Dream of the White Stallion

Oliver delights in this breezy chronicle of a clever woman surviving the harsh realities of early 18th-century England. Since childhood, Kathryn Alexander has been tormented by dreams of a white stallion. As daughter of Patrick, an Irish Catholic immigrant, and Anne Marie, a disowned aristocratic Protestant English mother, Kathryn is ostracized and bullied, as is the rest of her family. Kathryn shares her love of horses with Patrick, who makes harnesses, trains horses, and provides veterinary healing. There’s no unifying thread, but there is plenty of drama as Patrick’s apprentice Billy attempts to rape Kathryn, Patrick fires him, and he threatens the family. Meanwhile, Kathryn has her eye on handsome Viscount William Stanley, but when Patrick is found dead and her prized white filly Snowflake is stolen, she must do whatever it takes to feed and tend to her consumptive mother. Oliver follows Kathryn from childhood to young womanhood with insights on the era’s class struggle and daily life, as well as detailed descriptions of horse breeding, training, and racing. Fans of historical drama will be hooked. (Self-published)