The book tells the story of 19-year-old Bud Frazer and his year in Hollywood trying to make money as a horse-riding stuntman. The year is 1938, and Bud has left his ranchhand mom and dad behind in Oregon. He's also left behind, or thinks he has, a bit of baggage from the death of his younger sister.
On the bus ride down to Hollywood, Bud meets an aspiring screenwriter named Lily. They don't really have a romantic connection, but they strike up a relationship that gets them both through the stressful times of getting jobs and losing jobs, emotional pain and physical pain.
Even as Bud narrates the story, the author breaks it up to offer flashbacks so that the reader can understand where Bud came from, his family, and just what happened to his sister.
If you're looking for a really great read for when you have some days off around Thanksgiving and the December holidays, I would recommend Falling from Horses. Some parts of the book might be hard for people to read; this is about stunt riding, after all. So if you don't want to read about horses getting injured and killed or people getting injured, then you might want to steer clear of this story. But if that doesn't bother you, this is a beautifully written, somewhat coming-of-age story with really great characters that you won't stop thinking about even after the story ends.
Falling from Horses is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and is on bookshelves TODAY! I received a free advance review copy at Book Expo America with no obligation to review.
Comments
Post a Comment