Rumer Godden is one of those writers who through descriptive writing let's you know exactly what's going on, what characters look like, and the feel and look of each setting.

Dark Horse is a fast-moving thriller about finding and returning a magnificent, beloved horse to the track before the race.

Enjoyable, quick read. Will be exploring a few more by this author. Not a huge favorite for me, but certainly worth exploring.
Race horses and nuns, and all hearts involved are touched.
Great exploration of India, if from the British POV for the most part.
Fun watching the character growth.
Fun to read the unsaid as well as the unsaid.
And humor, which always counts for a star in my book.

Really enjoyed this book! Happy I didn’t read the back cover, so I enjoyed the climax a bit more. Loved the character development of so many of the main players and some exposure to new time/place for me. The nuns were a beautiful part of the story!

Great Horse Story

What a wonderful tale of an amazing horse and the quirky group of people who surround him.
Set in India, which the author describes in intimate detail. So happy to have found it on Book Bub.

4 1/2

Rumor Godden is an awesome writer. Her descriptions are so vivid, you can see and hear and smell India. And always interesting characters.

I haven't read a Rumer Godden book in years and I'm so grateful to have rediscovered her: this story set in 1930s Calcuttta swept me away. Dark Invader the racehorse won my heart instantly as did most of the characters-- it's a deeply spiritual book, where everyone seems to have a sense of call and a longing for love and meaningful work, where themes of prayer and sanctuary and redemption weave through with a light touch and humor abounds. The multicultural, multi-religious city with its classes and castes and prejudices, obscene wealth and appalling poverty, flowers and laughter and children, lives and breathes, and racing through this city, one incredible horse.... Apparently based on a true story, I'm so glad she brought it to life with these indelible characters.

Godden filled this book with people I love and a hero horse. So good.

Dark Invader was a racehorse who was shipped from England to Calcutta, India, in the early 1930s. Mr Leventine, his new owner, arranged for his groom, Ted Mullins, to travel with him. John Quillan, a former cavalry officer, was to be his trainer. The three men were outsiders in various ways, but they came together to race Dark Invader.

The Sisters of Poverty had a convent close to the racetrack where they cared for destitute elderly and disabled people. Every night the sisters made the rounds of restaurants that would give them leftover food. Their aging horse pulled a large cart of food back to the convent where it would be used for meals for the poor. When their horse dies, the sisters pray for another horse--or the funds to buy one. Mother Morag finds a way with the help of Dark Invader.

The book is atmospheric showing the slums of Calcutta to the posh parties of the rich. There was strong prejudice in the Indian caste system, and the English social class divisions. The work of the grooms, trainers, and jockeys was interesting. Mother Morag and her sisters had both disturbing and humorous scenes, especially when the good Mother uses devious methods to obtain funds to do God's work.

The Dark Horse was originally published as an adult book, but was republished as a crossover book for YA readers. The first few chapters have some unfamiliar Indian words, but once you know them, the rest of the book is a relaxing read. The author combined her knowledge of India, nuns, and horses into an engrossing story. It was a heartwarming book with a good sense of place.

The story's climax is built on randomness so much of the novel feels aimless. Who or what is the focus of the entire novel - the horse? The nuns? The stable boy? The rich people? The lack of clear focus makes the story feel meandering. Also, the colonial backdrop (and perhaps nostalgia) detracts somewhat from the coziness of the story.

Horses, racing, nuns, British India between the wars...what else could you want in a book? I only wished it was longer.

A solid, pleasant book about India (under British rule, so obligate colonialism), a touchy horse, nuns, and a jockey looking for a way forward.

Solid, pleasant read.