All Sarah knows is her world of horses and riding and her grandfather’s driving perfectionistic training, and it is a world that protects her from the poverty that immediately surrounds her.
All Natasha knows is that she has to get through the divorce that she’s up against, and it is her constant, imperative work that shields her from having to think too much about what she’s about to lose.
And then suddenly, their two worlds follow a collision course that is as unlikely and unsuitable as it is inevitable. All that is familiar to each of them is turned upside down and neither knows how it will end. And neither does the reader until that very last page!
This book took some getting into. Because the two main characters are both obstinate and somewhat introverted, they are difficult to get to know (and to like) – at least from this reader’s perspective. But much like many who are quieter and take getting to know, it was worth the wait. As the story became more and more entangled, the characters became more and more endearing somehow – I guess because they showed more of who they were. We also learned more about more of the interesting peripheral characters, some of which were exquisitely colorful. Cowboy John, for example, while posing as a somewhat crass, wheeler-dealer type, actually revealed a very soft heart and was extremely tender and generous when it came to both Sarah and her grandfather, Henri.
And the plot was surprisingly surprising! There were many punches that came out of left field and that was quite fun. There were sad moments, heartbreaking moments, and moments when you wanted to yell at a character to warn them about what they could not see. But that is part of the fun too, no?
A solid read, just in time for summer! Enjoy!
kindread spirits 