Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This is a book I could not put down! The "coincidences" of all the characters coming together in the book seemed more like destinies intertwined by greater forces out there. This was an unlikely trio that captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people and live on in history. The way the author wrote almost put you right there, feeling every emotion of triumph and heartbreak. A must read for anybody who roots for the underdog and loves horses the way I do!
Rating:
Summary: A Must have for All Horse Racing Fans
Review: Seabiscut is a true example of the american Dream come to life. This horse was believed to be over the hill and worthless, and he went on to defeat Triple Crown Champion War Admiral.Writer Laura Hillenbrand did an outstaning job on this book and her historical accounts make the reader think he or she was right there when it happened. I kept looking at the book cover to remind myself this was not a newspaper or magazine I was reading about current events. This story should be mandatory reading in high school and college, as it reflects real life events and it shows the courage of the heart. Well done, and a Big Applause from us. The movie that came out Seabiscut is based on this book. Best Regards to all
MC -TheStickRules.Com
Rating:
Summary: A Book With Heart and Backbone
Review: For me, reading the first few pages I found the background of Charles, Tom and Red somewhat boring. Later seeing it necessary. Once "the Biscuit" and three men's path's crossed, reality explods off every page. A very well researched and written vehicle opening up to the reader a view into life surrounding a truly great racehorse. Allowing the reader to view racing of that era through the words and lives of the Jockeys. Through the cross country rail trips of the Biscuit with trainer Tom Smith and around the track, a glimse of Smith's methods of working with the Biscuit as well as his not working with the racing press. In summary, a great book.
Rating:
Summary: A true gem of American literature
Review: What a book! What a reading! I picked it up to fill in the void left by Harry Potter book 5, and this Seabiscuit just blow me and every other books I've ever read (in English) completely away. I just couldn't put it down once I started, finishing the 300-plus pages in less than 48 hours - a personal record for me as a slow reader. Yes it is about horse racing - a topic I couldn't have cared less if not for the movie I plan to see, but it goes way beyond. It's really about perseverance, redemption, friendship, and second chance in life overcoming obstacles. As a foreigner, I found this book the best window to peek into a piece of American history, an American legend, and the true American spirit. Laura Hillenbrand's writing is mesmerizing, the way she tells the dramatic stories about the horse and the people behind it, the way she builds up layers over layers of suspense leading to one climax after another, make this book a real page turner. Don't be fooled by the non-fiction category, this book is exactly what the best fiction should have been written as. I can hardly believe this was her first book. What a talent! Her life itself is also a reflection of the theme of the book and just as inspiring. She has been suffering severe chronic fatigue syndrome since age of 19 as a result of food poison in college. Yet she never gives up writing. Although after reading the book I found the movie is just so-so (perhaps my bar was set too high by the book), I still want to thank Hollywood for making this film from the bottom of my heart - because it introduced me to the most satisfying reading I've ever had. This is a real serendipity!
Rating:
Summary: The "Harry Potter" for non-fiction readers
Review: This was a book that I could not put down. I am not an avid reader, typically going through a book every month or two. But if every book was like Seabiscuit, I'd do a couple books a week. The characters in this book are so clear that you feel like you know them personally in the first 25 pages. The triumphs of Seabiscuit are nothing short of amazing. You feel an amazing victory for the underdog, and in this story there are many underdogs. I loved this book. And it's a true story. Unbelievable.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Movie, but A Superb Book
Review: For those of us who missed the Depression, we'll never really understand just how hard the times were on the people who survived them. Older relatives may often seem only parsimonious to us, when their memories of the Depression simply make it impossible for them to consider spending money in any but the most careful of ways. Whenever times are tough, people look for heroes. During the Depression, people needed something more, and Seabiscuit was just what the doctor ordered. At a time when almost one-quarter of all Americans were out of work and most of those who were working could hardly be called well-off, a castoff horse captured the nation's imagination, not just with his prodigious physical talent, but with his drive to succeed. Such a great story deserves to be told well, and Laura Hillenbrand deserves great credit for giving the story the craftsmanship it merits. Seabiscuit doesn't just tell the story of probably the greatest horse ever to take the field; Hillenbrand ties the story of the horse to its owner, its trainer, its jockey, and its country. Each character is painted with vivid detail, warts and all. Seabiscuit is no hagiography; these were men with many faults as well as virtues, and Hillenbrand doesn't flinch from portraying them. Yet in the telling, the characters become greater rather than worse. And none greater than the title character, whose incredible exploits seem to gallop off the page, particularly in the magnificently-detailed descriptions of Seabiscuit's races. Although very detailed, the book reads more like a novel than a history. The pages fly by as Hillenbrand's prose brings historical figures to life with such detail it's impossible not to be drawn into their lives. Better still, though Hillenbrand writes like a novelist, she cites sources like a historian, reminding the reader that, while Seabiscuit's exploits may seem legendary, he was absolutely real. And the reader will be absolutely awed to read of all that Seabiscuit accomplished. For those who've seen the movie first, there's still plenty here for you. The book goes into so much more depth than a movie can, reading this will only increase your enjoyment of the film.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: First let me say this is undoubtedly the most interesting and enjoyable book I've read so far this year. What this book ultimately accomplishes is serving up a piece of unique U.S. history, that most people know very little about, in a readable, even dramatic narrative. The author does a tremendous job of taking the story of an ungainly underdog racehorse - Seabiscuit, his owner Charles Howard, the taciturn trainer Tom Smith, and the colorful jockey Red Pollard, and blending it into a dramatic story. I knew nothing about horse racing prior to reading this book (other than being a casual watcher of the Triple Crown series on TV every year). But you don't have to be a horse racing fan to enjoy this wild, fun ride.
Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: What we have here is a rarity in the world of non-fiction. This book is so wonderfully written and so thoroughly researched that it captivates in the way that only great fiction is supposed to. There is so much to this book, I don't even know where to begin. It is said that the best fiction is non-fiction. Never has there been a more perfect example. The lives of Tom Smith, Charles Howard, and Red Pollard are so different, and yet through this magnificent animal, they couldn't be more closely related. Not only did I learn about the nuiances of horse racing, but I learned, more importantly, about the nuiances of the human spirit. Rarely do you come across a book that can teach you so much and move you so genuinely. I said it once, I'll say it again. Wow.
Rating:
Summary: Seabiscuit Is An American Classic
Review: Seabiscuit is an instant classic. It's sure to become one of the most beloved American novels of this generation. First-time-author Laura Hillenbrand's story, in connection with this novel, is almost as amazing as the Seabiscuit story itself. Like the amazing cast of characters about whom she writes - a tragic entrepeneur, a washed-out drifter horse-whispering trainer, and a half-blind failed jockey - Hillenbrand has found redemtion - in her case from a debilitating illness - through the rejected undersized overweight half-crippled racehorse who becomes the biggest hero and news story of the late 1930's, and the country's most beloved purveyor of the American Dream.
Rating:
Summary: A great book, well worth the read...
Review: I listened to this book in an unabridged audioversion and enjoyed it more than any book in great while. It is well written. It is interesting and compelling hearing the stories of the three main characters lives and how these lives came together for something great. Don't hesitate to read this.
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