Product Description

Anxiety rules Annemarie Zimmer's days—the fear that her relationship with the man she loves is growing stagnant; the fear that equestrian daughter Eva's dreams of Olympic glory will carry her far away from her mother . . . and into harm's way. For five months, Annemarie has struggled to make peace with her past. But if she cannot let go, the personal battles she has won and the heights she has achieved will have all been for naught.

It is a time of change at Maple Brook horse farm, when loves must be confronted head-on and fears must be saddled and broken. But it is an unanticipated tragedy that will most drastically alter the fragile world of one remarkable family—even as it flings open gates that have long confined them, enabling them all to finally ride headlong and free.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12680 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Released on: 2007-04-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

About the Author

Sara Gruen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Water for Elephants and Riding Lessons. She lives with her husband and three children in a conservation community outside Chicago.

Customer Reviews

Flying Changes
I enjoyed the novel, the characters were real, it is a quick easy read, I have read Water for Elephants which is her 3rd novel and it is to die for but this one held my interest.

Changes And Dealing With Them
This is a sequel to Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen. Annamarie Zimmer continues to be a passionate neurotic determined to sabotage her own happiness by impulsive behavior. There are changes in her. She is riding again, although not competing. She's rekindled a relationship with her old flame, the one she should have married in the first place. And she's getting her due comeuppance from her daughter, who wants to ride competitively.

Reading a book like this is like getting a visit from the nutty relative that no one can stand. There is a dreadful awfulness, for example, in the scene at the fancy restaurant where Annamarie storms out on her boyfriend and yet, if the reader can cultivate a certain detachment, it is mighty entertaining.

Good yet annoying ...
"Flying Changes" was a quick read that kept me turning the pages despite the fact that it annoyed me. The basic premise of the book was very good and the characters did have true=to=life idiosyncrasies, but I was annoyed by many of them.

First of all, if Eva is irresponsible enough to gallop a one-eyed-horse over frozen ground and try to jump him, then WHY would her mother assume she's responsible enough to compete? Second, as another reviewer pointed out, brindled horses exist (AQHA, mustangs, Pasos) but not in red-and-white stripes.

I will agree with a previous reviewer that Gruen doesn't seem to understand that there's a difference between eventing and jumping. My Arabians and I do double-duty 25-30 mile competitive trail and lower level dressage and THAT is very difficult. I can only imagine the effort and money that goes into Olympic level Grand Prix jumping and 4Star 3 day events. It just isn't realistic. Also, a junior rider would not have to wear a shadbelly and a top hat at a 2 star event.

Gruen made Smoky Joe unrealistic for me as well. I would give a Nokota an outside chance to be an excellent jumper, but to also do Grand Prix dressage maneuvers at 7 years of age wiht minimal training?! AND to jump fourteen foot spreads?! The horse is good at too many things for me to believe it. Also, how would Eva have the timing for 1-tempis and passage if she hasn't had that many dressage lessons?

Speaking of Eva, while painted as a very realstic character, I wanted to smack her. I know of toddlers with better manners and behavior than her. To me, she didn't deserve to compete, train with Nathalie Jenkins or be accepted BACK into her program. She's a spoiled self-centered brat, realistic but still irritating.

Annemarie I could actually tolerate. The owner of the place I board my horses at is a rodent-phobic, so I was mildly amused to see "her" as Annemarie. BTW, my vet also lives in a dilapidated trailer.

Overall, it was a decent read. It was fast-paced, quick reading that actually did make me interested to find out what would happen next, even if I didn't like the characters. I am curious if Gruen will publish more about these characters. Two wishes for this reader, though. 1. Read the USEF rulebook before writing about Olympic level competitions. 2. Eva needs to grow up.