The Hearts of Horses
by Molly Gloss
Book group members met Tuesday afternoon, July 22, to discuss a life very different from 2014 Southeastern Massachusetts. The Hearts of Horses is set during the winter of 1917 in eastern Oregon when America has entered World War I. The author deals with young Martha Lessing new to Elwha County finding her way and creating a place in the community for herself. She finds work breaking horses to the saddle and gentling them for riding. She has unconventional methods but impresses all those who see the results of her work. She gains their respect and friendship as well.
Riding the circle; riding horses and dropping them off on farms and ranches in turn serve the purpose of finishing their training. The circle not only works for the horses but for Martha as well. She is able to become attuned to the people of the valley and the rhythms of their lives. The farmers and ranchers accept her as well. She finds a comfortable place with the older established citizens and the younger generation too. Martha is introduced as a loner but soon her love of horses and hard work changes her life. She matures from a young girl to an adult and gathers an extended family and a marriage for herself.
One recurring story line was about Native American tribes and how different the land was before it was settled by white people. Martha often thought about the life that came before and imagined herself as an Indian boy riding horses throughout the wild country.
Homesteading and women’s place in that harsh and often lonely setting is vividly described. Electricity and indoor plumbing were not generally installed in the outlying farms and ranches until the mid to late 1940’s. People had to depend upon each other for help and companionship, no matter what they thought about each other. Not all of the people lived happily ever after but they made their way as best they could.
The characters were believable and held the interest of readers, who were captivated by the cowboy life depicted. Although the story takes place nearly one hundred years ago, readers commented about parallels in modern life. The author has written an authentic story about a young girl who could easily be a twenty-first-century woman.
Molly Gloss has written a great story that book club members thoroughly enjoyed and will long remember. She lives in Portland and is a fourth-generation Oregonian.
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