The Horse Whisperer (novel)

The Horse Whisperer

First edition cover
Author	Nicholas Evans
Language	English
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Delacorte Press
Publication date	1995
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback) and audio CD
Pages	678 pp (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN	ISBN 978-0-385-31523-4 (first edition, hardcover)

The Horse Whisperer is a 1995 novel by English author Nicholas Evans. The book was his debut novel, and gained significant success, becoming the 10th best selling novel in the United States in 1995, selling over 15 million copies. This also makes it one of the best-selling books of all time.^[1]

The book was made into a film, also titled The Horse Whisperer, directed by and starring Robert Redford.

Summary

The book centers on a riding accident and its aftermath. The book starts in upstate New York where friends Grace and Judith go riding on their horses, Pilgrim and Gulliver, on a snowy morning. As they ride up an icy slope, Gulliver slips and hits Pilgrim. Both horses fall, dragging the girls onto a road and into a collision with a truck. Judith and Gulliver are killed, while Grace and Pilgrim are severely injured. Grace, left with a partially amputated right leg, is bitter and withdrawn. Grace's mother, Annie, is a workaholic magazine editor, and her father, Robert, a lawyer. The different approaches taken by each of Grace's parent in dealing with the accident strain relationships within the family.

Following the accident, Pilgrim is traumatized and uncontrollable, leading the people looking after him to treat him badly and to suggest that he be put down. Annie refuses to allow her horse to be put down and hears of a 'horse whisperer', Tom Booker. She undertakes a long cross country journey with Pilgrim and Grace to Montana.

On the Montana ranch, Tom works with Pilgrim and starts to make progress. Both Grace and Annie become happier because the ranch life suits them. During the stay, Annie and Tom become close and eventually begin an affair.

Despite the progress that Tom has made with Pilgrim, Grace is still unable to ride the horse. Tom attempts a drastic intervention by forcing the horse to lie down and having Grace stand on him. This technique works and horse and rider are reunited.

At the party to mark the end of Grace's and Annie's stay in Montana, Grace finds out about the affair, and she rides recklessly into the countryside. Grace unintentionally rides into a herd of wild mustangs that begin to stampede. Tom rides after her and finds Pilgrim fighting with the mustang stallion. Tom sacrifices himself to save Grace and Pilgrim by deliberately confronting the mustangs and being fatally trampled by the stallion.

Grace, Annie, and Pilgrim return to New York to rebuild their lives with Robert, but Annie discovers she is pregnant and eventually gives birth to a baby with Tom's blue eyes.

Characters

• Grace MacLean is the daughter of Annie and Robert, and starts the plot into motion by having a riding accident.
• Annie Graves is Grace's mother, who arranges the journey to the horse whisperer, and embarks upon an affair with him.
• Robert MacLean is Grace's father, and Annie's husband. He appears relatively briefly in the book.
• Tom Booker is the horse whisperer.

Inspiration

According to writer Nicholas Evans,^[2] Tom Booker is modeled after horse whisperers Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt and, in particular, their younger disciple Buck Brannaman. Evans has said, "Others have claimed to be the inspiration for Tom Booker in The Horse Whisperer. The one who truly inspired me was Buck Brannaman. His skill, understanding and his gentle, loving heart have parted the clouds for countless troubled creatures. Buck is the Zen master of the horse world."^[3]

Film

Robert Redford bought the film rights in 1995 for £3 million,^[4] and the film The Horse Whisperer was released in 1998, with Redford himself in the title role as Tom Booker.

The film is mostly faithful to the book but does not include Grace's confrontation with the herd of Mustangs, or the death of Booker. Instead, Annie drives away from the ranch with Pilgrim in the trailer while Booker watches from the top of a hill. There is no indication in the movie that Annie and Tom sexually consummated their affair.

References