A touching narrative that transcends its subject matter.
In horse lover and activist Normile’s memoir (co-authored with seasoned writer Lindner), she fights for the humane treatment of ex-racehorses.
Compelled by the idea of owning a thoroughbred, Normile acquires “Baby” from an ailing breeder, with the stipulation that she races him. Driven by a competitive spirit rather than financial gain, her main priority is ensuring her new horse’s well-being. Normile becomes indoctrinated in the early 1990s subculture of Detroit horse racing—and the corner-cutting and corruption that lurk in the unregulated sport. Her tender love for Baby compares to a mother’s love for her child who’s all the more vulnerable due to his inability to express himself. Baby shows promise as a winner, but due to a series of unsavory experiences, he never reaches his potential. He eventually meets a tragic, untimely end resulting from negligence on the track. This heart-wrenching loss launches Normile into a fight to protect other horses from the same fate. She’s motivated further when she learns some dark truths behind the industry, like the legal practice that has retired racehorses being slaughtered and sold for meat. Ultimately, she helms a nonprofit rescue that matches retired thoroughbreds with new owners. Like many tireless and committed activists, she sacrifices her family relationships and personal well-being for her cause. With the help of Lindner’s first class storytelling, action and emotion equally drive this compelling tale that will bring on the waterworks for any animal lover. The horses Normile loves are portrayed as dynamically as human beings, with imagined dialogue Normile gleans from their body language. Early in the book, she describes Baby’s departure from his mother and siblings: “There were cries and whinnies from the other horses as the trailers left. ‘Where are you going? We thought you were home to stay,’ ” the others horses are imagined saying. “Baby himself didn’t appear to be nervous. ‘I’ll be back,’ he whinnied confidently. ‘Just gone for a bit—have to make my mark.’ ”
A touching narrative that transcends its subject matter.Pub Date: April 16, 2013
ISBN: 978-0988878006
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Powder Point Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
For readers seeking an introduction to classical music, an easy, entertaining alternative to searching online.
A personable if anachronistic beginner’s guide to classical music.
Selecting over 125 of his favorite pieces of music from the baroque, classical and romantic periods, as well as his favorite recordings of them, music enthusiast Nielsen (Warriors, 2009) has compiled an encyclopedic resource for people looking to expand their music collections. Each one-to-two–page entry, in addition to introducing the composition and recording, offers some biographical information about the composer, conductor and musicians, interspersed with Nielsen’s corny but affable humor (he can’t pass on a good “Baroque”/”broke” pun). Nielsen describes his musical “cup of tea” as “light, lively, and very melodic,” which does influence the tenor of his recommendations; ardent appreciators of contemporary classical, for instance, are likely to differ in opinion on what constitutes “the best,” though Nielsen is always forthcoming with his personal biases. While greats such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven deservedly have quite a few works featured, Nielsen also includes music by Albinoni, Fesca and the lesser-known Haydn brother, all refreshing suggestions from the canon. In an attempt to be comprehensive, Nielsen provides information in each entry about the manufacturer, price and online purchasing of each recommended CD—but recognizes in his introduction that these can change quickly, and some may already be out of date. For that reason, in addition to the sometimes repetitious nature of the blurbs, the guide feels as though it might be better suited to a searchable online format. Its structure, too, doesn’t seem to necessitate book form: Primarily comprising alphabetical entries on instrumental music, it concludes with three much shorter and more lackluster sections on vocal music, Christmas music and some comic composer biographies. That said, for readers who are less comfortable navigating the Internet, or just overwhelmed by the sheer volume of recordings and reviews to be found there, Nielsen’s guide will be a helpful starting point. As his music criticism tends a bit toward the superficial, neophytes stand to gain some basic knowledge, but experts should probably pass.
For readers seeking an introduction to classical music, an easy, entertaining alternative to searching online.Pub Date: March 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1467958394
Page Count: 310
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Despite minor shortcomings, this daring tale will find its audience among fans of fantasy and adventure.
In the same vein as Lewis Carroll, debut novelist Pumphrey creates a fantastical world full of magic, mayhem and mystery.
In this first installment of a four-book series, 13-year-old Drake seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time—an explosion lights up the woods in front of him, leaving a strange, shimmering stone at the base of the damaged trees. Colorful, bright and hot to the touch, the stone captures Drake’s curiosity and causes him to see strange visions. Intrigued, he carefully brings the stone home and places it underneath one of his most beloved books, Luke of Kropite. Drake soon discovers that both the book and the stone are missing—the most likely culprit is his little sister, Bailey. In a flash, Drake spins in midair (not unlike Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole or Harry’s travel via the Floo Network) and lands in a giant field that smells like lavender and popcorn. An oversized bug named Sponke and a gentle giant named Groger help Drake adjust to his new surroundings. The three travel over mountains and into danger, but Drake still has no idea where he is or why he’s there. As he meets hide-a-binds, mezorks, rock benders, kreetons, foreadors and more, he discovers that he may be more familiar with this strange land than he realizes…and he may possess abilities that could make him just as powerful as his favorite fictional character, Luke. Pumphrey does well in her creation of Kropite, a unique and thrilling alternate universe, and she keeps the pace brisk. Less successful, however, is the novel’s introduction. One of the first characters we meet is Reigan, who is set up to be a major character but then disappears from view until the conclusion of the story. Conversely, Bailey is rarely mentioned until we discover that she’s missing. Lastly, Pumphrey dreams up a huge team of characters, many irrelevant to the plot. This may be a setup for successive books, but readers may feel inundated with too many players.
Despite minor shortcomings, this daring tale will find its audience among fans of fantasy and adventure.Pub Date: May 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-1468183641
Page Count: 308
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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