ADVERTISEMENT
Dream of the White Stallion
Julia Oliver, author
Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)
Kathryn Alexander, writing in her personal journal, describes her coming of age while dealing with childhood bullies and a dying mother. She is a shy teenager living in 18th century England, the era when Thoroughbred racing and breeding became the rage among the aristocracy. She has always loved horses, and even though her Irish father is an exceptional, but nontraditional, equine trainer and healer, her humble working-class family could never afford one of the beautiful animals. Although a commoner herself, Kathryn secretly loves William Stanley, the handsome young viscount who shares her passion and affinity for horses. Kathryn and her father save a crippled, young foal and raise it only to have the filly stolen the night her father is killed. This horrific event spirals Kathryn into a nightmare of desperate destitution, destructive choices, and eventually a spiritual journey that will change her life forever. Will she solve the mystery of her father’s murder, find forgiveness for her crushing guilt, and overcome the class differences that separate her from the man she loves?
Reviews
Oliver delights in this breezy chronicle of a clever woman surviving the harsh realities of early 18th-century England. Since childhood, Kathryn Alexander has been tormented by dreams of a white stallion. As daughter of Patrick, an Irish Catholic immigrant, and Anne Marie, a disowned aristocratic Protestant English mother, Kathryn is ostracized and bullied, as is the rest of her family. Kathryn shares her love of horses with Patrick, who makes harnesses, trains horses, and provides veterinary healing. There’s no unifying thread, but there is plenty of drama as Patrick’s apprentice Billy attempts to rape Kathryn, Patrick fires him, and he threatens the family. Meanwhile, Kathryn has her eye on handsome Viscount William Stanley, but when Patrick is found dead and her prized white filly Snowflake is stolen, she must do whatever it takes to feed and tend to her consumptive mother. Oliver follows Kathryn from childhood to young womanhood with insights on the era’s class struggle and daily life, as well as detailed descriptions of horse breeding, training, and racing. Fans of historical drama will be hooked. (Self-published)
