The Lady: A Novel

The Lady is an incredibly vivid book: the startling beauty of Ireland and the innate grace of the horse are described with an accuracy born of appreciation for both. I too have read this book so many times it no longer has a cover, and it never loses its appeal. This book will make you wish, not only that you rode, but that you rode like an irishman/woman.Not many authors can write a book for adults, and make the main character a child. Catriona, while only in her pre-teens, captivated my attention because her inner strength was apparent. McCaffrey does not skimp on characterization, even for the lesser figures. I want a sequel to this beautiful book about the relationship between horse and rider, child and family, husband and wife, and man and woman.

The Carradynes ... the father, Captain Michael, his daughter Catriona who is almost 13 and her mother Isabel own a well known stable. To Catriona and Michael their lives seem to revolve around the stable and the horses. Catriona's life is all horses much to her mother's bitter disappointment. Isabel is determined to make Catriona a respectable, ladylike, socially involved, young girl even if that's not what Catriona wants. Michael gets tired of Isabel's ideas and soon the household is an unpleasant place to be, tense and strained. Fate decided to play its hand finally and Mrs. Selina Healy comes onto the scene. Poised, respected, beautiful, elegant, understanding, an accomplished horsewoman, and all that Catriona hopes to become when she grows older. Michael soon comes to apprechiate Selina's skills and Catriona comes to love Selina for all she is. But when Selina faces the truth how will that effect the atmosphere and when Michael comes to face reality what will that bring him? I have read this book so many times that the book is starting to become ragged and think that for anyone over 12 it will be a splendid read!!!

As an occasional reader of Anne McCaffrey, I picked up this book as an interesting diversion from what I normally read. Oh, boy, was I in for a surprise! This book caught my attention right away with the focus on horses and breeding. Instead of the normal fantasy/scifi that McCaffrey writes, this book presents the reader with a look into the life of a young child growing up on a horse farm in Ireland. It is a page turner, filled with dramatic events, sadness, joy, and (of course) horses. At times, I wanted to jump into the book and slap the mother, beat up the lady's husband, or shake some sense into the cook. McCaffrey's development of the characters in this book are a prime example of why she's sold so many books and has so many avid readers. Also, the addition of the cousin gives me some idea of what the Irish think of us Americans. (Are we really that obnoxious?) Part of the plot was predictable if one ever reads romance novels, but I won't tell you which part. The only downside to this book is that it ended all too soon. I keep looking for a sequel, but haven't found one. I'd love to know what happens later in the young girl's life and see her running the horse farm, even though that isn't proper for a lady. The overall message of the book, to live your life as you desire and not for someone else's wishes, is pounded home quite efficiently. All in all, a good read that I couldn't put down.

Anne, Anne, when will you gift us with a sequel to this wonderful story? As a long time lover of and collector of horse stories, I was thrilled to discover this book. It has everything I enjoy in a story...horses, a young girl with big dreams, a couple of lovers with great obstacles to overcome, and a whole background of heartwarming characters, with a few bad guys thrown in to add spice. As I said, Anne, Anne, when can we have a sequel?

McCaffrey's foray into mainstream fiction is a departure from her usual fantasy/science fiction worlds, but to a horse lover, it's every bit as successful. I've read my copy of this book so many times that the pages are literally falling out. The Lady is set in Ireland in the early 1970s. It is the story of Michael Carradyne, owner of Cornanagh Stud trapped in a loveless marriage; his daughter Catriona, a girl on the edge of womanhood who must come to terms with her parents' conflicting plans for her future; and Selena Healy, a wealthy neighbor who has realized too late that her heart belongs to horses and to Cornanagh. The Lady is a horse-lover's dream. When I miss my own horses, I open this book and feel a little less homesick. McCaffrey has created characters so real that I have to fight the urge to look for them when I visit Ireland. If you're not a lover of horses, this book may not be for you, but if you are, I wholeheartedly recommend it