A Horse to Remember

by Sam Savitt

High-school senior Mike Benson is obsessed with training Viking, a difficult, gray thoroughbred, and uncovers the mystery of the horse's unknown past

Genres: Horses, Animals

119 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 1984

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I managed to pick up this book for $4 at Amazon and thought, "Great! This is another book from my childhood that's re-entering my life!" and found out when reading it that I'd never read it before in my life. I'm really getting pissed off at my memory. Here's the cover:



However, I am glad I bought this book since I am a fan of Sam Savitt and horse books. This is not Savitt's best (that would be Wild Horse Running but Savitt on an off day is still miles better than most modern author/illustrators on their best days.

This is an expanded version of Savitt's previous book, which I hadn't read either, called There Was a Horse. I guess it's the Director's Cut version.

It's a good story, quite funny at times, about a great thoroughbred horse and a not-so-great rider. The not-so-great rider is our narrator. He pares the story down to the essentials. He's also an orphan. How many horse stories require an orphan? One day I'll keep count.



The book does have an inevitable climax at The Big Race and ends quite abruptly. I wanted more. That's why the book only gets four stars.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read "There was a Horse" written and illustrated by Savitt, but it wouldn't show up as a title. Must be too old. Anyway, I love Savitt's horse illustrations although the story was very old-timey and nothing special. HIgh marks for the issustrations, though.

[Paula Newbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty predicable but enjoyable read

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Anna D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book appealed to me because I enjoy reading books about horses. It takes place in the mid 1900's and is about a teenage boy named mike who bought a horse named Viking. at first he thinks he made a mistake, because all his life people told him not to buy a horse because of its looks. he spent almost $500 dollars on viking. Mike meets a man named Derf who was a retired Jockey. Mike wanted to use viking as a fox hunt horse, but it turns out Viking was a Timber Horse. Viking and Mike enter themselves in lots of small races, and the biggest of all, the Maryland Hunt Cup races. This book expressed how hard Horse racing can be, and how you need a true bond with your horse to do so.

[Butterfly]

Plot and characters weren't very interesting. Drama and feelings between certain characters were hinted at (e.g. tension with the girlfriend) but it never went anywhere, so it just felt like page-filling. Poor orphaned boys running a farm by themselves have a full-time house-keeper and can pay multiple hired hands so the younger brother can spend all his time with the local fox-hunting club (you know, typical teenage boy stuff)... Wait, so are they struggling and poor and do they desperately need the race prize money or not? Lots of random "horsey facts" wedged in for horse-crazy readers.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very readable book. It is well written and believable. I loved reading Sam Savitt as a kid and enjoyed this book as an adult!