A Book That's Not About Horse Racing

It's been a long, lonely few months since last I published anything to my humble little blog.  Honestly, I've been pulled in every direction by my school work, work work, and family commitments - every which way but doing what I really love, which is reading and writing.  I'm like a teapot though - stop me up for too long and I'll eventually blow my lid clean off (metaphorically speaking, of course).

So what's got me boiling?  I've just finished reading a new book that was so good I have to write about it to somebody or I'll explode, and nobody wants that, least of all the unsuspecting family members I live with.

So here it is, world:

The Scorpio Races

by Maggie Stiefvater

4.5 out of 5 stars

It's got everything any self-respecting reader wants in a novel: drama, true love, beautiful imagery, and yes, scary man-eating water horses.

The story takes place on a fictional island that seems convincingly real; it could be any seaside town except for that small bit about the man-eating horses.  On this strange yet completely acceptable island, the locals host an annual race riding (what else?) the carnivorous equines.  Our protagonists are a young woman struggling to keep her family together in desperate times, and the reigning champ who lives life by his own rules.

Ironically - and Maggie talks about this herself - the book has little to do with the racing.  It's about self-identity, the things that are most dear to us, seeing people for who they truly are, and loving outside of ourselves.

I was instantly drawn into the lives of the characters, thanks to Maggie's style of switching first-person narration between each player.  I loved reading both Puck and Sean's points of view.  The narration itself demonstrates Maggie's trademark style.  She crafts her words with such poetry, it's like reading a song.  The cadence of the words themselves lend a rhythm to the story that makes it truly her own unique creation.

The romance is exactly my cup of tea: perfectly understated, so that the reader feels the intensity of emotion between the two characters, the restraint between them allowing the moment in which they are finally able to express themselves to be most powerful.

The one down side to restraining the passion is that it does end leaving you wanting more.  The Scorpio Races reminded me of Jane Eyre, which is one of my favorite love stories, but which also leaves me frustrated and wishing the author would just come out and finish it already.

But, there is much to be said for delayed gratification.