Beautiful Imagery and Unique Story
ABOUT THE BOOK
Fourteen-year-old Reese’s dream of winning the Black Elk race is shattered when her beloved horse, Trusted Treasure, falls at the last jump and the vet suggests they put him down. While still reeling from that loss, her family suffers a second tragedy—one that results in the end of their family business, the sale of Trusted Treasure, and irreparable damage to Reese’s relationship with her father.
Heartbroken and still longing to find Trusted Treasure, Reese meets Wes, a selective mute, whose way of training horses is unlike anything she’s ever seen. If anyone can win the Black Elk, it’s Wes—but he’s struggling with his troubled past, and having a teenage girl hanging around his barn isn’t exactly what he’d planned. Through heartaches and triumphs, Reese must prove her worth if she wants to heal her family, help Wes, and show them all that some dreams are worth fighting for.
A spellbinding tale in which every teenager has magical powers within them just waiting to be discovered, this book will have you laughing and crying—sometimes on the same page—all the while rooting for Reese, the most unlikely of heroes.
- Publisher : SparkPress
- Publication Date : August 15, 2023
- Paperback : 392 pages
As a person who knows very little about horses, or even has much of an interest, the first thing I noticed was how quickly the author drew me into the topic of a family and their love for horses.
Almost immediately, 14-year-old Reece is challenged with several issues. Her horse falls and will possibly need to be put down. Her mother is killed in an accident. Her father decides working with horses is financially impossible, so he sells their horses and gear. If all of this isn’t challenging enough for a 14-year-old, her father draws away from Reece and starts dating.
Reese, for the most part, a loner with no friends, discovers some relief from her problems by offering to help Wes, a Lakota Indian who is now leasing the barn she and her family used to work from. Interestingly enough, Wes is mute by choice.
So we have Reese, who struggles with her pain by acting out, in some cases, enough to make me grit my teeth. We have her dad who is apparently trying to drown his sorrows by dating, and a horse trainer who for some reason is choosing to remain silent.
For the most part, all of these issues managed to continually draw me to the story. Surprisingly, I also found the information regarding horses to be quite interesting. Though, as much as I enjoyed this book, a few things concerned me.
My Concerns
- It can be tough to appreciate a story where you have to occasionally work to like and understand the characters.
- Each character lacked coping skills in rather large ways, which took its toll on the story. I had compassion, but it can only go so far. In my case, I might have been happier with one of the three being able to cope with life more appropriately.
- Had this story been cleaned up a bit in Reece’s vocabulary and actions, I would have understood her and sympathized with her more.
- When a family is so dysfunctional I don’t think things can turn around quite as quickly as they did in the story. I understand things weren’t fixed, but the U-turn and ending felt rather abrupt.
- We had three people displaying very different ways of dealing with pain, which I liked. Yet, it made it hard to see beyond their exteriors to their warm fuzzy interiors. Example: I would like to have seen more of the internal suffering that Reece was experiencing rather than her bratty, quick, reactions.
Final Thoughts
Though I had some concerns, they didn’t in any way overshadow writing that flowed and was descriptive without being too wordy. Did I wish the characterization had been a little different? Yes. But as with all reviews, these concerns can be very personal, and not reflect the majority.
This is a heartbreaking story of a young girl, her father, and even a horse trainer who display their pain and suffering in various manners. Cashman penned a very thought-provoking, debut novel that will stay with me for some time.
Christy Cashman is an author to put on your radar..
My thanks to WunderkindPR and SparkPress for a gifted copy. I was under no obligation to post a positive review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR INCLUDING INTERVIEW
Christy is an American author, actress, and producer who has appeared in more than twenty films, including Kettle of Fish, The Love Guide, American Hustle, Joy, The Descendants, Ted 2, The Women, The Golden Boys, The Forger and many others.
Christy is the author of two children’s books, the Not-So-Average Monkey of Kilkea Castle and Petri’s Next Things, inspired by the true story of the monkey who saved the day at Kilkea Castle, in Kildare, Ireland. She has also completed her first novel The Truth About Horses, which is scheduled for release in 2022.
In 2021 during the pandemic, Christy founded YouthINK – a teenage writing mentorship program, created to inspire and support the next generation of young writers. The YouthINK short story competition was launched shortly afterwards, open to writers 13-18 worldwide to submit a story or essay about nature or animals (entries close December 31, 2021).
The second youngest of ten children, Christy was named after Catherine Marshall’s novel Christy, and grew up in North Carolina where her love for horses began at a young age. When she’s not writing or working on YouthINK, or production projects, Christy is most likely riding cross country through the countryside of New England or Ireland.
Christy lives with her husband, Jay; two sons, Jay Michael and Quinn; their three dogs, Ben, Lucy, and Dan; and three horses, Calvin, Butterscotch, and Victor. The family divides their time between Kilkea Castle in Ireland and their homes in Boston and Chatham, Massachusetts.
Interview
Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I was born outside of Cleveland, Ohio and am the ninth of ten kids. We moved to Brevard, N.C.
when I was seven and I attended a school that my Mom started in our church from the third
grade to the eighth grade.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
I loved all of the horse books of course by Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley and Mary O’Hara.
But when I accidentally picked up John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony from our bookshelf, as much
as the grittiness was alarming for me as a young reader, I believe I was drawn more to reading
and writing because of it.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
Well, it wasn’t funny at the time, but I met a literary agent at a writer’s conference in Boston. He
was extremely interested in my first twenty pages. He texted, emailed, checked in fairly regularly. I told him I wanted to finish the draft I was working on before sending him more. I was so
encouraged by his interest. His words and comments motivated me to finish the book. It made
me set goals and I may not have been able to do that with all of the other things going on in
my life. When I was finally ready to send it, he had apparently fallen off the face of the earth.
Never to be heard of again. Luckily, there was interest from other agents!
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
I think there are a few different themes in my book that could make a social impact but I think the strongest one is about how people in a family can experience tragedy and grief so differently. That often times when we are in pain, we become afraid and fear is a great distractor of pain.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
There are a few stories within stories in my book. Carol is a character in my book who has a
story for everything. And she rattles them off on a regular basis. In some ways, it’s her own
mechanism for dealing with pain. Anyway, she tells the story of the African dung beetle. How
they push their poo ball through the hottest plains of Africa with their back legs and their face
down in the dirt!
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
I had been to Cavalia and was mesmerized by the show. The way the horses responded and reacted with no bridles, no tack. There was something about it that made me think of spirit horses or ghost horses that could appear to someone.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who
was impacted or helped by your cause?
My cause is Youth Ink. It is a mentorship program for writers 13–18. I believe a three-day writer’s
workshop in Ireland surrounded by music and art and history can change a young writer’s life.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Everyone can get involved in their own way.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership, when done best is basically someone having a vision. Then with that vision, being
able to convince others that it is meaningful, worthwhile and necessary.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please
share a story or example for each.
1 — I wish someone had told me to take my writing more seriously earlier in my life. I’ve learned
so much since I decided to see it as my job, my purpose.
2 — I wish I really understood that writing is re-writing. And to just write is just right.
3 — I wish I knew that writing isn’t so much about having to know a bunch of stuff. It’s about being
willing to learn and grow and change as you write.
4 — I wish I knew that my process is different than everyone else’s process. Writing for me is
not about sitting in a cabin in the woods. I mean it can be to just download, but writing is really
about living and relationships and compassion. It’s really about being able to be objective in
some way to all of the things in life that can tend to make me feel hopeless.
5 — I wish someone had told me to write not because of what I understand but in spite of what
I understand.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?”
This quote puts so much into perspective. I automatically think about how short life is and how life is a gift and there are so many things we can do while we are still on this plane.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I’d love to have lunch with Joyce Carol Oates. She is my hero for so many reasons.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
www.christycashman.com
Thank you so much for sharing with us. We wish you continued success on your great work.
