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Holding The Horse

by J. L. Williams

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A postwar New Zealand coming-of-age story shaped by racing and family strain

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A postwar New Zealand coming-of-age story shaped by racing and family strain

Set in rural New Zealand after World War II, Holding The Horse centres on Sid, a boy determined to become a jockey as his father blocks every attempt to ride. His father’s difficult return from the war has unsettled the household, while Sid faces the approaching end of school and the prospect of work. Against a backdrop of rural hardship, Sid’s ambition leads him to deceive his parents and take escalating risks. The novel places his personal dream alongside an older sister’s sacrificed hopes, tracing how one boy’s choices affect the wider family. Racing, postwar adjustment, responsibility, and reconciliation all shape the conflict.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teen readers interested in historical fiction set after World War II
  • Readers who enjoy horse racing and jockeying stories
  • Readers seeking family-centred coming-of-age fiction

Themes

Ambition and obsessionPostwar family lifeHorse racingSacrificeReconciliation

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

When determination becomes obsession, things can get little out of hand, and something has to break.

Get ready for the ride of your life.

 

What's a boy to do, if his dad won't let him ride?

Sid's father is back from the war, but it's not the kind of homecoming the family had hoped for. Dad's return brings fear, not comfort, and for some reason he thwarts Sid's every attempt to become a jockey.

 

Time is running out for a boy who is almost old enough to leave school and start work. Can Sid prove himself to be a winner? Or will he sink into the mire of post-war rural hardship, doing any old job just to survive? With an older sister who has already sacrificed her own dream, Sid can't resist the temptation to go all out.

 

Deceiving his parents, Sid risks all - jeopardizing the very dream he longs for. Riding into danger, galloping to disaster, Sid's exhilaration turns to terror.

 

When Sid embarks on a life-changing struggle, he changes more lives than just his own. Set in post-WWII rural New Zealand, Holding The Horse is a fast-paced story of courage, conflict and reconciliation. More than a coming-of-age story, Holding The Horse is a heart-warming tale of healing and hope.

 

Holding The Horse is a story of dreams, determination, and ultimately sacrifice. J L Williams evokes the 1940s with accuracy and sensitivity.

A fast paced and heart-warming story of courage, conflict and reconciliation which will long remain in the heart and mind.

 

Praise for Holding The Horse:

 

A gripping story that will have you cheering for Sid all the way. A racing good book for anyone who loves horses, history or characters with grit and determination.
Philippa Werry, award winning author

 

There is nothing clich

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