Geraldine Brooks is an Australian, horse-loving, history buff. The historical fiction is both a celebration of a great horse and a depiction of the discrimination against black people in America. Her story covers the period surrounding the civil war, a brief story from the 1950's, and a current day discovery and love affair. The book studies the anatomy of the horse and details the art of painting the champion. Lexington is possibly the greatest American horse of all time from a racing and stud perspective. Her story tells the reader about the horse as well as the individuals that helped make him special.
My favorite quote came from the artist Scott when speaking of the southern soldiers. "They were, all of them, lost to a narrative untethered to anything he recognized as true...their complete disregard-denial-of the humanity of the enslaved, their fabulous notions of what evils the Federal government intended for them should their cause fail-all of it was ingrained so deep, beyond the reach of reasonable dialogue or evidence."
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