Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: horses

  • Umai

    Umai

    Tagai Tarutin has set his second novel Umai, one of whimsy, love and spiritualism, in the Mid-West of America, Wyoming, a place where horses are bred for racing and work and the peak of the Grand Teton, is an everyday vista to the people who live on the plains below.

    Far back in time a young woman, of beauty and grace was selected to be a rare and wonderful member of the Spirit World, that of a Sharmanka: her name is Umai and she moves across time and Worlds with ease, her own place is in the far regions of what was once the Mongolian Empire. She is considered in many countries as a legend; a mysterious figure on a massive horse, that appears before change occurs on a global level.

    She has a taken a vow of purity and celibacy which has held since her childhood, until this particular event she must undertake: an event which will bring uncertainly, change and devastation to those world-wide who are involved with horses.

    In a chance encounter, Umai meets, Robert, a man who is kind, generous and breeds horses. His family have lived and worked on the plains for many generations; his mother, a widow of only recent years.

    As the story unfolds the imagination is stretched to be able to accept what is happening as Umai and Robert faller deeper in love, in spite of the conflict this will cause. Umai pleads their case on many occasions with those who are her controllers, only to be refused.

    Well aware of what will happen if she persists, as mortals are not allowed to enter the spiritual realm, she and Robert try desperately to find a way they can be together forever.

    Slow paced, repetitious at times and almost considered as pedantic, the style of writing somehow seems to work with this storyline, as every carefully constructed and placed word, begins to build slowly around an event which will see all the horses, Equues Caballus, taken from the earth and sent to Nirvana, in order to right a great wrong.

    Umai is a story of love and conflict, purpose and passion told in gentle, delicate words, which in its slow style, is most enjoyable.

  • Cuckoo’s Flight

    Cuckoo’s Flight

    Beautifully constructed Cuckoo’s Flight from much loved children’s author Wendy Orr compliments her previous books Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance. In Cuckoo’s Flight she enters the world of fantasy fiction once again through the life of Clio, a young girl who’s talented and much respected grandmother is a potter.

    Clio is no ordinary girl as she is coming of age when the girls of the region are selected as a sacrifice to the Oracle to ensure a prosperous trading season, one also starting earlier than expected, by the dictate of The Lady. Her grandmother is none to keen on this happening to her beloved granddaughter as many years earlier he beautiful daughter had been sacrificed.

    Her grandmother decides to craft a beautiful statue of the Goddess to be used as sacrifice rather than a young girl, possibly her granddaughter Clio. She makes several and then chooses the best, enhancing it with all the power she has to make it special, her last gift to Clio; her final gift to the girls of the future. Clio, it also appears seems to be incapable of following instructions left by her grandmother in regard to the kiln full of precious pottery.

    Clio goes off to check on her beloved very pregnant mare Grey Girl and while she is away she notices a black raiding craft off the shore, apparently on a training run. The ship turns about and Clio realizes that it could be a raiding party arriving considerably earlier in the season.

    Add another dimension and Clio and her father have an unusual love of horses which people find unusual, as horses are for manual work, nothing much else, but as her father is a chariot driver, he has begun to teach Clio the art, building her a special chariot to allow her to drive, even with her crippled leg.

    As the days move on things do begin to become chillingly dangerous and it eventually comes down to Clio and her beloved horses to help the townsfolk fight off the marauding raiders, which will see her once again defying her father’s orders in order to not just save her friends’ life but that of the villagers.

    In the introduction Wendy Orr explains where the inspiration came from to create the character of Clio, a little of whom is drawn from Wendy Orr’s life, she and her sisters love of horse and a wonderful clay figure of a Minoan woman riding a horse discovered in a tiny museum in Crete.

    Clio is a very real girl based in a time of old, making way for new, somewhat like today’s world, and as she copes with the changes and the expectations of her family, many young readers will relate to her journey.

    The Cuckoo’s Flight sees several storylines intersect which look at the many aspects of friendship, jealousy, acceptance and growing up, that make this a mature read for all young readers.

  • Something Like This

    Something Like This

    Jason Weaver simply wants to be left alone in his own world where he can be himself; life post Armed Forces, with yet another failed romance and a few other things, has not exactly given him a taste for city life. He loves the bush, the clean air and the peace around the small property he bought to renovate, while he decides what to do next with his life.

    Tilly Hollis also just wants to get on with her life; following a dream created not all that may years ago, but one that means almost all the world to her, she wants to use the unconditional love of horses  to reach out to heal, in an equine therapy program based at her  property.  Life has dealt her some cruel blows, but she is more determined than ever to make her dream come true.

    Jason just happens to come into the café where Tilly works in the small country town of Ben Tirran, and somehow, after their rather terse first meeting, the little café with the excellent coffee becomes a regular stopping off point, almost on a daily basis.

    A casual chat over movies, in particular The Man from Snowy River, sees Tilly inviting Jason to dinner and a movie at her place, which as it turns out is just a short distance down the same road to his property.  And so begins a rather interesting friendship, based around terrible old movies, good food, great coffee and a sense of loneliness, which sees two damage souls slowly coming to understand that perhaps, just perhaps, there could be something new and fresh beginning in their lives.

    Add in Tilly’s sister, fashion designer Jess, who returns home under mysterious circumstances, needing the comfort of returning to her sister in what turns out to be a massive life change for her, but also creating a situation that needs to be understood and allowed to heal.

    Karley Lane has the wonderful ability to bring the many facets of everyday life and the issues that are to be found by creating characters that could be any one of us, trying to make sense out of the hand we are all dealt at different time.

    Something Like This is engaging, genuine, with a story-line we can all relate to and portrays a wonderful slice of country life set in beautiful rural New South Wales, which adds to the enjoyment of the moment spent completely engrossed in yet another fantastic story from Karley Lane.

  • Equus Rising

    Equus Rising

    In her own words Lisa Swerdlow describes her music and compositions as pieces that ‘help people to find an emotional and perhaps spiritual connection’ and hopes ‘her music can act or help as a vehicle for healing the heart’.

    As people in an ever increasingly fast paced world we simply do not have the time to relax, to grieve, to contemplate and allow the body, mind and spirit to heal; to take another deep breath before leaping back into the madness that passes for everyday life.

    When a delightfully joyful, up tempo album such as Equus Rising comes along, it does bring a feeling of peace, relaxation and enjoyment along with it. It says take the time to listen, to enjoy, you are allowed.

    For an album that appears to have little variation and surprise in the construction of the pieces, which is, in this instance is excellent, as it allows the mind to simply drift, float free, to enjoy  whatever visions desired to be created before moving on.

    Her love of horses, the outdoors, the freshness of morning and evenings permeates the music, with each track gently taking a change of direction, both expected and unexpected, which considering this is purely a piano album, is intriguing and well considered.

    Swerdlow has found inspiration from many artists on the Windham Hill label, their gentle and slightly mellow styles being woven into the fabric of this album. Her own musical background, which spans both the classical and jazz genres, has eventually seen her move towards the New Age genre. As this style of music constantly appears to shift and change, it offers inspiration to incorporate a wide and influential range of styles, allowing the composer and musician free range, which Swerdlow has used to good effect.

    As a collection of pieces to sooth the soul and heal the heart, Equus Rising does all of that in a simple, generous and heart felt manner.

  • The Greatest Show of All

    The Greatest Show of All

    In England, back when long skirts and bodices were worn by girls, a circus came to town. Kitty was able to get to the High Street to see the passing parade, and she watched the lions, the acrobats and the clowns, but most of all, the horses. Kitty lived at home with her mother and father, who ran a coach house, renting carriages. Theirs was not a happy home and Kitty’s beloved brother, Tom, had run away several months earlier. Father was a hard task master, and when his daughter offered to take over the care of the horses, he flatly refused, even though he knew her love and affinity with them.

     Kitty decided that she would run away as well, and thought that, if she went to the circus they might take her in, even to muck out the stables. She could never do this as a girl, and so she cut her hair very short, borrowed some of Tom’s clothes, and sneaked out of the house after nightfall. When she arrived at the circus tent she met a lad, Fred. She asked him if he had heard of her brother, and then asked if there was a job with the horses. As she was riding one of the most difficult horses, a man came in and asked who she was. He said that they were short of a stable lad and would give Kit a two week trial. Fred began to show her around the circus, when the music started up, and Fred invited Kit to come and watch the circus.

     So begins a new life for Kit. She works very hard and develops a wonderful rapport with the horses. One of the performers asks Kit to help him train a horse for a new production, and she is delighted. Bit by bit, she begins to develop a relationship with other members of the circus, and is wary of some and friendly with others. Next Kit is asked to play the role of a clown. The master of the clowns is a particularly nasty man and causes Kit to face many an unpleasant situation. Someone is also determined to sabotage an act, and cruelly puts a piece of glass under a horse’s saddle. There is mystery, mayhem and romance afoot.

     As a short novel, this is an excellent piece of writing, with an excellent presentation. The pages are cream coloured paper for people with visual discrimination issues, and the text is a larger, plain font, well-spaced. The fact that Kitty masquerades as a boy, and lives in a boy’s world for a while, means that it will appeal to both genders.  The author admits to being inspired by William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Jane England has set the story in a circus, because it is similar to a magical place where anything can happen.

      Kitty has always had the dream of discovering her brother, and it is this that drives her on, after making peace with her family. A terrific read.