A 16-year-old girl, mute since the loss of her parents, speaks her first
words-to an abused and emaciated horse. This moment was really the birth of
Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon, writes Meeder, the founder and operator
of the ranch that rescues abused horses and gives disadvantaged children a
chance to care for them. Readers will need an entire box of tissues handy for
this collection of real-life stories of incidents at the ranch: two
tough-as-nails boys minister lovingly to a horse that has, like them, suffered
terrible neglect; in an answer to prayer, strangers donate hundreds of dollars
so an impoverished girl can have a pony for Christmas. Most stories are
emotional, even cloying, though some are comical and a few-such as one about
a horse that was rescued too late to avoid being put down-sidestep the
obligatory happy ending. The writing can at times be maudlin; far too many
people are described as having "hollow eyes," for example, and the vignettes
are encumbered by gratuitous adjectives intended to drive home a dramatic
punch. Despite the over-the-top writing style, the emotions are real and
intense. Readers will recoil from Meeder's gritty descriptions of the
devastating neglect of horses and children, then cheer when it seems their
interaction provides healing for both. Meeder laces the stories with her
testimony of God's faithfulness and providence, making this an earnest and
loving gift book for the Christian market. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed
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