I won this book from shelfawareness a drawing was held by the author. It was sent in hopes of a review which I always do when someone is nice enough to mail me a copy of a book to read that I've entered a contest for.
What a gripping read! I knew nothing of horses of showing them, training them, etc. The entire horse world was unknown to me, I see what I was missing when reading this story. It takes you to the behind what the public would see and takes you to the farms where the horses are grown, trained, and then shown. Bought and sold. This is the story of Jeth Cavanaugh who is searching for a new life and takes a wrong turn and ends up at the home of Rob and Katie Chilton who train and show horses, they teach children to ride jumpers, etc. Rob and Katiie are devout christians and even though Jeth has been in prison, they see that he is a horse whisperer they have a horse Dynamo who really can't be managed or rideen by anyone until Jeth comes along. They hire him for room and board and the little money they can scrape up and on Sundays they don't allow Jeth to work, he can go to church with them if he likes. Since he can't work and has not much money he decides to try it out. It's not so bad, he returns. Slowly the word of God makes it's way into Jeth and changes his life. He has a day where he is really tested and that is the day that changes everything for him. Dynamo is a leading character in Jeths life throughout this book as well is the word of God as brought front and center by the author. This book takes hold of you and you can't put it down. It's hard to go about your daily chores when all you can think about is getting back to the story to see how it ends.
This is a telling story, one that stays with you when you aren't reading and has you compelled to finish it and see the story to the end. I loved this book!
Here is the review as found on Good Reads:
Jeth Cavanaugh is searching for a new life along one of Pennsylvania's mountain ridges when he stumbles upon a stable of show jumpers owned by Rob and Katie Chilton. Throw in a volatile gaited stallion named Dynamo, and Jeth will do anything to work there. He earns his living by training and showing Rob's jumpers, but Dynamo is his primary passion. Everything changes when God enters his life--in the uuch like the God he serves. The real Dynamo and his ultimate trainer emerge out of an excruciating mix of disaster and brokenness, which are never beyond the reach of redemption. This story is God in your face: Who is He, really? What does He ask of us?nconventional form of a hard slap by an old girlfriend--and ignites a new, greater passion within him. But along with fervor comes fear at the undeniable evidence of God's hand on his life. Inexplicable events, both good and bad, make him moan plaintively, "Why does God do this to me? I get the feeling I'm being set up for something." He is, indeed. Jeth's life is anything but predictable, m
