White Horses in Aussie Readers

Aug 17, 2019 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-authors, net-galley, contemporary-fiction, 2019-release, read-on-kindle, arc, own-read

3.5★s

The day Drift – Melody Wood – turned twenty-one was no different from any other. Her father, Split (Dennis), had cared for her since she was a child when her mother disappeared. His grief was still raw and on occasion he lost himself in the bottle. But their life as cattle drovers was one Drift loved. Carefree, with the dogs and horses to keep them company while working the cattle, they roamed the coast of Western Australia. Drift had two women in her life who had made a difference – Wilma ...more

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Aug 16, 2019 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was ok

Shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-reviews, arc-are

When I started making notes to write this review of White Horses by Rachael Treasure, I was disheartened to realise that on balance, the negatives for me outweighed the positives. This has nothing to do with the quality of writing as such, and everything to do with specific elements of the story that I personally didn’t care for.

Treasure’s passion for regenerative agriculture, and ethical animal husbandry, something she herself practices on her farm in Tasmania, is admirable and is clearly commu
When I started making notes to write this review of White Horses by Rachael Treasure, I was disheartened to realise that on balance, the negatives for me outweighed the positives. This has nothing to do with the quality of writing as such, and everything to do with specific elements of the story that I personally didn’t care for.

Treasure’s passion for regenerative agriculture, and ethical animal husbandry, something she herself practices on her farm in Tasmania, is admirable and is clearly communicated in White Horses. It’s evident, even to a lay person, that the agricultural industry needs to embrace more sustainable, holistic methods of farming and Treasure doesn’t hesitate to drive this point this point home at every opportunity. ‘The Planet’ does sound inspirational, but there is no denying it has a cultish vibe, especially with the talk of the ‘Waking World’ vs the ‘Sleeping World’.

I really wasn’t too keen on the spiritual overtones of the story overall. While I’m all for love and light, compassion and cooperation, I personally found the endless philosophising a bit grating, and I thought the idea of the ‘ghost girl’ was cheesy.

I liked Drift (aka Melody Wood) well enough, she is smart, capable, idealistic, and feisty but also insecure and a bit naive. Her unusual upbringing, spent droving with her father, certainly seemed to have had some benefits, especially when it came to her connection with the land and the environment, but I was a little bothered that the author seemed to consider her isolation from her peers and unfamiliarity with technology somehow laudable.

The romance between Drift and ‘the stockman’ was okay, and obviously it all turns out fine. I would have preferred we had the opportunity to ‘see’ them spend more time together, instead we really only witness them at two crisis points.
*spoiler* One point I feel compelled to make is that the likelihood of ‘the stockman’ being legally allowed to re-enter the country, which leads to the HEA, would be almost nil, and it bugged me.

My biggest issue with the book however was the lack of repercussions for the men who assaulted Drift. It appeared that in both instances there were no formal charges laid against any of the men for the attacks on her (though it was hinted that they eventually faced consequences for other crimes). Perhaps I’m mistaken in my interpretation, but it seemed to me that the author implied that Drift was too ‘spiritual’ to require that the men answer for their crimes against her, and I was uncomfortable with that idea.

White Horses has received several glowing reviews from readers who were delighted with it, unfortunately I just wasn’t one of them. ...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Tracey rated it it was ok

Shelves: australian, crime, fiction, romance, 2019

Melody ‘Drift’ Wood along with her father (Split Wood) make a living by droving cattle along the rural Western Australian highways. Their life is simple and uncomplicated until celebrity surfer Kai goes missing at sea. The town is quickly descended upon by journalists and Kai’s posse of supporters all looking for an answer to his disappearance and the influx turns the quiet routine on its head. To further complicate matters Melody is sexually assaulted and her father’s inner demons continue to r Melody ‘Drift’ Wood along with her father (Split Wood) make a living by droving cattle along the rural Western Australian highways. Their life is simple and uncomplicated until celebrity surfer Kai goes missing at sea. The town is quickly descended upon by journalists and Kai’s posse of supporters all looking for an answer to his disappearance and the influx turns the quiet routine on its head. To further complicate matters Melody is sexually assaulted and her father’s inner demons continue to rage out of control. Yet, Melody is not alone she has a strong group of women who support her and guide her through the good and difficult times.
I have to be honest and admit I really struggled with this novel. One of the issues was the blurb that announces that Melody is brutally sexually assaulted and while reading you are waiting for this event to happen and guess who the culprit is. Mind you when all is realised and revealed, there is no surprise as it is a very ugly male character. It was disappointing as it is almost a cliché as to how the profession and the way the character had been portrayed. One of the other issues I had was with the dialogue as in some sections it was overly formal. Mind you, I did love the use of Australian colloquialisms sprinkled throughout the book as it certainly has some unique phrases.
The strength of the book lies in the central character Melody who has to overcome several hurdles in her journey to enlightenment. I say that as Melody seems to have no driving force except to find herself. The opportunities that open up for Melody are gifted to her or an idea is suggested by those around her. While I found Melody to be a character who was vulnerable, flawed and able to develop resilience she just seemed to coast along without any real purpose until the end.
The other characters are interesting and form some interesting counterpoints. Melody’s main love interest Eli/Kai, well he is just a complete selfish git! The whole needing to find oneself at the expense of others just did not work for me regardless of how ripped his abs are! I am not sure why so many people felt disposed to help him in this quest given he did not display any redeeming qualities. The other kind of character is ‘the Planet’ and its regenerative agriculture practices. It came across as a bit hippy cultish and I was kind of waiting for everyone to break out in group singing session after dinner.
Despite all the negatives that I have, Treasure can write. Her descriptions, the pacing are wonderful but it was just elements of the story that I struggled with. This was just not a book for me but I am sure others will love it.
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Jan 13, 2020 Kellie Schache marked it as to-read

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