This book has some really well taken photography shots of people and their horses. It dosen't lie in its title...alas..the title is incredibly accurate...it shows a bunch of celebrity with their horses and a few with the dogs also.
Did I say the photography was wonderful?...It is.
The choice of the persons included in this book was well thought out..as she included several minority persons for which I give high marks for doing so..as minorities are very poorly represented in most equine books.
The horse crazy among us..(like Myself) will devour this book in less than 30 minutes if you read it..and even faster than that (maybe) if you just look at the pictures. Teens..young adults...minority horse lovers should jump on it...because it contains people that you have seen ..that could be you or your kids in it..and for that reason..it is excellent for the younger crowd too !!!
It isn't smart..or difficult..or magical...or knowledgable......its a good look at American Celebritys the horses they own..and how they got connected to them.
Where should I start? With the many blurry, grainy photos? Or the photos of celebrities and horses that are hugely under exposed so the "background" can come shining through? I thought I'd get to see celebrities with their horses - in focus. Disappointing photography.
The interviews sound somewhat "canned" and "redundant". As though the celebrities were asked to fill in a form and then the interview was written from the form.
Why two stars? Page 1, Richard Gere and his horse; Page 13 Robert Duvall and horse; Page 89 Kim Novak and her horse.
People Magazine in hardcover with lots of horses
This oversize book with photographs by Linda Solomon is exactly as advertised by the title. We see photo-montages of stars like Robert Redford with his favorite horses. The text burbles on about his screen credits and career and the Sundance film festival. Robert Redford talks about his (horseless) childhood and why and how he learned to ride. The other stars that Rappaport and Wilkinson interview and photograph are Gisele Bundchen (super model from Brazil), Chevy Chase, Robert Duvall, Richard Gere (who raises Appaloosas), Melissa Gilbert and Bruce Boxleitner, Whoopi Goldberg (who currently doesn't own any horses, so was photographed with NYC's finest mounted police), Kelse and Camille Grammer, Joe and Billie Perry (Friesians), Katharine Ross and Cleo Elliott, Jane Seymour (who prefers driving to riding), Maria Shriver, Robert Wagner and Jill St. John, Jeff Bridges, Christie Brinkley, William Devane, Morgan Freeman, Kim Novak, Jack Palance, and Dennis Quaid.
The book has two other, shorter sections titled "Pro and Show" and "Healing Hands, Healing Horses." My favorite interview was with ex-jockey Julie Krone. What a gutsy, determined athelete! There are also short articles on the U. S. Equestrian Team, Dressage, and horse healer Buck Brannaman.
"People We Know, Horses They Love" is a pleasant hodge-podge. I would recommend it to star-struck teenagers who also happen to love horses.
