Funerals for Horses

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Book Overview

Funerals for Horses, Catherine Ryan Hyde's critically acclaimed first novel (initially published in 1997), is a deeply felt and heartrending story of redemption and love, disappearance and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965352439
• ISBN13: 9780965352437
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Russian Hill Press
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Catherine Ryan Hyde's best novel

It's so odd that the best books by Catherine Ryan Hyde (this one and her book of short stories, "Earthquake Weather") are out of print while her lesser work is still being published."Funerals for Horses" is not nearly as uplifting as "Pay it Forward" (it's not its purpose) and it is a million times more realistic than either "Electric God" or "Walter's Purple Heart." In both of these more recent novels it was obvious that Hyde was in way over her head. Not so with "Funerals." Here she flexed her literary muscle."Funerals" is a descent into a family's dark past and, at times, even into madness. I believe it could even be described as cathartic, especially for anyone recovering from their own childhood. Through it all Hyde maintains a believable tone and atmosphere which is a tough path to follow. Not too many authors can approach this topic (metaphor, family abuse, mental illness) without coming off as melodramatic or just incoherent.I can't say that "Funerals" is for everyone. But it is an excellent novel nonetheless. I highly recommend it.

Original and Insightful

I am ashamed to say that I had never heard of Catherine Ryan Hyde until I saw a trailer for the movie Pay It Forward. I picked up a copy of Pay It Forward (because we all know the book is always better than the movie) and in fairly short succession I read Pay It Forward, Electric God and Walter's Purple Heart. Having liked all three of those titles very much, I tracked down a copy of Funerals for Horses and all I can say is... wow.Ella's search for her brother and her stubborn cling to sanity will move most readers. But this story will definitely touch any reader whose childhood is something that he or she longs to flee and forget. If your childhood was a place of terror and pain, you will read this book as if you are coming home. You will say "Exactly. That is exactly right."And if you like horses, well, that's just gravy. This novel is one of those hidden gems of the literary world. Be glad you are on this page and found it. Read it. You won't regret it.

Required reading for all sentient beings.

This is a book borrowed from the library, which I must now purchase to have on my bookshelf to reread in several years to check whether I went where my instincts want to lead me now. Funerals for Horses is one of those rare books wherein a seemingly weak woman harnesses her nature to exceed even her own expectations. The protagonist, Ella, embarks on a journey to locate her missing brother and in the process discovers herself. Any woman who has suffered deeply and wanted to leave that pain for the road she can now see ahead, will feel that Catherin Ryan Hyde gave voice to her emotions. What woman has not wished to hear the words offered to Ella by an old man she meets at a critical juncture of her journey: "You have a mission. Most of us only wish we did. It's the purest, most untarnished way to live a life. All the universe envies you. All the people, the animals, even the sun and the clouds and the night. If we could trade places with you, we would. So we line up at your back in admiration. We are all with you, Ella." The lyrical prose which is Ella's voice will stay with you like the hawk on the Mesa. Bravo.

Make time for this book

Funerals for Horses is a novel that adds an incredible physical journey to the kind of emotional voyage of The Yellow Wallpaper. Ella's "descent into madness" is more a series of frightening dips into a breathtaking clarity, where the surface of the mind is broken again and again with the haunting memories that threaten to ruin her. Ella's final aim seems not to triumph over these visions but to come to an understanding of their impact and, utlimately, of their origins. Catherine Ryan Hyde creates seamless transitions between the levels of Ella's reality. Most striking to me is the development --within Ella's mind-- of the character of DeeDee. More than a stabilizing, conscience-type voice, DeeDee is a parallel to Ella, an other-world, alternate life version of her. DeeDee's urgings to make decisions based on other-than-sensible logic may be Ella's best defense against her own emotions. The novel's voice is a crushing one, heavy with layers of sensation that must be felt simultaneously before they can be experienced separately. Catherine Ryan Hyde has created a story that cannot be interrupted, one that will make you miss your stop on the bus, eat cold cereal for dinner, and stay up long past your normal bed time. Plan accordingly; Funerals for Horses is not to be missed.

a remarkable book, well-written and powerful

I didn't intend to buy another book, but after I read the short passage inside the front leaf I had to lay my money on the counter. I was not disappointed: This novel was clear, clean, and compelling from start to finish. It was intense but never overdone. I loved the way Ella dealt with her search and how the author resolved the story at the end. So many good books have mildly disappointing endings. Not this one: its ending is dramatic, believable, and inspiring. Funerals for Horses could be made into a great movie.