Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Competent--if occasionally precious--writing, a thin plot and an unsympathetic protagonist in a VERY long book--approaching 400 pages. In the 1930s, fifteeen-year-old Thea Atwell is sent off from a privileged and rarefied existence in Florida to an exclusive girls' camp/school in the Carolinas as punishment after a "series of events". Twin brother Sam's fate is to be preferred by his parents and kept behind, though he, too, has been pivotal in his sister's removal from the family home. Thea's banishment is related to her burgeoning sexuality and a serious accident which causes an irreparable rift in her family. However, at camp Thea's sexuality--or shall we say, her nature of being the girl who wants too much--continues to spur her on. Not surprisingly, given the title, there is a great deal to do with horses and riding in this novel--more than a small chore to read if you're not a horse-lover. I think the book could've been cut to half its length. Even then, I wouldn't recommend it. There's something missing--an emotional heart, I'd say. It occurs to me that a far more interesting character than Thea is her mother--who, we learn by the end, has a past of her own. I would've been interested in finding out more about that past.Consider passing on this book or borrow it from the library if you must.