The Truth About Horses

$17.95

Fourteen-year-old Reese’s dream of winning the Black Elk race is shattered when her beloved horse, Trusted Treasure, falls at the last jump and the vet suggests they put him down. While still reeling from that loss, her family suffers a second tragedy—one that results in the end of their family business, the sale of Trusted Treasure, and irreparable damage to Reese’s relationship with her father.

Heartbroken and still longing to find Trusted Treasure, Reese meets Wes, a selective mute, whose way of training horses is unlike anything she’s ever seen. If anyone can win the Black Elk, it’s Wes—but he’s struggling with his troubled past, and having a teenage girl hanging around his barn isn’t exactly what he’d planned. Through heartaches and triumphs, Reese must prove her worth if she wants to heal her family, help Wes, and show them all that some dreams are worth fighting for.

A spellbinding tale in which every teenager has magical powers within them just waiting to be discovered, this book will have you laughing and crying—sometimes on the same page—all the while rooting for Reese, the most unlikely of heroes.

Editorial Reviews

Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist

What an irresistibly readable novel Christy Cashman has written! Her young heroine Reese is an astonishing creation, warmly sympathetic, impulsive, unpredictable, brash, loyal and loving, endearing, exasperating, most of all memorable—a triumphant portrait of tumultuous adolescence in our time. The Truth About Horses plunges us into a beautifully evoked rural world in which horses are both magnificent beasts requiring human love and devotion, and iconic creatures out of mythology.

Sy Montgomery, New York Times best-selling author of How to Be a Good Creature and The Soul of an Octopus

From its first gripping pages, this beautifully written, vividly imagined novel had me hooked. Anyone who remembers being a teen, loving horses, or losing a loved one will find deep meaning in this book.

Harry Connick Jr., Emmy Award–winning actor and Grammy Award–winning musician

With all of the unpredictable thrill of a horseback ride, The Truth About Horses took me deep into the mind of a teenage girl searching for her post-traumatic truth. It is a beautiful, moving story that I'm glad to know and certain to remember.

Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin

This is a heartwarming novel about facing down the perils of adversity. It's also an examination of how and why we become stronger at the broken places. Christy Cashman has written a book for everyone, young and old, who wants to know about the elemental gallop of the heart.

Midwest Book Review

Original, deftly crafted, brilliant, and a compelling page-turner of a read from start to finish, The Truth About Horses showcases author Christy Cashman’s genuine flair for the kind of memorable narrative storytelling style that keeps young readers riveted from beginning to end.

About the Author

Christy Cashman

Christy Cashman is a mother, author, and an active member of the Boston literary community. She is on the board of directors for the Associates of the Boston Public Library and is the founder of YouthINK, a not-for-profit mentorship program for young artists in the United States and in Ireland. In addition to The Truth About Horses, she has published two children’s books, The Not-So-Average Monkey of Kilkea Castle and Petri’s Next Things. Christy, her husband, their two sons, and three dogs live in Boston and spend time in Ireland and on Cape Cod. She is currently working on her second novel, Beulah, and on her third children’s book, The Cat Named Peanut Shrimp Cookie Fry Muffin Who Lives on Staniel Key.

Books from Christy Cashman

The Truth About Horses

$17.95

The Not-So-Average Monkey Of Kilkea Castle

$21.95