True Underdogs | Seabiscuit | Laura Hillenbrand

Inspiring | Seabiscuit | Laura Hillenbrand

books:


	• Seabiscuit Laura Hillenbrand Random House Audio, 2003 average customer review:based on 639 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

ONE THRILLING RIDE FROM BEGINNING TO END

I'm one of those racing fans that the tracks just hate. I love watching the beauty of the horses running, & then I worry about the horses that don't win. I never bet or get into the money or snobbery aspect of racing which is probably why I saw the movie & didn't bother to read the book until recently. I liked the movie, but I purely LOVED the book! It was one of those books that you try to stretch out as long as you can, yet you can't wait to get back to reading, & then miss it like heck when you do finish.

For starters, Laura Hillenbrand's writing is remarkable. Even though I thought I knew the story-and there was so much more to it-it still held my attention from the very first page to the last. Her choice of words was particularly descriptive. The train didn't puff into the station; it groaned. In the match race between Seabiscuit & War Admiral, War Admiral "scratched & tore at the track" & Seabiscuit "drove over the track, his forelegs pulling the homestretch under his body & flinging it back behind him." These are perfect action words. Her description of trainer, Tom Smith is pure poetry: "He had a colorless translucence about him that made him seem as if he were in the earliest stages of progressive invisibility." Reading the author's descriptions of the races isn't like watching the race. It is more like viewing it from the back of the horse, & all the excitement is that much more heightened.

"Seabiscuit" engages your heart from the start--for the characters & certainly for the horses. And when Red Pollard is severely hurt-which he is again & again, when Seabiscuit is injured at Santa Anita while under George Woolf & later when Woolf is killed, your heart your heart cries. Many times I had to remind myself that these events were unfolding more than 60 years ago because Hillenbrand makes them seem so immediate. Last, but certainly not least, is the inspiration of the story. What was it that made Red Pollard get back on a horse after nearly dying twice. (I do wish she had mentioned what happened to Modern Youth, the horse Red was thrown from in the barn.) Where did they get the stamina to continue? Whenever I think I can't go on, I'll think of these people. Some reviewers say even those who aren't into horse racing will like this book. I'm not sure I agree, but reading this book might just make a racing fan out of you.

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True Underdogs

In Laura Hillenbrand's book, Seabiscuit, three men and a horse come together to create this amazing story. Seabiscuit and his owner, Charles Howard, his trainer, Tom Smith, and his jockey, Red Pollard, overcame incredible odds to sway the nations imagination. It tells about the world and the time during the Great Depression that this marvelous animal lived in, and why it was so important for the nation to believe in the undersized, crooked legged, muddy colored race horse that became a master of the race track and an American. Seabiscuit won over terrible handicaps to win almost every stakes race that he was entered in. In a time of sadness, Seabiscuit, who was an all around underdog, overcame his odds, and for once in a long time he gave the nation what it needed most, something to believe in. His most famous race by far was the Pimlico match race against his eastern rival, War Admiral. Seabiscuit stole the show by braking track records that had been held for decades, and winning against War Admiral by four lengths running easy. To come across a story like Seabiscuit's doesn't come along often. He was a horse that had a heart of a giant. It proves that sometimes we get caught up in what we think makes us perfect, when all that matters is in your heart. Seabiscuit was a world-class athlete but the reason he became so amazing was because of his story. He knew what true grit was, and he knew when live gets tough sometimes you just have to fight back.

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Inspiring

A book full of detailed history, and suspense. That's basically Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit. Based on a true story that took place during The Depression. It is a story of hope, not only for the people that bet on the races, but also for the nation. It is an inspirational story of three men and a horse that come together to make a legend. It shows the transformation of a little run down horse to a champion. You will just keep turning the page. It was full of thrilling wins and devastating losses. This book tells everything, and should be read if you loved the movie. It will show you how everyone matters, and can make a difference.

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Thoroughly interesting

I saw the movie first, then had to get the book. It was throughly captivating. I couldn't put it down till I finished it. It told a lot about racing in the "older days" that I had never realized was happening, and plan on reading it again. The author did a splendid job.

A Horse and A Dream

In Laura Hillenbrand's biography, Seabiscuit, published by the Random House Publishing Group, three brilliant men came together to create one of the greatest racehorses in America. The story is set in a time line from the 1920's through to the 1940's and describes in great detail about each of the characters, their lives, and how they came together for this horse. Charles Howard, the owner of Seabiscuit, is a man looking for a dream when he starts out as a simple bicycle repairman. He later moves up in the world of business, even with his ups and downs dealing with the Great Depression. Howard marries Marcela Zabala and both want to get into the life of horse racing. From this, they are introduced to Tom Smith and hire him as the horse's trainer. Smith sees and is interested in Seabiscuit, a small horse with a bad past, and shows him to the Howard's. They train "the Biscuit" to kick his old habits and make him into the racehorse that he truly is. They hire John "Red" Pollard as their jockey, who rides Seabiscuit on some of his greatest victories. Though their falls are great, these men never lose hope in their Seabiscuit, even when facing some of their most tragic racing challenges. The author, Laura Hillenbrand, does a fantastic job of giving you deep information about these men and gets you to really know them. Seabiscuit is truly a brilliant book, and is highly recommended for people of any age to read. This story just shows that simple things in life can come to be the greatest thing you could ever imagine.

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