The Head and Not The Heart

Alex and Alexander #1

by Natalie Keller Reinert

Originally published in 2011, The Head and Not The Heart spurred the creating of the bestselling, award-nominated Alex & Alexander series. Now, read this bonus novella for more background on the action between Runaway Alex and Other People's Horses, Books 1 & 2 of the Alex & Alexander series. About the Book Alex's life looks pretty wonderful to the casual observer. She's in a committed relationship with a master racehorse trainer. Surrounded by hundreds of horses in the green hills of Ocala, Florida, it's a dream life for any equestrian. But suddenly she's tired of hitting the ground when a flighty racehorse decides to spook, tired of fending off biting and kicking foals, tired of 2 AM calls for veterinary emergencies. And Alex is starting to wonder if she's made the right choices in life. When their racing stable suffers a loss, she and Alexander slowly begin to fall apart. A chance find of a long-lost horse sends Alex alone to New York City, and she wonders if this is the sign she's been waiting for. Is it time to leave it all behind and start fresh? Running from the lush pastures of Florida horse country to the icy streets of Brooklyn, Alex experiments with being a different sort of person, as if horses had never mattered to her, and finds herself lost in the company of strangers. Dealing with love, loss, and obsession -- all the components of a life with horses -- "The Head and Not The Heart" brings the world of racehorses and the people who love them to life.

Genres: Horses, Fiction, Animals

153 pages, Paperback

First published July 13, 2011

About the author

Natalie Keller Reinert is the award-winning author of more than twenty books, including the Eventing series and Briar Hill Farm series. Drawing on her professional experience in three-day eventing, working with Thoroughbred racehorses and mounted patrol horses, therapeutic riding, and many other equine pursuits, Natalie brings her love of equestrian life into each of her titles. She also cohosts the award-winning equestrian humor podcast Adulting With Horses.

Natalie lives in north Florida with her family, horses, and cat.

Reviews

[The Mad Mad Madeline]

While one can tell that the book was written by "a true horse person" (just a side note from a horse book snob- it's fairly easy to tell when somebody has spent time around horses and when they haven't, and the authentic books unfortunately are few and far between...) so I give Reinert credit for that.

Alex, the main character, was a bit two dimensional and a little bit boring, but the world in which she functions is rich and delightfully horsey. I read this one quickly, and while I was unimpressed with Alex (she's kind of vain and immature, but I suppose that's part of her character), I found myself becoming "involved" with the tale, and falling in love with the emerging horse, The Tiger Prince (the name by itself had me utterly hooked!)

That being said, I will continue to read any of the books in the series. In my eBook version, the end included a short story which actually was beautifully written.

Reinert does have talent, but I wish she would develop her characters a wee bit more for future reads.

[Windy]

A solid start to what will hopefully be a decent series. Well written by a horse person for horse people. I was hoping for a little bit more character development, and I didn't care for the abrupt jump ahead a year towards the end of the story (I guess instead of a brief synopsis of the characters' lives during that year, I'd have rather have had a few chapters dedicated to fleshing that out). Still, overall this was an enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to the second one in the series. 3 solid stars.

[Intellectual Magpie]

Finishing my first Natalie K. Reinert novel I am excited to continue and read more. Overall 4.5/5 ✨ for this well written book about life, loss, changes and what’s in your heart.
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Only flaw to not receive a full five stars, I wish for more equestrian details to have been added. Little things to trigger my mind of familiarity and draw me into the barn setting better.
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Having lost my first horse recently this book definitely hit home in more ways then one. Loss of a special horse can definitely push your limits to question your life as an equestrian 🖤 they are heart wrenching creatures that mend the hearts they break.

[Caroline]

I appreciate that the story is written by someone who obviously is a “horse person” as I owned and rode horses for years and worked on a TB breeding farm for a while so do know what the life is like but I found the characters rather two-dimensional and there wasn’t really much of a plot and, really, the only thing that kept my interest was the description of the horses, the training and the Florida countryside, so I’m not sure if I’m going to bother continuing with this author.

If you felt yourself running out of breath reading my review that’s how I often felt reading this book. I do wish the author had made more liberal use of periods!

[Sarah Hickner]

I love this series! I peaked back through and noticed a couple people giving this book 3 stars because Alex was a flat character for them. The problem is, they missed the first book of the series! Reinhardt wrote a prequel that makes this book so much better. So read the prequel to really get to know Alex.
I loved how this story dealt with real life that isn’t always cute. And we see a character questioning some thing she truly loves because burnout is real and grief is real.

[Denise]

If you love horses

If you love horses, you’ll love Natalie Keller Reinert’s books. This series touches on the thrills of the sport of racing, but realistically portrays the hard work, love and sometimes heartache that comes with loving these amazing creatures.

[Jen]

Head and not the heart

In general I just love well written horse stories and Natalie Reinhardt is a good author. I was drawn into Alex and Alexander’s training business and most of all to the horses they loved.

[Haylee VanCuran]

What 26 year old hasn’t second guessed everything in their life and had to go and find themselves. That is exactly what Natalie Keller Reinert has Alex do in the second book of the Alex and Alexander series.

[Vicki]

Good read

Recommend to anyone with any level of interest re: horses or how "horse people" live and interact. True to earth.

[Anna]

Very quick, fun read. Loved how realistic it was. It definately fulfilled my horse racing nerdiness standards.

[Allison Dickson]

The perfect sequel to Runaway Alex. Having read Natalie's other book, The Hidden Horses of New York, it was very cool to see the similarities and differences in Alex and Jenny's view on NYC.

[Maggie Dana]

This is one of those books that stays with you, long after you've turned the last page. The images and word pictures the author paints are subtle and provide layers of insight into this compelling story.

The author's well-formed descriptions really caught my attention. I mean, who cannot love the way this house in Florida is portrayed: "This sprawling farmhouse looked like it had been dropped carelessly from a helicopter which had been en route to a more suitable location, like Vermont."

And here's another, about Aqueduct racetrack: "The windows were pitted with baseball-sized holes, as if there were an unfortunate profusion of home-runs from parking lot pick-up games."

Then, there's this: "He was a good-looking Thoroughbred who had been around the block a few times, with bumpy cannon bones that had seen many splints and the waterfall pattern of pin-fire scars down his forelegs. He had a patient look to his eyes, as if he knew that his life was ridiculous, but that there was hay waiting in his stall if he was just nice to this rider. I adored him instantly."

This says it all. A bond between horse and rider that reaches into the hearts and minds of horse lovers everywhere.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novella and hope the author is busy writing more.

[Mary Pagones]

An elegantly-written, spare, and delicate novel about the internal conflicts of a woman who has grown up around horses. This novel challenges many of the conventional clichés of how a racetrack novel is ‘supposed’ to evolve. Usually the plot revolves around a single horse and the challenges he must undergo to become a champion. In this novel, the central protagonist falls in love with several horses. Some break her heart, others nearly break her skull, some elicit her pity. The focus is on the relationships of the people who work with horses more so than winning a specific competition. Throughout there is a palpable sense of Alex’s angst as a horse professional. Just as she encounters many different types of horses, she also encounters several different career paths and alternative lives she contemplates slipping into—Reinert skillfully weaves her narrative to show both insiders’ and outsiders’ perspectives of the industry. This is an unusually soul-searching book that offers a truly balanced perspective of the racing world, a world that is often only presented in black and white.

[Jennifer Walker]

For any serious horse person who reads The Head and Not the Heart, it is clear that author Natalie Keller Reinert has walked the walk. Having worked with horses for a living and slunk back to my computer for a sitting-down-inside job, I had many of the same thoughts Alex did. You love the horses, but the work is exhausting. Horses are big, strong animals, and they hurt you without even trying. Yet, it is very rewarding to work with them, especially if you've loved them your whole life!

I did find myself getting a little tired of Alex's whining (I get it! It's cold and you're tired.), but we get past it just in time before it gets really old. The fact is, the story rings very true, and Alex and the other characters are very believable. It even made me reflect on my own life, which is always the mark of a good book, in my opinion. I think any horse lover would enjoy this book...perhaps anyone who has a tough job they do because of their passion would appreciate it.

[Kelsey]

This story started out great. The world is richly developed and believable. I completely identified with the MC and felt her struggles. And then I blinked, the story was over and it was suddenly a HEA. What??? It read as though half the book was missing. Alex struggles with her life choices and ends up in New York where she experiences a night out as the person she could have been. There is a deep melancholy to the writing and you can feel her lack of passion for the job she is doing. Then all of a sudden she's back at home, loving life, and her new favorite horse is winning a race! I was disappointed by the ending and how quickly everything was resolved into a neat little package. I felt like this story could have been much greater than it was.

[Natalie]

Natalie gets it 100% right on both the emotions and the details when it comes to horses and horse racing. The story is absolutely perfect. I felt the emotions right along with Alex as she struggled to decide if her life in Ocala, Fla. with horses is what she really should be doing. I've grown up around horses and do believe even those who have not will understand and fall in love with this story. It shows you the real deal the struggles of the world of horse racing. The details are spot on. The writing is so well done.

-from H. Tonini at Amazon The Head and Not The Heart at Amazon

[Christine Meunier]

The first in the Alex and Alexander series, The Head and Not the Heart is told from the point of view of 25 year old Alex. Alex lives and breathes horses. As the second in charge on a racing and breeding thoroughbred establishment, she is devastated by the loss of a beloved horse at work.

This is not the first time Alex has grown attached to a promising young racehorse. It’s not the first time that she’s had to deal with its death, either. Although she knows she shouldn’t let her heart get involved, it’s hard not to at times. Her boss and lover Alexander is the same... read more at http://equus-blog.com/head-and-not-th...

[Joyce Reynolds-Ward]

Definitely a book for horsepeople and non-horsepeople alike. Horsepeople will like the overall accuracy of this book--we've all known critters like the ones Reinert describes. For non-horsepeople, Reinert clearly and accurately explains horse-specific terminology and techniques without breaking the narrative flow, which is a tough thing to do.

But the heart of this book and its sequel, Other Peoples' Horses lies in the classic professional horseperson's dilemma--do what is right for the horse and lose money, or use the horse up and make much more money.

[Tudor Robins]

Natalie Reinert has that rare (and, to me, very valuable) talent of writing day-to-day stories (even if the day-to-day does take place in very interesting settings) that make you want to keep turning the pages.

This, after all, is real life - ups and downs in relationships and work - these are the dramas we gossip about with our friends and families, so there's no reason why they shouldn't be as interesting as any over-the-top action / thriller / cliff-hanger, when written well.

This author writes them very well!

[S.J. Matthews]

This novella is a glimpse into the life on the racetrack and the emotions that only someone who loves horses could understand. I tend to shy away from first person POV, but it worked in this regard. I think it is probably the best way to tell the story. The protagonist clearly loves her life in Florida, but anyone that has wondered if they are living the life they are supposed to can relate to her struggles. I really enjoyed the read and will definitely check out Other People's Horses.

[Becky]

Really loved this book. As a show barn groom back in the 80's heyday on the Arabian circuit, it was fun to find a book that was as much about the grind of that life as the love for the horses themselves. Took me back to a time when I gave up that life but never the horses. Still have nine head to keep me humble every day. Enjoy this one if you want realism and love and adventure by someone else who has been there.

[Linda]

Great debut short novel about a young woman trying to find her place in life. Her passion has always been horses, but it that all there is? With lots of realistic details about training young racehorses from an author who knows her stuff, this story will especially appeal to horse lovers. Ms. Reinert has a great feel for language and words, and I look forward to reading more of her work!

[Linda Shantz]

I really enjoyed the voice, and certainly can relate to the whole overworked horse person thing (though I would take winters in Florida over winters in Ontario! I dream of the winters I spent in Florida when I'm night watching mares in February snowstorms!). Started out with great promise but came up a little short for me. Nice to read a reasonably authentic view of the TB world, though.

[Robin]

Solid horse racing book with intimate backstretch details that ring true to a horseman.

[Barb]

Not much of a story. Not very believable. Not much real insight into horsemanship. Disappointing. More like a blog or essay about a cathartic experience.

[Jenn]

I've had this for awhile and kept not reading it because I am not a fan of horseracing. But I finally gave in, and it was quite wonderful, actually! Great characters!

[Leah]

This book did just what the first book in a series needs to do. It interested me enough to inspire me to purchase #2!

[G. Fenton]

A good read, that succeeds in being both entertaining and informative.