NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion; the remarkable story of the heroic rescue of priceless horses in the closing days of World War II In the chaotic last days of the war; a small troop of battle-weary American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find—his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world’s finest purebreds in order to breed the perfect military machine—an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in; the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food. With only hours to spare; one of the U.S. Army’s last great cavalrymen; Colonel Hank Reed; makes a bold decision—with General George Patton’s blessing—to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time; Reed’s small but determined force of soldiers; aided by several turncoat Germans; steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses. Pulling together this multistranded story; Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky; director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna; a former Olympic medalist who is forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau; Hitler’s imperious chief of horse breeding; a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart; a senator’s son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm’s surrender. A compelling account for animal lovers and World War II buffs alike; The Perfect Horse tells for the first time the full story of these events. Elizabeth Letts’s exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure; courage; and sacrifice brings to life one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valor.Praise for The Perfect Horse “Winningly readable . . . Letts captures both the personalities and the stakes of this daring mission with such a sharp ear for drama that the whole second half of the book reads like a WWII thriller dreamed up by Alan Furst or Len Deighton. . . . The right director could make a Hollywood classic out of this fairy tale.â€â€”The Christian Science Monitor “Letts; a lifelong equestrienne; eloquently brings together the many facets of this unlikely; poignant story underscoring the love and respect of man for horses.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews“The Perfect Horse raises the narrative bar. Applying her skills as a researcher; storyteller and horsewoman; Letts provides context that makes this account spellbinding.â€â€”Culturess“The Perfect Horse is an enthralling and moving story that I could not put down. This is a riveting and unique perspective on World War II.â€â€”Molly Guptill Manning; author of When Books Went to War“Passionately told and dazzling in scope; The Perfect Horse charges headlong into an unforgettable tale of World War II; when good men were given a final mission—to save beloved horses—at an hour when no one wanted to die. In Elizabeth Letts; the saga of World War II’s white stallions has found its perfect guardian.â€â€”Adam Makos; author of A Higher Call“Elizabeth Letts’s beautiful prose; woven together with meticulous research; takes you for a ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.â€â€”Robin Hutton; author of Sgt. Reckless
#1553433 in Books 2001-01-30 2001-01-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.20 x .68 x 5.50l; #File Name: 0345408543320 pages
Review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Critical glimpse into nineteenth-century black lifeBy A CustomerFarah Griffin; editor of last year's "A Stranger in the Village: Two Centuries of African-American Travel Writing" has done it again with "Beloved Sisters and Loving Friends." This wonderful collection of letters between Rebecca Primus and Addie Brown allows readers to enter the world of nineteenth-century black American life. Through the correspondence of these "ordinary" women; the reader gains invaluable perspective on the social; political;economic and religious concerns of blacks around the time of the Civil War. In addition; the correspondence between these two loving friends is a welcome addition to all the historical collections of letters; diaries; etc. that document so well the white American experience while neglecting the experiences of black Americans and others. This collection is important and timely and I applaud Professor Griffin's achievement of giving voice to these two women and the world in which they lived.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. more photosBy helen lylesthis book was very interesting in that one could explore the eIvertyday goings on of a time that we're so far removed from.I would like to have seen many more photos. You can identify much more with the characters in this way. from a historical point of view it was quite enlightening to see how black americans took a hand in their own destiny what with all the odds staked against them. we can see the format that is used even to this day. another interesting point is that there is noting new under the sun. It seems some of the everyday occurencess still prevail today under different circumstances. Though at times the letters were a little boring and written without prpoer punctuation; it helped to bring out the true personality of the writer. All in all for me it was a trip back into time.7 of 18 people found the following review helpful. A patched-together narrative that needs massive editingBy A CustomerVery disappointing book. This is not "co"-respondence--it's two separate sets of letters that don't speak to each other; thus there's no dialogue. Further; the editor did not do her job of cleaning out the underbrush; so the letters are unflaggingly boring in their ungrammatical microdomesticity. Only now and then is there a flash of insight into the broader historical/sociological picture. This book is merely an assemblage of transcriptions interspersed with short bursts of mostly redundant editorial comment. With maps; historical timelines; sidebars; and incisive editing; this book could have been much more. As it is; it reads and feels like no more than a senior high school term paper. Shame on all concerned.
