Where White Horses Gallop

By Beatrice MacNeil

Book Overview

FROM AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR BEATRICE MACNEIL COMES THE ACCLAIMED STORY OF THOSE WHO WERE SENT INTO BATTLE-- AND THOSE WHO WERE LEFT AT HOME. In 1941, three young men enlist in the legendary Cape Breton Highlanders and sail off to war, leaving their families to wait and wonder at home in Beinn Barra, Nova Scotia. Fisherman Hector MacDonald, gifted musician Benny Doucet, and hopeful medical student Calum MacPherson are all eager for the excitement of life in the famous regiment, but on the homefront, they leave behind only the anxiety and pain of their loved ones. Heart-wrenchingly told in smart, lyrical, evocative prose, Where White Horses Gallop is a novel that strikes at the heart of war in its glory, and in all its stark legacy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550814540
• ISBN13: 9781550814545
• Release Date: October 2013
• Publisher: Breakwater Books
• Length: 335 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully written

I really did like this book and thought that it was beautifully written. With that said, it was also endlessly depressing. I understand that a war story is not a happy one but I so badly wanted a happy ending for someone in this novel and it just never came. But, like I said, beautifully written and worth the read.

Where White Horses Gallop

This is the first book I have read by Beatrice MacNeil but I found it beautifully written. Her writing is like reading poetry and her descriptions of everything paint a very real picture. Although the story was mostly sad as it dealt with the war years during World War II, there were other stories within the story that were truly heart touching. I would like to read more of her stories.

Poetic Prose in Motion

MacNeil pays homage to the legendary Cape Breton Highlanders in her third novel, another Dartmouth Book Award winner. As Canada enters WWII, three friends from rural Beinn Barra enlist to serve with the breed of manly men. Calum MacPherson, who has been accepted to medical school, gifted fiddler Benny "Strings" Doucet, and Hector MacDonald, a fisherman like his WWI veteran father, ship out from Halifax in 1941. Like many other young men, they leave behind friends, family, and their boyhoods. MacNeil not only shares their tales, but also weaves together a community tapestry, revealing how those on the home front cope as they wait. Two of those remaining behind are Alex MacGregor, who does not enlist with his friends because he knows he would not last on a battlefield, and Hamish MacPherson, Calum's handicapped brother. With such distinct characters, MacNeil provides keen insight into individual and community attitudes about war and going to war. The inevitable moments of sorrow are balanced with a sense of hope in humanity. This is a beautifully crafted and lyrically written story that propels one forward while going back in time. Reviewed by Deb Jurmu