"Sixteen-year-old Meg Traherne has never known loss. Until the beautiful, talented horse she trained herself, drops dead underneath her in the show ring.
Jared Strickland has been living with loss ever since his father died in a tragic farming accident.
Meg escapes from her grief by changing everything about her life; moving away from home to spend her summer living on an island in the St. Lawrence River, scrubbing toilets and waiting on guests at a B&B. Once there, she meets Jared; doing his best to keep anything else in his life from changing.
When Jared offers Meg a scruffy appaloosa mare out of a friend’s back field, it’s the beginning of a journey that will change both of them by summer’s end." ~Amazon Description
Brittney Joy's Review ~ When I started the first chapter of Appaloosa Summer, my stomach sank a little, thinking "oh no, this is going to be another show jumping book." While I enjoy reading about lots of different riding disciplines, it seems like a large portion of equine-fiction revolves around the jumping world...and, frankly, I get tired of it. BUT, I quickly realized this book was different. In the first chapter, the main character's horse dies - he collapses underneath her, just strides before a jump. THAT, I did not see coming!
Instead of taking us into the world of show jumping, Appaloosa Summer takes us on a sweet journey of a teenage girl dealing with loss, deciphering family relationships, growing up, and falling for a boy - all in one summer....and on a quaint country island. Tudor Robins writes so beautifully simple that the characters, scenery, smells, and feelings come to life on the page, without extensive descriptions. Here are a few of my favorite lines..."Wow - happy and sad will just about knock you over when they hit together." And..."I fill my lungs with the scent of lightening-born ozone, and cool air pushing out the heat, and the earth, opening up, releasing everything that's been baked into it by the searing sun. Dirt. Life. Country. Summer." How can you not gasp when you read that? I know I did.
I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, well-written story and actually wanted to hug my IPad after reading the last page. I'm looking forward to reading more of Tudor Robins' work ... And, I would recommend you do as well!
