The God of Animals is the story of the coming of age of 13-year-old narrator Alice Winston: lonely, unloved and eager to escape her dysfunctional family and small-town life. Her father runs a struggling horse barn in a small desert town in the American South-West; her mother has been mysteriously ill for years and never leaves her bedroom. And Nona, her beloved older sister, has run away with a cowboy, leaving Alice to fend for herself in an indifferent world, where horses are loved more than people, but people hurt horses ...
Read More
The God of Animals is the story of the coming of age of 13-year-old narrator Alice Winston: lonely, unloved and eager to escape her dysfunctional family and small-town life. Her father runs a struggling horse barn in a small desert town in the American South-West; her mother has been mysteriously ill for years and never leaves her bedroom. And Nona, her beloved older sister, has run away with a cowboy, leaving Alice to fend for herself in an indifferent world, where horses are loved more than people, but people hurt horses just as much as they hurt each other. When Alice goes looking for love and attention outside the world she knows, the consequences are serious for her and all of her family. This is an extraordinary, beautifully written debut, filled with vivid descriptions of horses and the realities of keeping them, but at its heart it's a story of love, loss and family ties, with a wonderful narrator, who is candid, wise, funny, far too knowing for her own good and yet of course not nearly knowing enough...
Read Less
Although I love the writing style, there were some things about the story I didn't like. The way the family handled the mother's illness and the relaitonship with the teacher specifcally. This book can be a bit dark and at times disturbing, but it has a trueness to it. I couldn't put this book down and I would recommend it to others, especially to get their feedback on it. I think Aryn Kyle is a very good writer and I will look forward to more from her.
tresbeau
Apr 26, 2007
Perfect title for a horse lovers' story
The book is a perfect read for women who love horses. We can never get enough sensitive horse related stories, even if they are not about people we would otherwise relate to in our day to day lives.
bscheldt
Apr 24, 2007
disappointing
I, personally, did not like this book. BUT..I would like others to read it to see if they agree. I think the author is an excellent writer and I couldn't put the book down, until I came to the final chapters. The ending, for me, was a complete let down; and maybe that is because I don't like books or movies that end this way. In my opinion, it was like she was tired of writing the story or needed to finish it right away. The development of the characters is excellent. The problem I had with that is, it would seem they were going somewhere in the storyline and then, nothing. That's all I'm going to say about it. I don't want to discourage anyone else from reading the book because I want to see if others feel the same way, or if its just because stories such as this leave me wanting for something. Other than the ending, I thought the rest of the book was excellent!