Product Description

In upstate New York, a 13-year-old girl and her horse are hit by a 40-ton truck. They both survive, but suffer horrible injuries. When the girl's mother hears about a man said to have the gift of healing troubled horses, they set off for distant Montana, where their lives are changed for ever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #399808 in Books
• Published on: 1996-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nicholas Evans's best-selling Horse Whisperer is a story of tragedy, soul-searching and unabashed romance. When the Graves family--13-year-old daughter Grace, high-powered, highly charged Annie, and her lawyer husband Robert--is struck by tragedy, each searches for their own way to come to terms with it. Annie thinks if she can fix Grace's physically and spiritually battered horse, she'll mend her daughter's maimed soul in the process. And so the search for the mythical horse whisperer begins. He appears in the form of Tom Booker--a handsome, rugged, sensitive Montana cowboy. The story travels from Upstate New York to Manhattan, then makes an eventful detour through the glorious foothills of the Rocky Mountains. --Colleen Preston

From the Back Cover
In the still of a snow-covered morning in upstate New York, a girl out riding her horse is hit by a 40-ton truck. Though horribly injured, both thirteen-year-old Grace Maclean and her horse Pilgrim survive. But the impact on their lives and the lives of those who love them is devastating.

Grace is the only child of a prominent New York magazine editor, Annie Graves, and her lawyer husband Robert. In a way which none of them at first understands, their destiny comes to depend on Pilgrim's. So mutilated and traumatized is he that even the vet who saved his life now wishes he hadn't. Annie refuses to have him destroyed, sensing that if she does, something in Grace will die too.

She hears about a man in Montana, a 'whisperer' who is said to have the gift of healing troubled horses. Abandoning her job, Annie sets out across the continent with Grace and Pilgrim to find him. The man's name is Tom Booker and he lives on the Rocky Mountain Front, a place of daunting beauty. Here, under the massive Montana sky, all their lives are changed forever.

About the Author
Nicholas Evans
Nicholas Evans was a screenwriter and film producer before writing his first novel, the phenomenal number one bestseller The Horse Whisperer, which has sold more than ten million copies worldwide since its publication in 1995. It is now also a Hollywood film, starring and directed by Robert Redford. His second novel is The Loop, and his latest novel is The Smoke Jumper. Nicholas Evans lives in London.

Customer Reviews

A wonderful, touching story that tugs at your heart strings!
I read this book when it was first published and I was blown away by it. I had never before read something so touching. If I had known that there would be romance in it, I probably never would have picked it up, (Stephen King is my usual choice!!!), but I am so glad I did.

It tells the story of a 13 year old girl who, whilst out riding her beloved horse Pilgrim, is hit by a 40 ton truck. Grace and Pilgrim survive but sadly her friend dies along with her horse. Grace loses a leg at the knee and becomes extremely withdrawn. Pilgrim is treated for his injuries but is so traumatised by the accident that he won't let anyone near him.

Grace's mother Annie is a very strong willed business woman and feels that if she listens to the vets pleas to put Pilgrim out of his misery, something in Grace will die too. She tracks down a horse whisperer, Tom Booker, to seek his expert help.

Annie takes Pilgrim and Grace to Montana, but her daughter is less than thrilled at the idea. She makes it very difficult for her and they become even more distant from one another.

What ensues is a wonderful story of hope, love and terrific courage. The scenery is narrated so well that you can almost smell it and believe you are actually there with them. The characters are all beautifully written too, and you grow to love these people who become entwined together in this touching story.

All in all, this is a book that has to be read at least once. If you have seen the movie, that starred Robert Redford and Kristen Scott Thomas, you might well feel that it's not worth the time. You would be mistaken because the book has a completely different feel to it and also has a much different ending. As good as the film is, I much prefer to lose myself in the book.

Definately a good read
She magazine said it is a 'Cross between The Bridges of Madison County with Black Beauty intensify the elements of True Grit and romance, and you have The Horse Whisperer'

I have seen all three films and I can honestly say that whoever wrote that knows their stuff.

The Horse Whisperer is a wonderful novel written by a fairly new author, Nicholas Evans, with only two other books under his belt. The book tells the story of how a 13-year-old girl, Grace, and her horse, Pilgrim, survive a horrific accident with a 40-ton truck. But both are physically and mental scarred. Grace loses her right leg and the Pilgrim breaks his nose and becomes consumed with fear.

Annie, Grace's mother, refuses to have Pilgrim destroyed, as she senses that if she does, something in Grace will die too. So her quest begins to find someone who can help Pilgrim. She hears about a man in Montana, a 'whisperer' who is said to have an incredible gift of healing horses. She abandons her job and takes Grace and Pilgrim across the continent to this man, Tom Booker. Under the massive Montana sky, all their lives are changed forever.

The story is told in the perspective of four people, Robert - Grace's father, Annie, Grace and Tom. Which may seem daunting but Evans does it in a way that makes it so simple yet very effective. You understand more as you see the story unfold from a variety of people's eyes. He also adds in information about the history of some of the characters and the places they are in, it all adds to the experience of the novel and although it makes the novel longer it is well worth the extra pages.

A novel has never so profoundly touched me as The Horse Whisperer has. Usually when I finish a book I go right ahead and start the next one but I am reluctant to do this, as it will be ending the lives of the characters that have been a part of my life for a short but wonderful period of time. I was mesmerised with the characters and the story for five days, I just couldn't put the book down and if I didn't have to go to classes I would have finished the book a lot sooner!

At a whooping 479 pages the book is fairly long but well worth the paper! I definitely recommend that you read this book. The Horse Whisperer will forever be in your heart if you read it, I will certainly not forget it in a hurry.

The horse whisperer- shout out loud about it
The horse whisperer is a fabulous read! From a truck crashing into a horse to an affair with a 'cowboy'. This is a book that ranges from love to hate, friendship to relationship and rich to poor. I would not say that this is a book that relates to everyday issues or problems, but it does have a moral to it. I could not tear myself away from suspense that this book delivered!
I would say this book is for the older readers; definitely 13 upwards. With three main characters, a horse, and various others drifting in and out of the picture, the genre of this novel would have to be a romantic horror. Nicholas Evansis a very gifted man to have written such a gripping and descriptive story, still managing to give the reader a visual image of the compelling events that occur.
I would recommend this book to teenagers or adults as a first read as I will assure you, you will want more than the 479 exciting pages provided. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as I escaped to a dream world when I read it, as I am sure you will to. Nicholas Evans has really hit the button with this novel!!!