A black colt is born into a band of wild mustangs and soon learns that life can often be difficult. Follow his story as he goes from a free spirit to being captured for profit, and discover how one man gains the trust and extreme loyalty of a very special horse.
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Sexual Content - 0/5
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Violence - 2/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
This is a novel that travels full circle from a memorable beginning to a satisfying ending. It delivers on the promise of bringing the reader into the world of horses. In the tradition of classics like Black Beauty, this horse-driven book, Meeting of the Mustangs, allows the narrative of a horse to determine the plot and emotions of the book. The use of personification by the author, Cathy Kennedy, is realistic and believable. The preciseness of writing keeps the flow of the book moving, yet delivers rich visual details for the reader to create pictures of the action in their mind.
The story of the black mustang begins on the plains of Kansas and Colorado with the wild mustang herd of older horses and their foals. The conflicts from nature and man that the herd encounters are given empathy because the difficulties are viewed from the vantage of the horses. Life and death to the herd is determined by predators and unforeseeable accidents. The plot of the novel covers a lot of ground both geographically and from the challenges faced by the black mustang as he enters the world of humans in the Oklahoma area. The resolution of the horses’ journey leaves the reader with a sense of closure.
The only character that is fully developed is the main character, a black mustang. This horse grows up in the novel, meeting one set of struggles after another until maturity is reached. The emotions and reasoning that the author reveals about this horse ring true, as well as logical, to the reader. Several human characters’ viewpoints are revealed, which heightens the conflict with the horse’s perspective on life. If the author’s intent is to create empathy for animals, then the character of the black mustang does just that.
The novel does not deal with a spiritual aspect of life, but it does display the effect of life views of the humans that may relate to their relationships with God. The motives and the actions of the humans reflect on their beliefs. These glimpses into the souls of man from a horse’s vantage point are insightful.