First published 1996
Thirteen-year-old Grace Maclean rides through the snow-covered hills of upstate New York when a forty-ton truck slams into her and her horse Pilgrim. Both survive the collision, but their injuries run deeper than broken bones. Pilgrim becomes so violent and traumatized that the veterinarian regrets saving his life. Grace's mother Annie, a magazine editor, refuses to put the horse down. She believes that destroying Pilgrim would kill something vital in her daughter. Annie learns about Tom Booker, a man in Montana who heals damaged horses through gentle methods. She abandons her career and drives west with Grace and Pilgrim to find this horse whisperer. On the Rocky Mountain Front, where plains meet ancient limestone cliffs, Tom begins working with the shattered horse. Under the vast Montana sky, the healing process transforms not just Pilgrim but all their lives. Grace slowly reconnects with riding and with herself. Annie discovers feelings she never expected. The story explores how broken spirits can mend and find wholeness again.
Genres: fiction, drama, family, animals, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Montana, New York, Rocky Mountain Front
Period: Contemporary
Mass Market Paperback · Dell Publishing