The Language of Hoofbeats: By Catherine Ryan Hyde - Summary & Analysis

Warning This is an independent addition to The Language of Hoofbeats, meant to enhance your experience of the original book. If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. INTRO Jackie and Paula knew that moving their two foster children and adopted son to the rural town of Easley might take a period of adjustment. However they never could have prepared themselves for their new neighbor, Clementine - a bitterly mean old woman who instantly and vocally disapproves of the idea of two women raising a family. The two household immediately clash over the issue of Clem's horse Comet when Jackie and Paula's troubled teenage foster daughter Star discovers that Clem has been neglecting the horse. Jackie and Paula offer to buy Comet from Clem, but she refuses to part with the horse that once belonged to her daughter, Tina, who tragically took her own life years before. Then when a desperate Star takes drastic measure, the two families are forced to work together to ensure the safety of the troublesome members of their family. The fascinating thing about The Language of Hoofbeats, and the reason the novel works so well, is that the two narrators, Jackie and Clementine, have such completely different perspectives on the same events, giving us a window into two incredibly diverse and complex personalities. In fact, diversity is a key component of this book, and readers will fall in love with the way Catherine Ryan Hyde handles topics of race, gender, sexuality and mental illness with deftness and compassion. This is a story about how families are made. SETTING The book takes place in the rural, unincorporated town of Easley, California, where Jackie and Paula have moved with their two foster teenagers and young adopted son, in order for Paula to set up her practice as a large animal veterinarian. Jackie, one of the book's two narrators, is initially uneasy about the move to this dusty town, anticipating small-town attitudes that might not look too kindly on a married lesbian couple with children. However with the exception of their antagonistic neighbor Clementine, no one in the town seems to have a problem with Jackie and Paula's family, and they even receive congratulations for the work they are doing with foster children. This seems somewhat unrealistic, as it is impossible to deny that homophobia still exists in the United States, but it is understandable considering the relatively low number of people Jackie and Paula seem to interact with throughout the book. In fact, the book is much more concerned with exploring the inter-family relationships than in discussing the attitudes of other townsfolk. The book's other narrator, Clementine, has lived in Easley all her life, but her disapproval of Jackie and Paula's family seems to stem from something other than her small-town values. Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. (c) 2015 All Rights Reserved