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Vivian H. (Winchester, VA)
Charming Road Trip Meets Mystery
Pony Confidential was way out of my typical book choices; however, the story exudes charm and empathy that focuses on the way humans and animals communicate and bind. The tale (intention pun) is told from the alternating voices of a wrongly imprisoned Penny and her Pony that felt abandoned when Penny was 12.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the unique premise, I must admit that I paged rapidly through parts in the middle of the book, which I believe should be classified as Young Adult or for young girls who fondly remember Misty of Chincoteague. The story is a bit too twee for adults.
Again, I thought the book was
…more well written. I liked it. But, not for adult readers. (less)This fun story was told between alternating viewpoints between Penny and her childhood pony. They were separated after a mysterious incident in the woods involving a man's death. Penny is arrested years later for the murder of the man, Frank, when she was 12. I am not a horse person, but I loved the pony's point of view. The pony travels around the country looking for the only owner that he loved. Overall, I really liked the book. It kept me interested in their quests to find each other. The mystery of Frank's death kept me reading as well. Thank you to Berkley publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to
…more read this delightful ARC. (less)Pony Confidential is a fun light read and is a nice break for those who like mystery stories.
The premise that a pony can clear it's owner of a murder had me intrigued but alas the pony did it! It was a far fetched plot that comes together at the end of the book.
I thought the many adventures of the pony were a bit too numerous and lost my interest at times. I was not expecting so many animals that could communicate with each other and brought to mind Charlotte's Web.
Except for the prison and murder storyline I think it might have been a good book for younger readers.
Amy S. (Albuquerque, NM)
A Delight!
I must start by saying that I have never considered myself to be a "horse" person. Therefore, I was a little surprised to find myself enjoying this book as much as I did! While the premise of the story was a bit unbelievable, I was ultimately the most touched by the observations of and discussions among the animals, Penny's musings while isolated from her family, and the gentle reminders about how to be a good person. Simple, yet moving and profound for me.
Parts of the story were little a confusing at times-it felt like sometimes the author thought we knew more than we did. Eventually, the connections were made,
…more and it all clicked. This worked for me because truly, the mystery was secondary to the lessons learned by the pony as he let down his guard, opened himself up, and made amends for his mistakes. Lessons we all need to learn. (less)Told from the perspective of a pony and the woman who was once the girl he loved. Both of the characters take an emotional and physical journey. The pony in particular is somewhat like Odysseus with wild adventures and memorable companions. But the heart and social commentary is ever present and that lifts it above a mere travelogue.
Hannah L. (Plymouth, MA)
A book for horse & whodunnit lovers
I struggled to get into this book at first as I couldn't get past that the book was written partly from a horse's perspective. However, the book gets you caught in the whodunnit of the plot and towards the end of the book, I couldn't set it down as I was curious how the book would end. I think this book is great for people who appreciate the connections & relationships humans can have with animals.
Elizabeth D. (Apple Valley, MN)
A Pony with Personality
I enjoyed this book and had fun reading it.
The pony was a strong character with a distinctive voice and personality. I loved his bravado and cockiness. He had a lot of great lines and interesting turns of phrases that I highlighted throughout the book. His travels took him on quite the adventures, and I felt like the animal characters he met were drawn vividly, too. I will remember Burnie and Dr. Rat as well as Pony, for example, not to mention Caya and Circe.
I also think the story is a springboard for thinking about or discussing topics such as animal welfare, animal rights, the ethics of responsible animal
…more ownership, the challenges of caring for someone with mental health difficulties, the American justice system, and, to a lesser extent, the prison system. I wasn't expecting to find any of these topics in a pony detective-led mystery novel, but I enjoyed the book more because of their inclusion.
I struggled a fair bit with the timeline. What I initially thought were parallel timelines didn't exactly line up, at even in later points of the book the two timelines seemed to contain more action in one seemingly equivalent portion than the other. I think it would have helped me a lot to have had month/year cues in the chapter heads or some other way to indicate how the timelines related to each other. A small bit, but one I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about, especially given the sweep of travel.
I think, too, that marketing it as a mystery - especially with that great cover, with the Sherlock hat on the horseshoe! - meant I expected something different. There is a mystery, and it does provide the impetus for the action, but it isn't really the heart of the story and there isn't any type of traditional detecting. It's more of a homecoming journey than a mystery. The author references Odysseus returning to Penelope in the credits, and this is very, very apt. It's a Homeric epic more than a murder mystery. ??
I enjoyed Pony enough as a character that would enjoy a second book starring Pony and Penny in a more traditional detective novel.
Thank you to BookBrowse and PRH for the advance copy. (less)Christina Lynch's latest novel is a love letter to the pony/human bond. It's a whodunnit murder mystery. And a tribute to fables. It's also a call to respect all creatures great and small. The main characters change and grow more empathetic as the truth emerges of what really happened that night twenty-some years ago when 12-year-old Penny and her beloved pony were torn from one another.
I'm a fan of Christina Lynch's. This is a very different book, way more fantastical than The Italian Party, which I prefer for its espionage thriller vibes and Italian setting. What I appreciate most about Pony Confidential are
…more its revelations about all things pony. I will continue to seek out Lynch's books. (less)
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