The Horsewoman, James Patterson, Mike Lupica, authors; Chloe Cannon, narrator
I can sum up my review on this book by saying that “a funny thing seems to have happened on the way to the forum”. What should have been a mystery, which is what Patterson is known for, turned into a book that wound up on the shelf space of adult fiction when it should have been filed under the heading of young adult romance novels. More than a mystery it was chick lit.
Caroline Atwood, Maggie and Becky McCabe, grandmother, mother and grandchild, represent three generations of horsewomen. After an accident, that seriously injured Maggie, who was on her way to qualifying for the Olympics, Becky is enlisted to take time off from college to train and ride her mother’s horse in her stead. Her grandmother Caroline, and her partner Steve Gorton, are fairly confident that this horse can take its rider to the Olympics, but they do not agree on who should ride the horse. Is Becky up to it? Not many believe that she is since she has not had the success, personality or desire to treat her riding career seriously, up until this point. Suddenly, however, she and her mother become competitors, as each rides their own horse in competitions, both trying to qualify for the Olympics, and each, unexpectedly and uncharitably, growing jealous of the other’s accomplishments.
Each of them has a love relationship with their trainers. Daniel Ortega is an illegal immigrant who is a dreamer, and Gus Bennett, who is older, is wheelchair bound because of a past riding accident. The story takes on a fairy tale component as Becky’s dad, Jack McCabe, a lawyer, steps in to save Daniel from the evil ICE agents who arrest him on charges that the family believes are unfair and unwarranted.
The political views of the authors are on full display as Steve, the majority owner of Maggie’s horse, is portrayed as an arrogant rich businessman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He believes his money gives him the power to get away with anything he does. Most often he is demanding and angry, a haughty man who throws his weight around threatening those who do not please him or do as he commands. He often speaks down to Daniel, using racial slurs when referring to him. He also makes insulting remarks about the relationship between Gus and Maggie and Daniel and Becky.
As secret deals are made and plans are hatched by Frank and another horseman, Tyler, to have him ride Maggie’s horse, the story becomes repetitive with the descriptions of the competitions and all the things that can go wrong that inevitably do. Fast forward to the Olympics and the knitting together of all the loose ends for a fairy tale ending, and you are left with a good beach read, but not a book that is up to the accepted standards of a Patterson novel. The characters are not likeable, the mystery is obvious, and the narrative is often immature. Each of the characters seems like a caricature of the role they are playing, and although everything that can go wrong, seems to go wrong, the ending is still a happy one.