Winner

by Maureen O'Donoghue

Presents the saga of Macha Sheridan, the spirited gypsy daughter of a horse-trading rogue, fated to ride and race with a spirit no man can match

Genres: Historical Fiction

414 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1988

Reviews

[Eirwen Abberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really got into this book and enjoyed it - it even made me cry! <3 horses <3

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might categorize this as a historical romance, except that there's more than one -- through no fault of her own our main character is a serial monogamist. But it's more of a saga, spanning Macha Sheridan's life from roughly age 14 to 40 in Ireland and England, starting in 1895. Her rise from a near-penniless orphan cast out of her Traveller camp for defying custom to the circles of nobility is not without scads of heartbreak, but well worth the time spent reading it.

I actually stayed up all night reading this book, which I miraculously found at a garage sale just a few weeks after seeing it recommended on a horse book blog as a good example of horsey novels aimed at adults. Although it took me years to actually open it, I now heartily endorse that rec. Horses are the one constant and central fixture in her life, as both companions and a livelihood. Although she can be ruthless as a trader, even laming horses in a second foot to make them appear sound, there are a few special horses she cherishes through the rest of their lives and won't part with no matter the circumstances. I grew very fond of these horses.

I didn't think I could possibly enjoy it as much after her departure from the open fields of beautiful Ireland, but I was quickly riveted by her navigation through Edwardian society, funded in part by her uncanny ability to judge horseflesh well enough to pick race winners with near perfect accuracy. In her personal life, the highs and lows here are even more intense than before. By the time I finally shut the book, I was exhausted in the best possible way, feeling like I'd lived half a lifetime and watched the world change right alongside her.

[Linds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!
The storyline takes you through the life of a young Irish girl, Macha who has just become an orphan. Deciding to change her lot in life she refuses to marry the fellow her father had promised her to and denying tradition refuses to allow her father's wagon and horses to be burned after his death. This results in her being exiled from her people and she must now make it on her own.

[Suyash Vij · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is beautiful. The journey of a gypsy girl with a passion for horses is communicated beautifully across. It’s a lovely tale where society expects woman to act in a certain way and yet masha lives through it bringing in glory. Getting a paperback wasn’t easy for this book. This book is GOLD.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually finish books quite quickly, but I felt myself dragging my feet to finish this one, just because I didn’t ever want it to end. I randomly found this book in a thrift store and bought it on a whim (mainly because I noticed a horse on the cover) but I didn’t expect it to completely absorb me the way it did. Macha is an unforgettable character, and she overcomes immense hardships and obstacles her whole life. She is resilient, resourceful, stubborn, smart, and fiercely loyal. Her courage in facing every challenge is admirable. Horses are the one constant in her life, even as everything else changes constantly around her. No matter where her story takes her, from the age of 14 to 40, from Ireland to England to America, her horses are always with her, and she loves them more than anything. This book is something special, and I know I’ll be reading it again many times over.

[Bonnie Staughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Travelers are fatalists. They accept the events of each day without question or resentment; a sale or a loss, hunger or food, harassment or peace, birth or death, all are absorbed and then forgotten".

Macha was a gypsy in Ireland. Upon her father's death, she was obliged to burn her father's bow-top vehicle and burn all of his possessions. But Macha refused that custom and refused the arranged marriage she was facing. Her true love was horses and buying and selling them was her way to keep food on the table. Her life included many hard and many life changing moments but the horses were always front and center.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for a "hard to put down" reading experience.

[Ram · Rating 4 out of 5]

trails and tribulations of a gypsy girl from the rough end of Ireland, loses her father at the beginning of the story, expert horse rider, brave girl to fear no society, her romance and marriage to another equally adept horseman Irish lad, her flight to England, coming into money, her rise in Edwardian society, another marriage to a peer and then another. The girl is adept at horse trading and throughbred racing, the story revolves around the end of the last century to just after the first world war.

[Kristin Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and reread this book so many times. I can put myself in it every time. Maureen makes it come alive.

[Lauren Goldsmith-Cottrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favourite books. I love everything about this story and have read it many times.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books :)