Book review, The Sureness of Horses – Kevin Arnold

This month we review the book, The Sureness of Horses, by author Kevin Arnold.

A story of second chances, romance and a love of horses, The Sureness of Horses is sure to captivate and entertain not only horse enthusiasts but fiction fans looking for an exciting new voice in fiction this spring.

The review

This is not a book solely about horses. It is a story of how two people come together and find love, despite differences in the American class system and the hotly debated ethics of riding with hounds….or fox hunting.  It gives a balanced view of hunting, but there are one or two gruesome scenes that may disturb some sensitive readers. However, this book is about much more than that; this is also a book in which is centred around the art of poetry, and Arnold manages to artfully intersperse free verse poetic form within the narrative which is elegantly written from the male protagonist’s perspective. Wade Middleton, a modest Midwesterner, and affluent Diana Buchanan meet by chance and their story unfolds against the backdrop of modern American society.

It sensitively portrays Middleton’s strengths and vulnerability and how, with perseverance, he breaks down Diana’s barriers with patience and devotion. The Sureness of Horses is a deeply moving story cleverly constructed around the highs and lows of romance, family values, friendship, ultimate betrayal and untimely death.

It is a very honest tale of humanity at it’s finest and weakest and has a realistic plot which makes it a joy to read. I found this a very memorable story, a book I looked forward to picking up and getting lost in and one that will remain fondly in my memory.

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About the author: A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and having served in the US Navy, Kevin Arnold has published fifty stories and poems in literary journals and a book, Nineteen Poems around a Divorce. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from San Jose State University in 2007, the same year he helped found the Gold Rush Writers Conference in the California Mother Lode. He has ridden to hounds since 1999, earning his colours with the Los Altos Hounds. He served as President of Poetry Centre San Jose for twelve years. Besides being a member of the Academy of American Poets, and being a longtime friend of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Kevin is an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. The San Francisco/Peninsula California Writer’s Club recently named him Writer of the Year.  

The Sureness of Horses by Kevin Arnold (published by Manzanita Writers Press May 2018 in paperback) is available to order from online retailers including Amazon (paperback and Kindle) and from all good bookstores.