Flying Changes: A Novel

Flying Changes is the sequel to Riding Lessons. It can be read as a stand-alone but will be much more enjoyable if you have all the background. When Annemarie was young she was an accomplished rider heading for the Olympics. She and her horse suffered a devastating accident during competition that resulted in her horse being put down and Annemarie's neck being broken.Annemarie is now 39, divorced with a 16 year old daughter Eva who is getting into all kinds of trouble. They live on the family horse farm with Mutti, Annemarie's mother. Even though it scares Annemarie, she allows Eva to train with an Olympic equestrian who takes very few students. Of course there are complications that arise just like they do in every family. Sara Gruen is very good at getting to the heart of things. Her writing shows not only people's flaws but also the reasoning hidden beyond the action.Her characters are well thought out and multidimensional. I cared about what happened to them and that is one of the things a good writer is able to share with her readers.I don't know much about horses and riding so I was interested in learning. This wasn't just about horses. There is obviously a close bond that forms between horse and rider. A friend who has horses once told me that she never thought she could love something so big that had the ability to hurt her so much . I guess that says a lot about human nature and the relationships that arise between humans and animals. It's not so much about who we are but who we can become when we love an animal.

I loved your ability to weave together the messiness of the mother-daughter relationship across generations. Having grown up a horse lover, you captured so eloquently the powerful healing a horse can bring to a broken heart.I hope that I can be the “Mutti” to my 2 adult children and grandchildren! I loved her wisdom, resilience and deep love for her family.Just a beautiful story all around,SusanL New Bern, NC

Sara Gruen is a talented writer. I am a horse person so I enjoyed riding a story that was based in the horse world. As others have pointed out, the main character is hard to like and her daughter is selfish, spoiled and pretty difficult to care about as well.I'm not sure it is possible for a mother to be as clueless as this one. I was wanting the characters to evolve and grow into nicer people and a healthy mother/daughter relationship with personal insight. No such luck. While their circumstances improve they don't show much personal growth and is detracts from the story. There are also parts of the book that show a lack of research into the horse world that create major flaws in the story. I read both Flying Changes and Riding Lessons and while I enjoyed the quality of the writing, the stories fell short because of the flaws and the characters. I loved, loved, loved Water for Elephants and this experience was just no where close to mastery of that book.

This is a sequel to Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen. Annamarie Zimmer continues to be a passionate neurotic determined to sabotage her own happiness by impulsive behavior. There are changes in her. She is riding again, although not competing. She's rekindled a relationship with her old flame, the one she should have married in the first place. And she's getting her due comeuppance from her daughter, who wants to ride competitively.Reading a book like this is like getting a visit from the nutty relative that no one can stand. There is a dreadful awfulness, for example, in the scene at the fancy restaurant where Annamarie storms out on her boyfriend and yet, if the reader can cultivate a certain detachment, it is mighty entertaining.

I enjoyed Water for Elephants, and Sara Gruen did not disappoint in this story of a teenage girl and her divorced mom trying to find their way through life's twists and turns. The backdrop of the story is horses, and a love of all animals, including a barn cat, a fickle dog, and a horse that desperately needs rescuing. But you need not be an animal lover to enjoy this book. It's a good story, told with feeling; the characters are believable as they struggle with interpersonal relationships in ways that we can all relate to. Best of all it is an upbeat story that leaves you feeling satisfied.

Sara Gruen does it again. A great story, authentic and real, with memorable characters. Interestingly, some of those with less-developed characters, at least in terms of words, are most vivid: Mutti, Dan, Maureen, and the horses. Ms. Gruen excels at creating character through actions. She takes the protagonist to the limit of the reader’s tolerance, though. Annemarie’s neuroses almost overwhelm, but this may be just my personal reaction. I’m glad I read the book, and look forward to more from the author.

My father worked with horses. My daughter has 26 horses. My grand daughter age 14 is competing in the Nationals for the second time. Yet I never understood the bond between a rider and a horse until I read this book. When I understood, it moved me to tears. Not the kind of tears that break your heart, the kind that humble you and broaden your appreciation of life. There is plenty of human drama in this story, but it the descriptions of competitive show riding are so truthful they leave you with the feeling you have actually experienced the event. . I recommended this book to my grand daughter and daughter. I also recommend it to you.

This story was amazing. Annemarie Zimmer has been through a lot, like almost being paralyzed while her horse had to put down. 20 years later she is divorced, has a 16 year old super star daughter, and is living under her mother's roof again. She resolves all of her problems by loving Hurrah, her dead horses brother. Eva doesn't know what to do with herself being a pro equestrian, and annemarie is supposed to be helping her. In the mean time, Annemarie is trying to get Dan to purpose to her, because she wants to spend the rest of her life with him, and his passion for saving horses. You should totally read this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sara Gruen is one of my favourite Authors and she didn't disappoint me with this book either!Flying Changes is the sequel to "Riding lessons" and Annemarie is now battling with herself whether to let her Daughter Eva compete in competitions even thought this makes her extremely nervous due to her own past.It was a light hearted story with a bit of background on horses and riding (I am not an expert on horses so couldn't say how accurate this information is) and I enjoyed it immensely as easy, enjoyable read.

More stories please Sara Gruen. This was another excellent story, following on from the first horsey story. She also wrote Water for Elephants which was made into a move, and the Ape House.

The protagonist really bothered me. She was so desperate for her boyfriend to propose to her, but she never took the initiative to do anything about it. When she thought that she was going to get a proposal and didn't she threw a fit and stormed out of the restaurant like a child.

A fantastic follow on to Riding Lessons which I also loved. If you love horses, you will love these books (but you don't have to love horses to thoroughly enjoy both books). I have fallen in love with Sara Gruen and her writing style. Interesting, easy to read and very hard to put down. Can't wait to read Water for Elephants and would highly recommend At The Water's Edge.

I enjoyed this book as well, a little slower to captivate, but still a very good read with a very good story.