A heart-stopping, hoof-pounding story
you won't want to put down!
Just when you think you are comfortably in the saddle for one of those power-sex-and-money sagas, the heroine becomes a far more complex and fascinating character when she tosses aside the unsatisfying trappings of glamour for life in the rolling hillsides of the Virginia horse country.
As her relationship with Silver Dreams unfolds, it becomes a rich exploration of the multiple meanings of the love between the woman and the gray horse, the love shared amongst her circle of friends, and the passionate love Leigh finds with the man who is her soul mate.
As she is tested on this journey of self-discovery, she finds resources in herself and in her friends that prepare her for the life transformation of her dreams.
From the moment Leigh's curiosity takes her out to Bibs McBride's boarding farm to see a "skinny, ole sick horse" to the tense highpoint as Silver Dreams enters the starting gate, SILVER DREAMS is a smooth-gaited, breathtakingly swift ride that becomes more electrifying at each turn.
Very powerful and quite inspiring. - Tami Brady, TCM Reviews
Sondra Rice Newman has written a beautiful novel complete with fully developed characters who engage your heart. I became so engrossed with this book I read it in a couple of days. The storyline is believable without being typical. The plotline allows the story to unfold at its own pace. The human traits give the heroine and hero a vulnerability that quickly endears them to anyone reading this book. The minor characters add a sense of community with their own side stories. At times it will have you crying and at others cheering. The full spectrum of emotions are evoked within these pages. I absolutely loved this book. - Katherine L. Hunt, www.coffeetimeromance.com
SILVER DREAMSis an excellent contemporary tale that focuses on two people and a horse seeking second chances at life. - Harriet Klausner, www.bookreview.com
Wonderful story that you will recall for quite a while. - Detra Fitch, www.huntressreviews.com
SILVER DREAMSis filled with award-winning writing. If you are an aspiring equestrian, an all-round horse lover, or just looking for a wonderfully written story, then this is the novel for you. Not only is it a flawless five hearts; this reviewer will cherish her copy.- Janalee Ruschhaupt, www.loveromances.com
Horse lovers will find this novel well researched and genuine.- Shirley Roe, Midwest Book Review
This was an unexpectedly excellent novel. Accurate, detailed knowledge about horses is reflected in every page. This is mixed with terrific character development, a tight plot, and a very satisfying love story.- Jeri Neal, The Romance Reader’s Connection
ABOUT HORSE RACING
Review by Cindy Pierson Duval
Guide Rating -
The Bottom Line
Horsewoman Sondra Rice Newman's debut novel is a classic rags-to-riches story. Like in the recent movies Seabiscuit and Dreamer, a broken-down horse is turned into a champion. Fans of racing fiction will enjoy this realistic yet somewhat predictable work, but potential readers should note that this is not a romance nor a mystery novel. Strongly recommended to anybody who has dreamed of finding that elusive "big horse" and owning or training that horse to the Breeders' Cup.
Pros
An almost believable story set in a world racing fans are familiar with
Author obviously is familiar with horses and the racing world
Despite a predictable end, the book is still exciting to read and hard to put down.
Cons
Some minor errors like horse names longer than legal
Those expecting a mystery of the Dick Francis genre would be disappointed
Description
High-powered advertising executive Leigh Meredith is dumped by the man she had hoped to marry.
Feeling a need to "find herself", she quits her Manhattan job and flees to Virginia.
Once there, she happens upon an abandoned gray gelding named Silver Dreams, who is blind in one eye.
She nurses the horse back to health and enlists the services of trainer Whit Riley.
The horse works his way up from Virginia hunt meets through to the Breeders' Cup Turf.
Guide Review - Silver Dreams
Newman's story is a roller coaster ride, exposing the reader to the highs and lows of horse ownership. A gelding is abandoned by his owner leaving the farm owner stuck with the bills to keep him alive. A new owner, who had experience with horses as a child, feels compelled to buy him for pleasure riding, but soon finds she has a racehorse on her hands. And, as in every other rags-to-riches story, the rest is history.
Many horse stories have a romance component and this one is no exception, but this was but a small subplot in the whole novel. Newman's experience as a horsewoman was put to use here, as she realistically portrayed the atmosphere of the racing world. She includes the usual cast of characters to be found in upper class racing, such as the oil sheikhs and other multi-millionnaire owners, their impeccably-bred horses, the railbirds, and of course the media circus that follows the Breeders' Cup and other major racing events.
As a follower of horse racing, this reader found it to not only be a very believable novel but an enjoyable read as well, despite the predictable nature of the story. It was also a pleasant surprise to see our home track featured for one of the races, accurately portrayed. The few errors we did find would be easily overlooked by most readers.
Silver Dreams
By Sondra Rice Newman
ISBN: 1931741565
Review by: Heather Darcy
01/01/07
There are many books that explore the relationship between children or adolescents and horses, from Walter Farley's brilliant Black Stallion series to Marguerite Henrys Misty of Chincoteague. I devoured all of these books as a girl. There are fewer books that explore the bond of grown women and horses, so when one comes along, I'm first in line at the bookstore to buy it. Its hard to find a book that recaptures the excitement I felt when I read these equine classics as a young girl. It seems hard to find a book that realistically and accurately captures the details involved in caring for and riding horses while still maintaining characters that the reader can identify with and care about.
Silver Dreams by Sondra Rice Newman succeeds on some of these levels. Leigh Meredith is your typical steely New York advertising executive, seemingly heartless and primarily concerned about her career. So, its no surprise when she's dumped by her lover, Sven, on Christmas eve. The window to her perfect world is shattered and she abruptly leaves her creature comforts and her career for a minimum-wage job at a newspaper in a small country town called Fox Creek in Virginia.
Through Leigh's job at the paper, she meets a widow names Bibs who runs a boarding stable. This unlikely pair quickly become friends, and Leigh buys a one-eyed thoroughbred desperately in need of attention from her. The horse is named Silver Dreams and although Leigh purchases him for next to nothing, he has an impressive pedigree in the word of horse racing. The horse blossoms under Leigh's care and she begins to wonder if he has what it takes to race.
Through Bibs, Leigh meets Whit Riley, an alcoholic who was a former horse trainer. The usual story of attraction follows, but Newman's love and knowledge of horses keeps the novel from being more than a predictable romance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In love with horses from childhood, Sondra Rice Newman learned to ride at a county fairgrounds track on her pony. When her father bought a few thoroughbreds, she tagged along for everything from morning workouts to the auctions at Keeneland. While in high school, she often arrived for class covered by a cloud of stable dust. After moving to Arizona, “I knew I had to get horses back in my life," she said. "I began riding again." Then, one day at the Graham County Fair races in Safford, she eyed a dappled gray horse standing regally in the paddock. "That horse became 'Silver Dreams' in my mind," she recalls. "We drove home to Tucson and I sat at the computer wondering what might have happened if a young woman like Leigh Meredith had discovered him first."
