Rating: 
Summary: Did I read the same book?
Review: I was surprised at the high ratings given. Maybe you have to be a 'horse person' to appreciate it, but I found the book to be (and I'm quoting Homer Simpson here) BORING, wire to wire. The writer clearly researched her story, but she also went into way too much detail about anything and everything. It bogged down the story like a muddy track on race day. Also, I got the feeling she had purchased a super-dooper thesaurus software program for her computer and was trying to get her money's worth. Lastly, I didn't always see the heros of the story as all that heroic. Howard fell in love with his son's wife's 26-year-old sister (coincidentally about the same time his 30-year old marriage fell apart) and Pollard was an alcoholic for most of his life. I don't mean to harshly judge people who were once living breathing souls who walked the Earth, but there was way too much hyperbole in 'Seabiscuit' to believe that they were as noble as the author would like you to think.
Rating: 
Summary: Bet on Seabiscuit! TO WIN!
Review: This book is written with historical accuracy and the author took great pains to get it right..down to the edgy details of fraction times.
There were times while I was reading this novel that I found myself scooting towards the edge of my chair, waving my arm and encouraging SEABISCUIT to WIN!
IT was very exciting and simply and beautifully written. Ms Hillenbrand spent four long years composing this novel, which may be her masterpiece work.
I encourage all people who love horses and love to read to spend some time parked in front of this compelling book.
You will go away dazzled and will have learned a great deal about our nation - pre and post depression.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Surprise
Review: I have never been interested in horseracing, certainly not one some 60 years ago. But that changed when I read this book. It was so unique how these characters so different could blend so well together to make a champ not only of the horse but of themselves. With each of the characters you could see them, you could feel their joys and disappointments, you could visit each racing track with them, you felt yourself on the horse as if you were the jockey.
This book is very well written, your interest starts on the first page and continues through out until the last page. I read some portions of the book for hours. I have encouraged all my friends to read it. You will enjoy it too!!
Rating:
Summary: Seabiscuit is a page turner!!!
Review: This was such a great book! It was a page turner and did not drag on like a lot of historical books do! this is a great heart warming story that every one needs to read. The movie isn't even close to the book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, excellent
Review: Written like a heartfelt fiction novel, author Laura Hillenrand takes us back to an era when America's most popular cultural icon had four legs and drew more newspaper coverage than Roosevelt, Hitler, Mussolini, or any other newsmaker.Racehorse owner Charles Howard, an automobile baron, hired trainer Tom Smith and sent him searching for 'a bargain animal whose talent had been overlooked,' Smith searched numerous racetracks unable to find what he was looking for. On June 29, 1936, at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts, the horse found him. The horse's name was Seabiscuit, a 3-year-old cold with crooked forelegs, knobby knees and a lazy disposition. He was often mistaken for lameness. But Smith saw something no one else saw. This horse had heart. Jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer, was down in his luck until he joined Team Seabiscuit. Individually, this horse and these men wouldn't amount to much. Together, their unlikely alliance would make history. Throughout this wonderful story we learn of the dangerous life of the jockey, their weight loss regimens, Red Pollard's handicap and his critical injuries. We see Charles Howard's rise to success in California and his friendship with the elite, including Bing Crosby. Also, there's Tom Smith's gift of understanding and training the most difficult horses. In the Winter of 1937, 'America was in the seventh year of the most catastrophic decade in its history.' 'America was desperate to lose itself in anything that offered affirmation.' 'With the relegalization of wagering, no sport was growing faster than Thoroughbred racing.' 'In six years, Seabiscuit had won 33 races and set 13 track records.' He earned world record prize money as well. Finally in 1938 'the Biscuit' was named Horse of the Year.
Rating: 
Summary: This story, like Seabiscuit, "has legs."
Review: In a recent New Yorker article, the author recounts her battle with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This makes all the more remarkable the achievement this book represents. For like the owner, trainer, and jockeys of the horse Seabiscuit, the author overcame great odds to recognize that this story "had legs." Though the story lacks some of the depth of fiction or the detail of history, it does much to combine the two in page-turning, lyrical prose that informs us not only about the intricacies of horseracing, but also the expansion of the country, the arrival of the automobile, the impact of the depression, and the importance of human as well as equine character in determining destiny. Although I have yet to see the movie, one could not ask more for the basis of a screenplay!
Rating:
Summary: A real champion.!
Review: This book was wonderful. It had it all,an unlikely hero(several actually) teriffic writing that kept you engrossed even if you don't know a horse's nose from it's tail.And, best of all,it was VERY inspiring,even more so when I read that author suffers from a serious illness and still wrote this beautifully detailed biography. Read "Seabiscuit" and you won't soon forget it..!
Rating:
Summary: Win one for the little guy!
Review: Laura Hillenbrand's book Seabiscuit: An American Legend was absolutely unbealivable. I could not put this book down! Normally, I do not read these types of books. I personally prefer the action/adventure and horror novels. However, my wife asked me to read this true story about a horse and three men who overcame all odds to become true American Hero's. I admit, I put off reading this wonderful story. After a few weeks, I finally sat down and began reading. And reading. And reading. I was hooked immediately. Hillenbrand's style is impressive and her narrative takes you back nearly 70 years. At times you feel as if you are actually there with this amazing horse and these amazing people. The chapter covering the race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral is probably one of the best chapters in literay history. I read it three times and each time I was there in the stands watching this unbealivable scean play out in front of me. This book is amazing. The story is amazing. This is true America! Read this book and you too will be hooked! Just amazing!
Rating:
Summary: A True American Book
Review: Seabiscuit: An American Legend is truly one of the greatest American novels ever written. Laura Hillenbrand takes readers into the lives, struggles, and joys of Charles Howard, Red Pollard, Tom Smith, and Seabiscuit. This book grabs the reader from page one and holds on to them until the end. I found it very hard to put down the book and in the end I felt attached to the characters. Seabiscuit: An American Legend is about the journey the horse, owner, jockey, and trainer have in the world of horse racing. Taking place in hard times, America turned to horse racing. With a horse like Seabiscuit to go and see, America got to get away from the hard times. Thousands of people would come to watch Seabiscuit warm up. Seabiscuit, a true hero, was once a nobody in horse racing but throughout the book he becomes the most loved and favorite horse of the country. He also travels cross-country a few times, something not many horses did, and competes in many more races than the average race horse while being much older than the average race horse. It is amazing how he did it. There are many dates in this book and sometimes it can get a little confusing but there are notes in the back of the book for each chapter to help you if you do get confused. Every person should read this book and learn a little American History in an exciting way. Even if your are not a horse person by the end of this book you will be.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Champion
Review: I can only add my voice to the chorus of praise that this book has received and which it richly deserves. One of the most fantastic stories any journalist ever stumbled onto, and one of the best-written books I have ever read on any subject, fiction or non-fiction. Hilenbrand and Seabiscuit are both champions for all time. If you haven't read this magnificent work you really should pick it up immediately. One caution -- the movie is good, but it is nothing compared to the book, believe me. It's not the filmmakers fault; there is no way to capture all of the passion and drama in this book in a two-hour film. Hollywood did its best to convey the essence of the story, but there is no substitute for the book - get it and read it!! Try to get the paperback edition that includes an interview with the author; her story is almost as fascinating as Seabiscuit's.
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