Riding Lessons

I admit it was hard to put down. But I also find novels where the main character is continually doing the wrong thing (until the end) a bit irritating.

Quite simply one of the best books I've read in years. Life lessons fill the pages.

I'm someone who generally reads spy thrillers by an author like David Baldacci, but I have loved the three books by Sara Gruen that I've read: Water for Elephants...so great that the movie could not come close; At the Water's Edge...rich and historical, and I just finished Riding Lessons. While the novel brilliantly addresses real family problems and relationships, Riding Lessons turned into a real page-turner that I just couldn't put down until I finished it.

A 38 year old woman should be able to handle at least ONE curveball thrown by life. She so completely fell apart throughout the book that I stopped feeling sorry for her and wondered when she was going to get a clue.

Couldn't put it down

I am a total bookworm and have read many books in my life, however this is one of the best novels I have read in a long time. I am also a horse lover and owner, so I guess it made the book even better. I would recommend this book to anyone!! :)

Great book. Very true to the equestrian profession. Great read with a great vocabulary.

Sara Gruen is an excellent writer, or I wouldn't have finished this book. Our heroine is extraordinarily flawed, behaving irresponsibly and displaying a lack of maturity and emotional control that prevents the reader from identifying with her. At one point I almost didn't care what happened to her. Gruen's amazing storytelling ability kept me reading in spite of that. Another issue I have with Gruen is a problem with pacing. Even if you didn't know what page you're on, you can tell immediately when the story ends as you are pitched into what should be a separate epilogue--as though Gruen has run out of time and, in the last chapter, has to switch from storytelling to reporting in order to meet her publisher's deadline. All that said, I still recommend Gruen's books because her stories do sweep you into their worlds, and her characters practically leap off the page and become real. If they didn't, I wouldn't have gotten so annoyed with this heroine.

It was a little hard to get first the first chapter because I wanted so much for it to be as good as the last book of her and it wasn't. But after the first couple chapters I fell in love with this story as much as the last. Really well written and I can't wait to read the next one.

Had just finished Water for Elephants and thoroughly enjoyed it, so decided to read this. Just nowhere near as rich a story.