Rating: 
Summary: A five star story
Review: Seabiscuit and I were born just a year apart. I used to watch him race at Santa Anita, less than 5 miles from my home. Laurie Hillenbrand has done a fantastic job. I have never read a more engrossing book, so much so that I read it in one weekend, finishing it with an all night stint on Sunday night-Monday morning. I commend the book to all sports fans.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story!
Review: How do I solve my dilemma? Do I savor "Seabicuit" reading a bit each day, or do I gulp it down in one sitting and appear at work next day with half-closed eyes? Let me be perfectly frank. I prefer cats and dogs, never wanted a horse as a teenage girl, and have only been to the race track once (I did very well with my perfect system--betting only on gray horses!) But this isn't so much a story about horse racing as it is a story about the relationship between Seabiscuit and his three human companions. And what a story. Hillenbrand is a lovely writer and her book is chock full of images that you come away with you. The many details she inclues from her meticulous research make this book a memorable one. The fact that Seabiscuit got written is itself a near miracle as Ms. Hillenbrand suffers from severe chronic fatigue syndrome that makes it difficult for her to work or even leave the house. I have two wishes for her: That she continue writing and start another book, and that health be returned to her.
Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: as a former sportswriter--and someone who is not particularly a real fan of the sport of kings--i was captivated by the story of seabiscuit and the people around her. this is a great read, splendidly researched and extremely well written. along with dick schaap's autobiography, flashing before my eyes, this is the best sports book of the year and one of the year"s best non-fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Best Racing book of all time
Review: This book dispells the myths surrounding Seabiscuit and adds greatly to the legend. It is a required read for the race fan and horse lover as well as the non-fan. Laura Hillenbrand doesn't just give you the facts...she takes you back in time and you feel as if you are there. I couldn't put it down!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: Fantastic! A completely engrossing account of three audacious and charismatic men who overcome Great Depression hardship and, by virtue of their talent and determination, are vaulted into superstardom. Oh, yes, and the horse: Hillenbrand's vivid and nuanced description brings the star of the show to life as a thoroughly unforgettable individual. Yet it would be a mistake to think that this book is just for horse lovers. The first half draws us into the early struggles of the protagonists, with fascinating snapshots of the old west's surrender to the new west, the rise of the automobile, the harrowing life of the jockey. The second half details the Herculean career of the horse and his team. I've never watched a horse race in my life, but I couldn't put the book down. Hillenbrand is a master of suspense; there are some real thrillers here. And the last chapters are heart-pounding.
Rating:
Summary: Deserves the Sterling Reviews
Review: I'm not a big history buff or nonfiction reader, but I have to say that this is one of the most entertaining stories I've ever come across -- it really reads like a good novel. The writing is superb, the characters are rich and lively and funny, the pace is quick and the level of detail in the research is truly amazing. Most horse racing books are about either horses or gambling, but this delves more into the more universally appealing subject of the wonderful, oddball characters who got together to campaign this horse. At the same time, you really end up rooting for the little horse, too. I really couldn't put the book down. Highly, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Review: Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit: An American Legend ranks as one of the most engaging nonfiction books I've ever read. Each of the lives detailed in this thoroughly researched tale of Depression-era racing is worthy of a book of his own, but they happen to have converged in a time and place when horses and racing had captured the American imagination. The underdog, the down and out, the driven could all have a chance for glory, and Seabiscuit and the men who cared for him proved that it could happen. Hillenbrand's evocation of the pre-WWII world of Thoroughbred racing is both uplifting and heartbreaking, and Seabiscuit's great races, now more than a half a century past, are recounted with such vividness that you'll find your own pulse quickening as though you were in the stands rooting the underdog on.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A TREAT
Review: I am much enamored with the extraordinary number of historical efforts, both fictional and non-fictional, which have been published in the last year. This book is a revelation: Ms. Hillenbrand works things into this story that make your jaw drop. The chapter on a starving jockey hallucinating because of his hunger is extraordinary. Her observations are as good as any novelist's: "Charles Howard was like a great charging locomotive, you either climb on board or moved out of the way." She managed to make a horse more interesting than most writers could make a human being. There are some other extraodinary historical efforts: if you have not read Eric Larson's Isaac's Storm, about the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, or Devil In A White City, in which Larson alternates chapters between Daniel Burnham and celebrities like Thomas Edison at the 1893 World's Fair and a deranged serial killer who stalked the Fair Grounds, you are missing two masterpieces. And on the fiction side, a book that has gotten no attention from any critics but is quickly becoming the darling of readers, 1906, an extraordinary tale of the great San Francisco Earthquake by James Dalessandro, is not to be missed. Any reader will love how the Italian singer Enrico Caruso steals the show in 1906. Kudos to all of them.
Rating:
Summary: A first-rate read
Review: Extremely well-written, great evocation of the times and the characters. The only flaws are minor: Hillenbrand sometimes uses a bit too much racing jargon without explanation, and I would love to have more photos.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Awesome
Review: "Seabiscuit" is easily one of the most inspiring stories of the last century. Set against the backdrop of Depression 1930s America, a team of misfits (owner, trainer, jockeys and horse) come together to forge a winning team that few could have foreseen. Each had his own obstacles - the jockey's blind eye, the trainer's unorthodox methods, the owner's western roots - and that's not even mentioning the horse. Seabiscuit had even bigger problems. He didn't look like a champion, for starters. And he was raced far too much as a 2-year old, which stunted his progress and made him appear to be a joke to much of the racing establishment. But once these men began to work with Seabiscuit, it was not long before his true promise came to be realized. Seabiscuit won numerous races, set many track records, and retired as the leading money winner of his time. Not bad for an "also-ran!" Hillenbrand tells Seabiscuit's story while also managing to give many details about "big picture" stories as well - e.g., life in 1930s America, the trials and tribulations of jockeys, the up-and-down popularity of the sport of horse racing. Telling all of these while keeping the reader not only interested but riveted, Hillenbrand has written an exceptional book. I did not know the story of Seabiscuit before this book came along; now, I will never forget it! His is one of the great "underdog" stories of all time. Five stars. Absolutely fantastic!
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