A Horse Called Trouble
A throwaway kid. A throwaway horse. Neither deserving of the title, but both thrown into the misnomer against their wills.
Tara
is unwanted by her mother, deserted by her father, and the victim of a
cruel plan to ruin her life. Trouble is a horse, tortured by a spoiled,
self-centered girl—the same one who is out to destroy Tara’s future.
Nothing is ever said as to why this girl has such hatred to both Tara
and the horse; in the end, it doesn’t really matter.
But when
Trouble meets Tara, and the two bond, it changes both of their lives.
And in the end, Tara learns that she is in no way a throwaway child. In
fact, she is better off than the privileged child who continually tries
to take away her hopes and dreams.
What a wonderful picture Ms.
Volnek draws for the reader in this book! It’s obvious from the start
that she knows about the psychological workup of the foster child. The
way she leads her protagonist, Tara, out of her shell and into the
strong, confident young lady she becomes is truly magic. Not to say
that there isn’t some holding back; Ms. Volnek makes it clear how hard
it is to go from the mindset of “I’m not wanted” to “I am worth
something” for those who know no other life than rejection.
The
magic between Tara and the horses may seem a bit unreal to those
uninitiated into the realm of people who struggle with self-esteem every
day, but it is a candle of hope to the reader who has had to deal with
it. Anyone who has had the heel of rejection ground into them in
day-to-day living can relate to catching that one straw, that one
glimmer of hope, that can lead to a life of happiness. It is a metaphor
more than a reality, although I cannot attest to the bond that can
happen between horse and human. Ms. Volnek definitely can, because she
has experience with horses—and that comes through loud and clear. Her
story is very easy to read, without being simplistic; the characters are
very believable, and the story is seamless. I cheered at the ending.
It was a little predictable, but made me happy nonetheless.
Kathy
5 stars
Great review, Kathy. I do enjoy happy endings. Sounds like a book I'll soon read.
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