Rating: 
Summary: great story, writing is so-so
Review: the story of seabiscuit is great, but if you know anything about horse racing some things the author invents will drive you nuts. she claims that seabiscuit would have likely won the triple crown at 3, which was blatantly false. seabiscuit was an average horse at 3, and definitely not triple crown material. he was a late bloomer. it is amazing also how she attempts to drive the book throughout the middle sections when the only thing that seabiscuit does is lose or pull out of races. her pathetic attempts at crafting a 'work of art' ("His history had the ethereal quality of hoofprints in windblown snow") is quite comedic at best. there are too many examples to list here of controversial claims that she assumes as fact; suburban moms will love the book without catching these things, but the discriminating horse reader will laugh at loud and wonder how the hell she was allowed to 'make up' a lot of things she introduces in the book. summary: good intro to seabiscuit and his career, and hopefully the author made enough money so she won't write again about thoroughbreds (eclipse awards or not, her only gift has been to re-introduce horse racing to the mainstream). if you want to read a horse bio that is not full of lies or half-truths, try nack's bio on secretariat instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Seabiscuit
Review: What a fascinating book - I didn't read everything about each race (I am not a horse racing fan) but the details of the lives of the jockey, trainer, owner were amazing. Great read!
Rating: 
Summary: Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Review: A wonderful book that is worth reading over and over again. I have recommended this book to almost everybody I know. Read this book and you would not regret it.
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Summary: I could hear the pounding of the hooves as I read this.
Review: I am not an autobiography reader, but this book just swept me away. I absolutely fell in love with Seabiscuit and not being familiar with his life before this book, I was on the edge of my seat during each race. Laura Hillenbrand wrote this so beautifully, I would definately read any other autobiography she wrote. It was written like a novel and kept you engrosed like one also. LOVED IT!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read all year
Review: This is an incredible book. I am not a racing afficionado, nor a particularly avid sports fan, so I never expected to be so mesmerized as I was by this book, these characters, this story. Laura Hillenbrand's storytelling is spellbinding, her prose lyrical..., it was evocative, immediate and visual...her detail exquisite. I could not put this book down and I literally read every note, footnote and even the index because I didn't want the experience to end. What people! What excitement! What a horse! Just a brilliant book. Better than fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Mythic tale of horse racing
Review: You know the story already: Underdog - stumpy, funny-looking, kicked off the varsity squad - makes good with help from a misfit collection of castoff characters. So you know the story already, big deal. "Seabiscuit" is nonetheless a great yarn and a fun read. Hillenbrand crafted a winner, and it should make a swell movie. First the crit. I got the feeling that the uglier sides of "Seabiscuit"'s characters were suppressed. Sure, Pollard was a drunk - although we never actually saw the fallout his alcoholism created - jockeys visited brothels and had eating disorders, the press was vicious and uninformed. But...there's an intriguing accusation against Smith that he doped his horses, and doping is a problem in horse racing just as it is in any other professional sport. Might the accusations be true? And there are mentions of feuds between riders, owners, and trainers...yet no conflict is explored. And what about corruption? Based on "Seabiscuit," you'd think there were no fixed races. Somehow I doubt it. But who cares? Hillenbrand was writing about an underdog, about her love for horse racing; she penned a tale about the downtrodden who finally got their big break and bucked the odds. It's a tale of myth of legend. Ambiguity and ambivalence don't belong. Normally, I'd fault a book for feeling a bit flat. After all, it's the curves in bumps in life that makes life, well, life, right? Well...Hillenbrand pumps so much suspense, character, and detail into "Seabiscuit", that it satisfies my need for realistic characters, but manages to keep them pure. And in the process, "Seabiscuit" satisfies, too, my need for heroes.
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Summary: Even if you've been kicked in the head by a horse...
Review: Even if you have not a shred of interest in horses or horse racing (I sure don't), you will love this book, assuming you have any heart and soul whatsoever. The initial exposition bogs down a little in places, but it's all necessary information. You'll come to love the horse, feel real compassion for the jockey, and just generally have a great read. After you've read it, look for the PBS special on Seabiscuit and see that runty, huge-hearted animal in action.
Rating:
Summary: A great read for anyone...
Review: This is a great book. The story of Seabiscuit is truly amazing, how a well-bred but awkward and underacheiving horse became one of the greatest that ever lived, and captured the imagination of a country wrapped in the depths of the Great Depression. The story of the long journey from claimer to champion, along with the lives of the men who guided Seabiscuit along that road, make for some very compelling reading. The writing in this book is exceptional. There are virtually no clumsy sentences. Hillenbrand's words flow smoothly, enhancing the picture that she paints and allowing the reader to engross himself (or herself) in the story. Especially vivid are the descriptions of the races in which Seabiscuit participates, where the power and intensity of the horses and riders are conveyed in stunning detail. Also interesting is the psychology of the race horses, from their desire to run to the way they interact on the track. The accounts of Seabiscuit's behavior make for some of the best reading in the book, and really help to enlighten the reader on how race horses think. Hillenbrand also provides an interesting glimpse into the world of the depression-era horse racing industry. Tom Smith's cat-and-mouse games with the press are quite humorous, but one of the things that surprised me was horrendous lives that jockeys lived. Injury and death was an accepted part of the job, and the struggle to make weight was performed with gruesome recklessness. "Seabiscuit" is one of the best sports books I have ever read. The combination of a great story and wonderful writing make this book one to be treasured.
Rating:
Summary: And Down the Stretch They Come....
Review: This is easily one of the best books I've read in the last several years. It is the story of a remarkable racehorse, his owner, trainer and jockey. Ms. Hillenbrand has done an outstanding job of drawing together the stories of these unique characters to create a timeless tale. It reads like a well crafted novel. Sports Illustrated rated it as one of the great sports books ever written. THIS IS A MUST READ! IT IS A 5 STAR +
Rating:
Summary: Runaway Winner
Review: Seabiscuit is a big winner. WINNER in sports books and any other kind of book. I am an avid reader and avid sports fan. However, I seldom read books about sports because there are not that many that are very good. Laura Hillenbrand has written a story that will hold you spellbound even if you are not a sport or racing fan. I found the jockeys, trainers, owners and everyone else to be interesting and the actual races themselves gave me goosebumps as I read. I don't know if I ever read a better book on any subject. Can't wait for movie!
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