The God of Animals

I loved it

My Latin teacher recommended this book to me, and I finally read it this summer. I wasn't sure about how much I would like it, but I figured he knows a good book when he reads one. It turns out, he definitely does. I never wanted to put it down. It is not a thriller, but the story still keeps you hooked without needing a whole lot of twisting action shoot em up plot. I loved the authors style of writing. I can't believe it is her first book. This book is mainly about the relationships between people, not just horses and people, but I am a rider and I loved how she brought horses into the story. It is a thought provoking read that basically everyone over the age of about 12 or so (depending on how mature they are) would love.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of the most original, well-crafted stories I have read in decades!

I was drawn into this story immediately and could barely put it down.
Shed some tears and will read it again.

This author has a NEW BOOK due in April 2010. I can hardly wait!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A good first effort

It was a good first novel. It's definitely a 'horse-lovers' book but I still enjoyed the story anyway.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great for horse lovers!

Good book! Especially if you are familiar with horses. This girl was exposed to a lot in her childhood without role models. It opens your eyes to how people in different childhood enviornments learn the way of the world.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sad, sad, sad

I have raised, ridden, and shown horses all my life, and I have read many books and articles about them over the years. Never have I read so much garbage and mis-information in one book. The author may know a lot about writing and her choice of location, but she knows very little about horses. I am sure she was trying to make a point regarding love, loss, etc., but she really should get her facts straight. I would not recommend this book to anyone, especially a horseperson. It would make them sick, and they would think the writer totally clueless.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is not an interesting book. Do not waste your money. Listen

to this because it is coming from a 3rd grader.

Disturbing

I suspect those who don't know much about horses may like this book more than those of us who do. The author gets so many things about horses wrong it was very hard to keep reading.

I had to skip the parts where the horses are abused. While there are some horse trainers that are abusive, most are in the business because they love horses. A lot of what Aryn Kyle described would never be done on a horse ranch.

And even in 1990 there were psychologists and anti-depressant medications. Who would just let their wife life in her room and barely eat without trying to help her?

I hope Aryn Kyle researches her next book better.

Highly recommended

Thirteen-year-old Alice Winston lives on a small horse ranch in Desert Valley, Colorado. Readers are introduced to a very strong, hardworking child who has been forced to mature far too quickly, due to the loss of both a mother and sister. She has been left to care for herself with only the presence of an overworked, abusive father to console her. We first catch a glimpse of this when Alice is processing the death of a classmate who had drowned in a canal near her house. Alice decides to take on the identity of the dead girl's best friend in order to receive some longed-for attention from some questionable sources. Her life becomes mixed up in a world quite unlike her own, full of harmful secrets, gossip and deception. With no one to turn to for guidance, Alice starts the painful journey to becoming an adult alone, and discovers that it is not such a friendly place after all.

Cu Susan lick

Very cute

Good Book

I had a hard time getting into this book, but after a while I couldn't put it down. All around this is a really good book.

Wow!

I have not read a debut novel as amazing as this one. Aryn Kyle is amazing with words. She paints the picture so clearly that one feels like they were looking on from the rafters. I could not put this book down. She made an ordinary coming of age story into so much more! Much much more! I hope she continues to write. This book deserves awards!

I Enjoyed This Book

Yes, it's a bit dark and depressing but it was about real life. If you have a dark and depressing life, I don't recommend you read this book! The author is so right on about the young girls and their love of horses and the middle-aged women trying to be or do something in the horse world before it's too late. This was a book I found myself taking wherever I went to read it any chance I got!

I Hated This Book

This is a sad, depressing book. I would never have finished this book had it not been a book club choice. I can only wonder what the author's life must be like to write a book that has not one likable character and dwells on the mistreatment of animals. If I lived in this world I would be exactly like Marion. The only good thing about this book is that it's a quick read and will burn fast.

Well-written

From my experience in the horse showing and training world, the story is so believeably true. The emotions in the book are obviously portrayed in her writing style. I was blown away by most of this book, even though it didn't have the ending I wanted. This was a wonderful book for anyone who has felt the hardships that come with working in a modern horse farm.

The God of Animals a novel by Aryn Kyle

I didn¿t really like this book. I did get into it about four chapters in, but it wasn¿t as fulfilling as I thought it would be. The author tied up all the lose needs but the ending wasn¿t the ending that it seems its going to be. It seems as if it's the normal family conflict that gets resolved but it's not. Alice grows up in a Colorado ranch town in the early 1900's, where her mother and sister used to be show stars. Her mother is now so depressed that she won¿t leave her bed and her sister, Nora, has run away with a cowboy. Her father can¿t get any money to pay the bills so he is reduced to housing rich customers¿ horses. Alice is caught in the middle of helping her father and dealing with her lab partner¿s death. She goes though a lot complications in a year or two... then it just kinda ends. It¿s like the author seems to keep building us up and up and then it ends. I was waiting for something else to happen even though all the lose ends are tied up and it doesn¿t. This book would be good for people who like autobiographies because that is how it is told and for light reading, but for anyone else I don¿t recommend it.

Good

Interesting --- believable - fast read

Depressed for Days

This was the most depressing book I've read in a long time. I kept waiting for something good to happen... but it didn't!

Haunting

From the blub on the dust jacket I expected to like this book. What I didn't expect was to absolutely love it and not be able to put it down. No, it's not a 'feel good' book, but I was mesmerized nonetheless. The story is often bleak, and at times even cruel, but it felt like a very authentic picture of the world of horse ranching in a small town in Colorado, something I was interested to learn about. The world of horse ranching the book depicts is in no way romantic. The horses are not pets, they are commodities. And their needs always take second place to those of the ranchers, even in heart-wrenching ways. The characters in the story are real people...complete with real flaws. They hurt each other unintentionally--and occasionally purposefully--while they nurse their wounds, both fresh and deep-seated, mainly in private. Aryn Kyle is a very talented writer and her ability to reveal dark truths slowly, almost begrudgingly, was amazing. Key plot elements are left unsaid until they absolutely must emerge, almost of their own sheer magnitude. Her timing, in a word, is impeccable. And yet, for all of that, the book also has several moments of sheer beauty and tenderness. The characters are not evil, only flawed, and they are still very human, with the very human capacity to seek and give genuine love and compassion. The world of horse ranching, like life in general, may be a rocky road, but from time to time the path does cross smooth, level ground. And the thorns growing along the path do produce some wonderful roses.

Could not put this one down

A beautifully written and poignant piece. As a lover of horses and competition I found it true and a bit heartbreaking as can be in reality. The characters were vivid. This would make a great film.

A reviewer

The writer has truly captured the voice of 6th grader Alice Winston. The reader is completely immersed in the often heartbreaking world of this little girl as she introduces us to her world - her family and their lives on a horse ranch. Rates right up there with 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' in its ability to capture the moving voice of a troubled child. Fantastic.