This book was a big disappointment after Water For Elephants. The main character was a total basket case - whiny, obnoxious, self-absorbed and just plain annoying. I did not feel much sympathy for her. The "love interests" in the story felt forced, as though the author was writing to fulfill the review on the back. The author tries to bring in several hot-button type issues, but never really develops them (assisted suicide, concealing stolen goods, divorce) which made the book feel incomplete. ( )

I really liked this book by Sara Gruen, in fact I read most of it in an afternoon. It just absorbed my attention. The descriptions of the horses, the scenery and the action totally captured my imagination. I was there. the main character was self-absorbed and managed to make a mess of practically everything she tried to take over, her marraige, her teenager, her family horse stable, but she was believeable. Much better than reading about the beautiful, sexy, or unbelievably rich characters in so many novels. I think I'll have to read the sequel, Flying Changes, even though I often am disappointed in them ( )

I got this book because I absolutely adored Water for Elephants. It's not that I was disappointed with this book because I wasn't but I didn't find that it had the same pizazz as Gruen's bestseller. I never grew up around horses but I had a friend in high school who had a horse at a barn and went with her a few times to watch her ride. I myself have never rode a horse but when I watch people it looks exhilarating. I found myself really involved in this book and wanting the characters to get along. I have to say I found the main character to be frustrating. I could just see her making all kinds of mistakes with her daughter (I myself am 27 with no children so what do I know) and with her parents and I just wanted to shake her sometimes. I almost felt like while I could sympathize with the main character's sadness for not being as close with her daughter and parents, I could sympathize more with her daughter and mother. I would not know how to communicate with a woman like that. In the end I really wanted to know what else was going to happen. So... to feed my book addiction I went out and bought the next book in the series. Stay tuned for that review. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. ( )

I started this book in an audio version. I am usually much more tolerant of the audio books I read but I finally gave up on "Riding Lessons" because I simply could not stand the main character any longer. I found the mother whining, selfish, spoiled, and really irritatingly stupid. I decided I had better books to spend my life in than this one. ( )

As marriage, job and family fall apart, Annemarie Zimmer returns home to her New Hampshire horse farm. There she must confront the riding accident that nearly caused her death and the memories of her parents' ambitions for her.
Her discovery of an familiar horse forces her problems to the forefront.

Not as powerful as Water For Elephants, but a light and predictable read for horse lovers. ( )