Wild Horse Diaries by Lizzie Spender
'What that girl needs is a pony.' So said the poet WH Auden to Lizzie Spender's father when Lizzie was eight. Auden backed up his words with a cheque for GBP50 but the horse never happened. Years later fate presented her with a horse. But fate had been dramatic -- it was a wild horse that she'd seen from a helicopter above the red earth of the Kimberley -- the ancient, remote, uninhabited north-west of Australia. The owner of the cattle station told Lizzie to consider it hers but Lizzie decided it wasn't enough to know her horse was out there. She wanted to go back and find her horse, catch it, train it, transport it thousands of miles home to Sydney. She turned that dream into a reality in an extraordinary adventure. It was tough, frustrating, and beset with difficulties: an unpunctual horse-whisperer, an Australian outback full of wild creatures, the sheer mechanics of building the yards. But it was also a unique opportunity in which she got to know the wild horses, watched the horse whisperer achieve miracles and took two horses on an arduous journey back to 'civilisation'.From the thrilling epiphany of achieving her dream, to the subtle satisfaction of conquering her doubts, this is an inspirational tale, alive with the character of the Australian outback, one of the last remaining wildernesses.
'An account of a tenacious woman's quest via horse whisperers, patience and time to conquer her fears of the outback and her own self-doubt' -- Resident 20050901 'Remarkable' -- Tatler 'An affectionate, humorous memoir' -- Glasgow Herald 'Extraordinary' -- Sunday Telegraph 'Spender's tone throughout her diaries is artless and studiedly self-effacing!raptuous' -- Sunday Telegraph 20050911 'An inspirational story about reaching 50 and realising it's time to act on seemingly impossible dreams' -- Publishing News 20051028 'Forget girlie pony stories -- this is the passionate adventure of taming a wild horse in the red dust and rugged terrain of the Australian outback' -- Good Housekeeping 20060717 'You'll find Lizzie's adventures irresistible' -- Independent 20060717 'It is the best thing of its kind since Black Beauty and including My Friend Flicka. It is a book I can relate to' -- Sunday Telegraph/Seven 20051204 'A truly inspiring adventure' -- Daily Mail 20051204
Lizzie Spender spent her childhood in England and Ireland surrounded by artists, writers and, of course, horses -- but never her own. Trained as an actress she has worked in publishing, journalism, film and theatre. In recent years Lizzie has written two acclaimed television films for the BBC and published three pasta cookbooks. She is the daughter of the British poet, Sir Stephen Spender, and is married to the actor Barry Humphries.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780719564215 |
| ISBN 10 | 0719564212 |
| Title | Wild Horse Diaries |
| Author | Lizzie Spender |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | John Murray Press |
| Year published | 2005-09-12 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |