This beautiful story by Tim Pears completely mesmerized me. I was back in Somerset and Devon, Thomas Hardy country. The measured pace of each day in one year in the life of a country manor farm, and the mood that the author creates with his lyrical writing reminds me very much of the pleasure of reading Hardy. “The Horseman” is the first of a trilogy of the West Country of England.
It is the story of Leo Sercombe, a 14 year old boy in the years 1911-12. These years are the last before the Great War broke out, and Leo’s life parallels the calm before the storm. We are reminded that though nature is calming and beautiful, it can also bring destruction, and the reader knows that despite the slow cadence of everyday life, something big is coming.
Leo is a silent observer, serious, honest and true. He rarely speaks, yet takes in all around him, and in turn we see all through Leo’s eyes. School and book learning are something to be gotten through until real life begins. He is the youngest of a taciturn family where everyone has a job and that job fills every minute of every day. Everyone contributes his or her work which like a well-oiled gear keeps the large estate running smoothly. The chapters are named by the months of the year and each is centered around a seasonal chore, whether it is preparing the ground for planting until it is time for reaping, or birthing animals, or the brutality of their slaying for food when they mature. The quiet dignity of the farm workers and the cadence of their speech has a calming effect.
Leo is like a horse whisperer. He has a gift that all recognize, even Lord Prideaux who sees a future for Leo that will eventually put him in charge of all the manor stables. Only things don’t always go as one plans or wishes. Leo’s passionate love of horses is equally felt by Miss Charlotte, daughter of Lord Prideaux. She also instinctively understands the animals and is a talented horsewoman. She shares an unspoken bond with Leo, as if they are two sides of the same person, bound by their deep love and understanding of horses. Their innocent relationship is misunderstood by others. The difference in their social classes dictates that they cannot overstep the boundaries they seem to ignore. The climax and ending of the book is very powerful, especially since events leading up to it are so peaceful.
This elegiac novel touched me deeply and I look forward to reading the others in the series. I highly recommend it to all who feel a kinship with nature, love horses, and to those who love Thomas Hardy’s West Country novels.
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