Catherine Ryan Hyde's "The Language of Hoofbeats: A Story of Compassion, Courage, and Healing"

Paul M. Harman: This is one of those stories that just grabs you and pulls you in. Filled with real life issues that people are dealt. Emotional reactions to that trauma and what it can do. A real life look at the challenges foster families can face with abused, or traumatized children placed in the foster care system. One soon gets to know and appreciate the special love, care and strength of fostering parents. Paula’s and Jackie make a pretty special couple and this story really rings true to life.

United States on Oct 22, 2023

tedgel: This book is a page Turner I highly recommend! Another amazing and great book by Catherine Ryan Hyde! My favorite author!

United States on Jul 09, 2023

Cher F.: Good story and it moves along quickly but you don’t miss anything. You think you know how it’s going to end but you don’t really.
Give it a try!

United States on Jun 26, 2023

lblackert: After reading some good books and some okay books it is so nice
to open up a new to me Catherine Ryan Hyde book. There are only excellent books with her name attached. She creates characters who become family, who hold up a mirror. She portrays "flawed" humanity with grace and empathy. She shows us the many faces of love. When I need a "pick me up" moment I pick up Catherine Ryan Hyde. What a gift her writing is. What a gift she is.

United States on Apr 04, 2023

Kindle CustomerAmisha: A very well written novel about foster children. Loved the way the plot moves through various emotions. Thoroughly recommend it.

India on Oct 06, 2021

anneridies: This was an ok read. I thought I'd enjoy it more and wish I did. Didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting and certainly not enough about the horse. At times the narrative is unnecessarily repetitive reminding us that she had mentioned a thought so trivial in the first place it didn't need reminding! This happened all the way through the book. I guessed the ending about three quarters through so no surprises. Have to say that I found the girl's name of Star annoying, not for me but at least I I finished it. The whole story held little action and rather far fetched all the way through.

United Kingdom on May 26, 2020

Joy Cagil: When good characterization and excellent plotting mix, the readers gain a Catherine Ryan Hyde book like The Language of Hoofbeats. I am still in awe of how the author brought to together--in perfection--all the loose ends and the character arcs, even those of Star and Clementine, the more disturbed of all the other characters.

Although a bit on the original side, the story is about what makes a family and a community. The book begins with two women Jackie (a painter) and Paula (a veterinarian and an animal lover) who are legally married to each other, and who, having experienced negative input of their relationship, move to a small village in California with their adopted son Quinn and their two foster children, Star and Mando. Star is the latest addition to the family and Mando resents her for creating havoc in the otherwise well-adjusted family.

Their next-door neighbor Clementine and her husband have a horse named Comet that used to belong to their now-dead daughter. Star forms a relationship with the high-strung Comet and seems to understand the horse’s frustration at the lack of care by his present owners; however, Clementine resents Star and chases her away...

United States on Feb 17, 2019

Amazon Customer: I loved this book. It has many different characters and explores several difficult issues from taking on foster children, to the aftermath of Clementine's daughter suicide. We see injustice with what happened to Mando's mother and later what happened to Star. I felt so bad for Star, who was really the troubled star of the book, no pun intended. I liked how it all worked out in the end. This book deals with injustice, mental illness, family, and healing. In the end there is hope. I highly recommend it.

Canada on Mar 21, 2018

Eagle Heart: Others have already given good synopsis of the book. All I want to say is that I loved this book...it pulled me in from the first page and kept me captive until the last word. And as usual, left me wanting more, and left me missing the characters for days afterwards. I love how this author can do that. Everytime I pick up one of her books, I have to prepare myself to be drawn in and to fall in love with the characters, and then to let them go at the end, which almost always makes me cry. Somehow she makes even the most difficult-to-love characters lovable and dear to my heart by the end of the book. I'm so glad I discovered Catherine Ryan Hyde's books!

Canada on Apr 25, 2017

Caroline Bobby: I'd saved Language of Hoofbeats for a Christmas Day treat and it was indeed a treat to read.

Immediate immersion into the world of Jackie and Paula (the mothers) Star (the recently fostered 15 year old girl) Mando (the 13 year old fostered boy) and Quinn (the adopted 4 year old son) not to mention a posse of dogs and cats. The story opens with the family driving to their new home in the small country town of Easley.

Clementine (their neighbour) is full of rage and pain and is renowned locally for her hostile attitude. She suffered a violent loss 2 years earlier and is doing her best to not to let the grief break through. As the story opens, the new arrivals across the way, coincide with her husband giving up on her and walking out. She has a beautiful horse called Comet, that she can't bring herself to take care of properly. Comet has been shut in a too small paddock for the last 2 years and is desperate for space and movement.

This book is about various journeys, both literal and symbolic. It is told in the alternate voices of Jackie and Clementine. Star and Comet kind of save each other... Star and Clementine kind of save each other too... Jackie and Paula...

United Kingdom on Dec 26, 2014