Rating: 
Summary: The movie only hinted at doing justice to this story.
Review: Unlike some other reviewers I wasn't expecting this book to be a great work of modern literature but rather a beautiful story that everyman could relate to with a bit of thought. I wasn't disappointed. Maybe the author was a screenwriter and maybe the sentimental story itself is set out to read like a movie plot unfolding, none of that, to my way of thinking, diminished the simple zen beauty of the authors prose which reflected the search for an inner calm in each of the main characters.Others here have commented on the gore and adrenalin surging accident of Grace and the conveniently named Pilgrim and I from similar experiences found it traumatic - for the horse, but not for Grace herself because her story is really the means by which she and her mother find grace. Her mother Annie is forced to take stock of a life that she fears is not satisfying and which casts an effect on her child and her marriage. If Tom, in a typical display of the western horseman, seems wooden through a lack of dialogue it is because he relates to the world through the horses he works with, espousing the simple wisdoms of a man who has learned to read what is subtle and unspoken. His loneliness is echoed in the souls of Pilgrim, Grace and Annie. That Annie and Tom predictably fall in love and betray her marriage vows, in a different rendition of Graces relationship with Pilgrim, is not an issue. It is that only through the catalyst for change in Tom and the nature of his work with Pilgrim we find the key to the characters, that they too must sacrifice the instinct for self preservation to be remade with maturity.
Rating: 
Summary: Soap opera drivel masquerading as literature
Review: The worst aspect of this book is the fact that it tries to be something it is not - quality fiction. The beginning shows possibility in the tragic horse accident involving two young girls, one of them Annie's daughter. Instead of exploring the ramifications of this incident, however, the author uses the tragedy to set an unconvincing love story into action. I could have skipped the nauseating stolen glances between frosty Annie and wooden Tom. Maybe if these characters had actually had a chance to develop I would have cared more - although, I doubt it. I was given the impression that this novel was well-written and of high quality. I am astounded that Robert Redford was able to make a semi-successful motion picture out of this nonsense(of course, I use the term "success" loosely). I would have sooner pegged it for movie-of-the-week material.
Rating: 
Summary: Spoiled by the love story
Review: A decent horse story sabatoged by a sappy love story. It is a tale of healing: physically and mentally, human and animal. Fifteen-year-old Grace is a victim of a horrific accident involving a semi and two horses (the best descriptive of an accident, though quite gory). Grace witnesses the death of a friend and the mutiltaion of her horse. She is changed. Her mother, headstrong Annie, seeks healing for both her daughter and the injured, scarred horse. She learns of the traditions of Horse Whisperers--talented men who see into the soul of a horse. She learns of such a man, a western man, Tom Booker. She packs up her daughter and horse and trailers across the country to meet Booker. Should also menton that she leaves her loving husband, Grace's father, to make this journey. The story of the healing of Grace and her horse, Pilgrim, is very touching. But it is ruined by the silly love story that develops between Booker and Annie. Despite antagonistic presonalities, they fall in love and follow their hearts because "if it feels right, it must be right." This storyline is so predictable. Anyone who's seen an episode of any soap opera could tell you that opposing personalities eventually end up in bed.
Rating:
Summary: wow......boring
Review: I gotta tell you..this was the most boring story I have ever read....I mean...Darth Vader dies??????? What was that about???
Rating:
Summary: Overly mushy and formulaic.
Review: yawn yawn yawn. It was a terrible read. I don't know how I even got through reading the book. I thought the writer's portrayal of the women was awful, cliche-like, and overly melodramatic. This is not the book for you to entertain yourself with because it reads like some boring adult version of Beverly HIlls 90210. I like reading books that I can relate to. I'm sorry if I can't relate to females who can't keep their marriage vows or who are going through some sort of mid life crisis even though they have the best of everything in their career, marriage, and kids. I seem to be against it because the writer seems to encourage and stand by these awful morals.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Story
Review: The kind of story all first time novelists hope to achieve. Pilgrim thinks he failed Grace. Grace thinks she failed Pilgrim. Grace's stubborn mother refuses to give up and seeks a reluctant Whisperer to get the two back together, then comes face to face with her own crisis in the relationship with her husband. A very well written novel and a great story.
Rating:
Summary: Good love story.
Review: The pace of the story is a bit too slow in the middle part, and the storyline seems too artificial (Tom declined to heal Prigrim at first, Tom finally struck down by another wild horse, Grace accidently overheared Frank and Diane talking about Anne and Tom, Anne finally got pregnant, even the horse's name "Pilgrim" reflected the mind state of Annie) But this story indeed has a noval idea, all charaters connected by a wild horse. It's a good and easy read, with some very moving scenes. And it has a earnest automosphere only a debut noval has. Some sentences are quite simple but beautiful, for example, the following in the last chapter: On the breeze now, Annie could hear the baby crying.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed emotions
Review: This book gave me mixed emotions. For starters I felt that the author should have focused more on the horse whispering part and a little less on the romance. A little romance is O.K. but the author went a little far I felt. The fact that I love horses might be partial to my decision, but I still feel that all the romance was a little too much.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting and thrilling horse story
Review: I think this book was very well written. It was more understanding than the movie was and the ending was very different also. I think that if you love horses or not you should borrow this book from a friend or from a library and read a few pages then see if you like it. If you do I strongly suggest you buy it. Its the best book I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Begins intensely, grows into satisfying modern western
Review: Girl and horse, both with internal and external scars, get help from a cowboy horse-doctor with an unusual hayside manner. Cowboy and girl's mother fall in love and dally around, even though she's still married -- kind of a Bridges of Madison County on horseback. All this inevitably leads to tragedy, which is what a good moral-corral story is all about. And author Nicholas Evans makes it all worthwhile with unequaled foreshadowing that makes you want to turn the pages harder, and descriptions of western scenes that make you want to saddle up and ride the range. No wonder they made a movie of it, but this story doesn't have a Hollywood ending. Which is a good reason in itself to read this story, so that you won't miss the big surprise; even in tragedy, there is renewed hope.
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