The Horse Dancer

Written by Jojo Moyes

Narrated by Julia Franklin

Sarah's grandfather was a horseman of rare talent - only the exceptional are allowed into France's elite riding academy, Le Cadre Noir. But life took an unexpected turn, and now from a council estate in east London, the Captain hopes to train his granddaughter towards a better life. Natasha is a lawyer whose job is to represent the best interests of children. Her confidence in her judgement has been shaken and her marriage has died - but an encounter with Sarah may lead to Natasha learning all she needs to know about life from a fourteen-year-old girl and a large horse named Boo...

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
• Release date: Oct 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781407450704

Jojo Moyes

Jojo Moyes is a British novelist and journalist. She is one of only a few authors to have twice won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association and has been translated into eleven different languages.

Reviews for The Horse Dancer

[sueincyprus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a bit slow to get started; there are two stories at first, running alongside each other. One is of an almost-divorced couple who have to sort out their house and hope to do so amicably. Mac is a cheerful photographer, Natasha is quite an uptight lawyer. The other storyline features 14-year-old Sarah and her elderly grandfather who used to be a professional rider in France. Sarah adores her horse and works hard to learn the moves in 'Airs above the ground' - then disaster strikes.

Sarah's path crosses Natasha's and the stories then start to intertwine. As well as the overt theme of following one's dreams, this book covers fostering and adoption, theft and other petty crimes, teenage secrecy, the pain of ending a marriage, and the importance of parents and guardians listening to their children. I admit I skipped over some of the horsey sections, but that wasn't a problem.

The writing is excellent, the characterisation believable. There were one or two moments when I almost chuckled aloud, a couple of scenes where I was holding my breath in suspense, and towards the end I had tears in my eyes more than once. I started by reading just a chapter or two before going to sleep; by the time I was two-thirds of the way through, I could hardly bear to put it down.

Perhaps the ending is a little contrived, ending all the threads neatly in a happy-ever-after way; but by that stage it didn't matter. It's how I hoped it would end, with an extra bonus.

A wonderful book - well worth persevering through the early chapters. Four-and-a-half stars really.

[debs4jc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to try a JoJo Moyes book and this one has a horse in it. I did enjoy it, especially the horse part. The main story centers about a teenaged girl named Sarah living in London with her grandfather. Her grandfather was involved in a specialized form of horse dressage in France and he has taught it to his granddaughter and her horse Boo. When the grandfather has a stroke, the girl struggles with keeping up with the upkeep of the horse, the payments for boarding him, and food for herself as well. When Sarah is caught lifting some fish sticks from a grocery store a local lawyer gets involved. This lawyer is estranged from her husband, but he suddenly pops back into the picture - saying he needs to stay at their house for a while. Can this lawyer, her ex husband, and this teenaged girl all find some way to resolve their collective drama and closely guarded secrets successfully? What about the horse? These issues kept me turning the pages, even if some parts of the book seemed rather far fetched. Sarah and Boo literally go on an incredible journey together and along the way they learn that telling the truth doesn't have to end in disaster - if that truth is told to the right people and those people actually slow down and listen to you.There are some triggering things in this book, regarding Sarah being a vulnerable teenaged girl and the way she is treated by some of the male characters in the book. And parts of the story and how the characters behave stretch the bounds of what I would consider realistic. Still I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction, especially if they enjoy stories about unlikely people becoming family, and even more so if they enjoy horse stories.

[tonifgmamtc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a sweet story. There's a couple getting divorced, a young girl needing a home and an animal. You pretty much know how things are going to go, but you can't help getting your heart involved. Of course there are characters I didn't mention, and the girls devotion to the horse is an inspirational story itself. This book has a lot of emotional moments. I enjoyed it.

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this....partly because I am already a huge fan of Moyes---the way she writes just amazes me. How can she come up with so many, many stories? In The Horse Dancer I can understand that she personally knows a lot about horses but her characters interactions are so vivid. I have a terrible time putting one of her books down once I have started!! I keep thinking this one is the best....but really, I have never been disappointed with her writing.

[terran_9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my all-time favorite books. Excellent portrayal of the love and trust between Sarah, a horse-loving teenager, and her horse. When her grandfather is hospitalized, she is fostered by Natasha and Mac who are dealing with a divorce at the same time. All of the characters are dealing with emotional issues and learning a great deal about themselves and each other throughout the book. Very satisfying.

[mm_jones · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not the finest of Jojo Moyes novels. The last third was captivating, but I found the beginning rather slow and tedious. Perhaps if I had a strong interest in horses, I might have appreciated it more.

[haymaai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fourteen-year-old Sarah lives with her grandfather who was formerly of Le Cadre Noir, an elite corp of equestrians in Samur, France. Each day Sarah trains religiously to perfect her riding skills, hoping to someday audition for the exclusive group of experts in horsemanship. When Sarah’s grandfather unexpectedly suffers a stroke, the wayward teenager goes to live with Natasha, a child advocate lawyer, and her estranged husband Mac, who are trying to work out the details of their impending divorce. When Sarah comes up missing one day, Natasha and Mac embark on a journey to recover Sarah, and on this mission many unrequited feelings between the couple surface. The author, Jojo Moyes, very skillfully presents the tension between Natasha and Mac, while also portraying the determination and fortitude that Sarah exhibits in caring for her horse, Boo, and in fulfilling her dream of performing for Le Cadre Noir. I did decide to give this book a five star rating, but I will warn the reader that at nearly 500 pages, it did tend to seem a bit lengthy at times. I was just so impressed with Moyes’ extensive knowledge about horse behavior and training, and she expertly portrayed untold feelings of the characters in great depth.

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

She writes such readable books. They are not the most profound but they are fun to read. I always like her characters.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Moyes doesn’t disappoint in this story revolving around a woman, who not only is struggling with a divorce, but is overshadowed by her perfect mom, a well-known lawyer. Add in a strong-willed young girl who is left on her own when her grandfather is hospitalized with a stroke. Include a horse being housed in the middle of London and you have a great story. Moyes really knows how to write a story that will capture the reader.

[needmoreshelves · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So.....I'm not sure this was the best choice for my first JoJo Moyes novel? I guess I expected to be blown away, and instead it was really just....fine. A little Hallmark-movie-esque, honestly. The premise really stretched my suspension of disbelief, and I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. I will probably give the author another chance, but.....I wasn't overly enthused about this one.

[mchwest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

***** Another 5 stars if you could add them. Can I just say EXCELLENT book! If she makes this into a movie we're done for.

[tina1402-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I normally like Jo Jo Moyes novels but I really struggled with this one and eventually gave up

[dudara_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The photo of the rearing horse and barefoot rider on the cover gave me some thought for pause as I wondered if I had received a young adult novel. However, I was quickly drawn into this tale of modern relationships.Natasha is a successful London solicitor advocate in the process of getting divorced from her husband Mac. A series of miscarriages have driven a wedge between them and recent cases at work have left her distrusting her judgement.Sarah is a young teenager living in a London council estate with her elderly grandfather, Henri Lachapelle. In an effort to protect his granddaughter from the crime that surrounds then, Henri has taught his granddaughter all he knows about Le Cadre Noir, an exclusive French riding school, dedicated to the finest horsemanship. Not only that, but he bought a horse for Sarah. Not any old pony, but a fantastic Selle Francaise called Boo.The paths of these two speparate women entwine when Henri suffers a dehabilitating stroke, leaving Sarah to fend for herself. It's a bit of a cliched tale, but the lonely women and the hurt and angry teenager help each other to feel more human again.This book surpassed my expectations. Moyes has a deft touch for human relationships. It is a romantic story and has the expected happy ending, but somehow it is also more. It is an interesting look at the disintegration of a marriage under the pressure of repeated miscarriages and the failure of the system to care for lonely teenagers. Highly recommended reading.