think this character at the beginning is meant to be very unloveable, so that there is a journey, but if she called herself by the third person, her own name, one more time I was going to sock her! I absolutely hated it when she was telling the story and then referred to herself, it was done one too many times and enough to be distracting.
Overall, I did love the book, but it wasn't one that stood out for me.
January 8, 2018
Very Entertaining and a Quick Read
I was entertained from the first page and remember why I have few regrets I did not get serious about showing when Erica Lewis was introduced. We all know such a person.
I was entertained from the first page and remember why I have few regrets I did not get serious about showing when Erica Lewis was introduced. We all know such a person.
July 2, 2018
Entertaining
Loved this book! It was light reading but the characters really come alive, especially the main character, Margaret. This book had me laughing out loud and cheering for the hunter princess, something I never thought I’d do!
Loved this book! It was light reading but the characters really come alive, especially the main character, Margaret. This book had me laughing out loud and cheering for the hunter princess, something I never thought I’d do!
March 12, 2024
I’ve ridden and shown horses for 35 years and this book had me LOL throughout! It was a super fun, quick read that hit the nail on the head in so many ways. If you’ve shown hunters, you’ll be especially entertained or possibly very offended. ;)
July 10, 2021
I loved it. Deeply flawed characters, jealousy, ambition, humility, disappointment, and most of all, humor. This is a fun book to read.
May 9, 2015
This book is pure silly fun. When her gambling-addicted father loses all his money, Maargaret is forced to leave her protected, cushy life as a rider of expensive horses and take a menial position as a gallop girl exercising horses who belong to someone else. She is paired with an experienced rider, and their mutual contempt fuels the fun. Emily despises Margaret's high-falutin' ways, and Margaret thinks Emily doesn't care enough about her appearance. I don't think I'm giving much away when I say they come to appreciate what each has to offer.
I was horse mad when I was young, but it was all about western riding. Show jumping wasn't on my raider. I've made up for it since, so I was able to appreciate the humor and the inside jokes about those who travel the show-jumping circuit. Snobs are snobs even when the snobbery is coming from the other direction.
I was horse mad when I was young, but it was all about western riding. Show jumping wasn't on my raider. I've made up for it since, so I was able to appreciate the humor and the inside jokes about those who travel the show-jumping circuit. Snobs are snobs even when the snobbery is coming from the other direction.
May 18, 2016
If you are not a horse person, you probably shouldn't bother with this book (at least, my guess is that you wouldn't find it compelling). I AM a horse person, and the author got the horse parts pretty much correct, so I appreciated that. This story is narrated by two alternating POV characters. I initially found the "voice" of the first character a bit over the top and annoying, but either I adjusted, or she toned down a little. I ended up liking both the main characters, and found their communication issues amusing. Possibly, if I were younger and/or moved more in the "hunter princess" circles, I'd find it even funnier. Certainly the author lampooned a number of stereotypes. The plot moved along nicely; I might read another by this author.
July 25, 2015
Loved it!!!!
You kinda have to be a horse person to appreciate a lot of the nuances in this book, but with that said, it is a wonderful story about unlikely friends, family that makes you crazy and finally the love of everything horses. Read it for the experience because she made me feel like you were actually on that runaway horse with the wind in your hair and the terror in your heartbeat.....exceptional!
You kinda have to be a horse person to appreciate a lot of the nuances in this book, but with that said, it is a wonderful story about unlikely friends, family that makes you crazy and finally the love of everything horses. Read it for the experience because she made me feel like you were actually on that runaway horse with the wind in your hair and the terror in your heartbeat.....exceptional!
November 11, 2016
Gallop into this fun book
Fun book and a quick read.., Not enough five star horse gal books out there and no 4.5 star rating to get past a kinda mediocre four star. Hope to see more about Margaret Fletcher and her world soon!
Fun book and a quick read.., Not enough five star horse gal books out there and no 4.5 star rating to get past a kinda mediocre four star. Hope to see more about Margaret Fletcher and her world soon!
March 20, 2015
Great reading for the horsey set!
April 9, 2015
I adored this book! I found it well written and highly amusing. I'm very much hoping for a sequel!
October 11, 2015
Rating it on entertainment value alone. I haven't laughed this reading a book in along time! Anyone who has ever learned to gallop will relate to that part of the novel!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews