Likes: I picked this book because it focused on such a small and overlooked niche of down-and-out horse racing in the pan handle of West Virginia around the 1970s. Who else has done that? I liked that there was a variety of people with a wide range of personalities that were forced to interact in such a small social circle because you expect something explosive from the inevitable clash. I also was tickled when the author mentioned skunk cabbage by a river. I wonder if it really does grow around there.Dislikes: Another reviewer puts it best. Chuck Lowry on Goodreads says, "I thought it was a narrow, almost idiosyncratic story, one whose failure to rise above the level of the commonplace made its technical components, which were certainly interesting, largely irrelevant." There was a lot of attention to the dialogues. But for all that work, character's conversations seemed inconsequential and forgettable. What stuck with me the most: "Sure is, sure is" and "But and yet, but and yet." This is well worth reading even if you are not especially interested in horses, horse racing, sleazy tracks, and eccentric characters. In some ways it can be classified as fantasy, because Gordon creates a detailed and fascinating world which is as unfamiliar to most of us as is the geography of Star Wars. Disclosure--ahem--I read every Black Stallion book ever written. This is a bit grittier than The Black Stallion, but quite fascinating in its own way.
What do You think about Lord Of Misrule (2010)?
Very interesting. Introduced me to a world I was not at all familiar with.
—Nessa
Haven't finished it yet. Just starting actually, but so far so good. :)
—Jdrob
Jaimy Gordon does not horse around. A very stable book. Good show.
—teachbyexample
I never really could get into this book.
—angelinatoriann
